Pick up any cigar smoker who has been smoking cigars for more than two years and you will see a pile of cigar equipment behind him. For experienced cigar smokers, equipment is not even an accessory to the cigar, but a necessity that is integrated with the cigar. As a cigar novice, you don’t have to pursue novelty or expensiveness, but you must have basic cigar equipment if you regard cigars as a part of your life. Here are the five must-have items for cigar smokers: humidor, travel cigar case, cigar cutter, lighter/matches, and ashtray.
1. Cigar humidor
A humidor/humidifier is the first cigar accessory you need to own. Regarding the preservation of cigars, we like to call collecting cigars "raising cigars", which vividly shows that cigars are delicate treasures that need careful care. It also shows that cigars are capable of growth and need a suitable environment to support them.
Cigars are afraid of both heat and cold; they should not be kept too damp or too dry. When the temperature exceeds 24 degrees Celsius, cigars may become infested with insects. If the temperature is too low, the cigars will stop growing and will not become more mellow as the storage time increases. At the same time, if the humidity is too low, the moisture in the cigar will be "dried out", thus losing its original flavor. Therefore, the best way is to store the cigar in a special humidor for cigars.
Humidifiers come in various sizes and specifications, ranging from a dozen to thousands, and the price ranges from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands. The humidity regulator in the humidor automatically adjusts the humidity in the box to make the internal environment suitable for storing cigars, directly extending the life of the cigars stored in the box.
Generally, humidors are made of a kind of wood called cedar, and they can only be made of this kind of wood, so that the cigar can maintain its original flavor. Boxes made of other woods can easily smell like cigars, while cedar can make cigars more fragrant.
2.Travel cigar case
When traveling, cigar fans also hope to take their favorite cigars with them. Then various large and small travel cigar cases were produced. Small travel cigar cases can hold one to three cigars and are about the size of a glasses case. The larger ones can hold a dozen cigars. But no matter how big or small, it just needs to be suitable and can handle the cigars you need for daily outings.
3. Cigar cutter
Before enjoying a cigar, you must first cut off the cap. There are various pruning tools on the market. The important thing is to keep the cut clean and smooth, otherwise it will not be smooth when you pull it out, and the wrapper may be damaged. Cigar cutters are necessary for smoking cigars. They can be drilled, single-edged, double-edged, scissor-type, guillotine-type, etc. For novices, having a double-edged cigar cutter is a useful tool to improve the cigar experience.
4.1 Cigar lighter
Do not use a gasoline lighter to light a cigar, as the smell of gasoline will diminish the flavor of the cigar. The airbrush igniter is the best choice for lighting cigars. It is clean and has no odor, and the flame is medium-sized and long-lasting. When lighting the cigar, hold the cigar horizontally and tilt the tail end at a 45-degree geometric angle, close to 2.5 centimeters of the flame, so that the cigar can burn evenly from the edge to the center.
4.2 Long sulfur-free matches
Some cigar aficionados like to light their cigars with matches. Ordinary matches cannot be used to light cigars because their chemicals will make the cigar smoke contain a chemical taste.
The specialized cigar matches are first of all long and do not contain sulfur. When lighting a cigar, rub the match until the chemical substance in the match head is fully burned before lighting the cigar. Use the upper part of the flame on the horizontal surface to light the cigar.
5. Cigar Ashtray
Since smoking cigars takes a long time, you should also prepare a specific cigar ashtray. A cigar ashtray isn't just for holding ash - because both the cigar aficionado's hands and the cigar need to be given proper rest.
When a cigar aficionado's hands need a break, he can rest his cigar comfortably against the ashtray's support. The cigar ashtray has special "slots" for placing cigars. There are several "slots" that can hold several cigars.
The pleasure of real cigar smokers is not all in the smoke. They also get great satisfaction from cutting, lighting and caring for cigars. Therefore, for a cigar aficionado, a complete set of professional smoking tools is indispensable.
At the same time, many cigar smokers usually do not smoke one flavor of cigars. Different types and brands of cigars have different lengths, thicknesses, and thicknesses, and have different requirements for the specifications of smoking tools, so there is more than one choice for each smoking tool.
Cigar Tips
How to cut a cigar?
Since one end of the cigar is closed, the first step is to open the closed end and make it into a hollow straw-like thing, so that we can enjoy this good taste. The closed end is called the "head" and the open, flat end is called the "tail". Very simply light the "tail" and cut the "head".
This is the most popular style. It has a vertical blade that cuts directly into the cigar cap to give the cigar a rounded cross-section. When cutting with a guillotine cutter the "shoulders" should be cut. The shoulder is the part of the dome-shaped head that curves downward. Do not cut off the entire head of the cigar to prevent the cigar from curling up without a "cap". This cutting method makes the incision large and is the most convenient for suction.