My guide to the local cigar sene on a budget

Well here I go with the average guy's guide to smoking in and around Sacramento. I am on a budget and new to all that goes into smoking cigars. But in my adult life I have found that there are things that men do, from having an affinity for classic cars to our love of guns, smoking cigars is fast becoming something that the politically correct (PC) world would love to see made illegal. One of the major things I feel is killing us as men in our overly PC world, is it seems as if we do not take a hold of our place in the world, but I digress.

As some of us in the world of cigars know, there is an etiquette to smoking cigars. In 1967, a man called Zino Davidoff published a now-famous essay for cigar connoisseurs titled Zino Davidoff's Guide to Cigar Etiquette. It includes a charter and code for cigar smokers everywhere, telling them how they should behave when smoking or preparing to smoke their cigars. As to his reasons for publishing what is effectively a guide to cigar etiquette, Davidoff has this to say:

“The important thing to remember is that we cigar aficionados should present ourselves as considerate and understanding individuals. Changing people’s preconceived notions and giving the growing numbers of aficionados a good name is well worth that little extra effort.”

Davidoff featured the following Dos and Don'ts for smoking cigars in public.

Do:

Warm the foot of the cigar slightly before starting to puff on it.
Remove the band carefully after lighting the cigar.
Take your time in smoking it; a puff a minute is about right.
Hold the cigar between your index finger and thumb.
Let the cigar die a dignified death. After it's smoked half way, it will go out on its own.
Dispose of the dead cigar discreetly and quickly.
Wait at least fifteen minutes between cigars; anything less indicates obsessive behavior.

Don't:

Use a penknife to cut or a lance to pierce the end of the cigar.
Touch the flame directly to the foot of the cigar: Instead, simply rotate it around the edge until it starts to burn, then puff lightly.
Ask someone else for a light (the lighting of a cigar should be a personal affair).
Light your cigar too quickly or too slowly.
Indulge in exhibitionism in lighting or any other aspect of smoking.
Relight your cigar if less than one quarter of it is leaf.
Put the cigar in your mouth to relight it. Just scrape off the ash and turn it in the flame for several seconds till it relights.
Clench it between your teeth. Likewise do not get the end of the cigar wet, chew it, or slobber on it.
Smoke too quickly.
Use a cigar holder, or worse, stick a toothpick or matchstick in the end of the cigar to help hold it in your mouth.
Dunk your cigar in port or brandy, a habit attributed to Winston Churchill.
Smoke while working.
Hold a cigar between your index and middle finger.
Smoke when you're walking.
Smoke more than half the cigar.
Put the cigar out by crushing it in an ashtray.
Chain-smoke cigars.

As you can see, there are a lot more Don'ts than Dos! However, most of Davidoff's directives are things most people already do naturally, and you will soon get used to the others as you build up more smoking experience. Practice at home, where you can relax and learn to enjoy every aspect of the ritual of cigar smoking, and only then, when you are confident, should you have a go at smoking in public. It’s not a difficult thing to do, but there are a number of things to think about the first time you do it. Keep practicing however, and they'll soon become second nature.