Cigars for Beginners: How Do I Get Started?

If you're a newbie or considering trying a cigar for the first time, it can be quite an intimidating experience. Have you ever walked into a store with a walk-in humidor? All those cigars! All those choices! Before long, you'll reveal your inexperience when they start to ask you questions? What size would you like? A Robusto or Churchill? Maduro or Natural? Strong to mild? The list goes on and on. So where do you start?

Here are a few things we advise our customers when they are just getting started.

Start Slow

If you were learning a new skill, you usually start simple and get increasingly more complex as you go. When you learn how to cook, you'll often start with a simple recipe like scrambled eggs and work your way up to a more complicated dish like eggs florentine. The more you try new cigars, the more you'll learn to appreciate them, and develop a taste for them. You'll discover what you like and don't like it as you go. But first, we recommend...

Start Mild

Developing a taste for bolder and stronger tobacco usually takes some time. Just like acquiring a taste for wine or coffee usually takes several different exposures, so does cigar smoking.

Don't Inhale

If you're a former cigarette smoker, this may take some getting used to. Cigarettes have chemical additives that lower the temperature of the smoke. But it isn't necessary to inhale to enjoy a cigar. (I feel like there's a Bill Clinton joke in here somewhere ;))

Interestingly, cigar tobacco has a much lower amount of nicotine and is another reason it is absorbed on the palate. Just gently pull the smoke into your mouth, let your palate pick up the variances of flavor and leisurely blow out the smoke from your mouth and nose.

Sample Around

If you liked your first cigar, it's tempting to want to return to it. It's good to take advantage of sampling the vast array of mild to medium cigars to discover what's out there to your liking. Consider a sampler or joining our Cigar of The Month Club where you'll be provided with an exciting new sampling every month. The good news is, you'll get to try (and share) some very unique flavors that you may not have tried on your own.

The beauty and appeal of cigar smoking is about slowing down, savoring the moment and relaxing.

Stay tuned for future posts as we discuss other basics to this past time we all enjoy. Or sign up below and have them delivered straight to your inbox!

Happy Smoking!