Some cigar smokers enjoy nothing more than getting out on the water, in the woods or to the campground and lighting up their favorite brand of cigar. Being outside, there are no concerns about the aroma and one is free to puff to their heart’s content. Of course, lighting a cigar is a particularly intricate affair and doing it incorrectly can ruin a fine smoking session. There are several ways in which one may overcome this though some of them carry some concerns about influencing the taste of the cigar in a negative way.

Lighter fluid burns with a distinctive smell. It has an oily consistency which makes it highly-prized for its being able to burn in even very windy conditions. Lighter fluid has a taste which is detectable by some individuals and not at all detectable by others. Different fluids are said to affect this characteristic, as well. Whether or not this is true is entirely up to the individual to decide. Some cigar smokers would not for a minute consider giving up their prized Zippo; others would hesitate to light a fine cigar with anything other than a wooden match or a cedar strip.

Butane lighters are another popular choice. When these lighters came out, they were almost universally cheap and disposable. Today, there are lighters that use butane for fuel that are of as high a quality as any fluid-filled lighter. Many of them are windproof, offering some stiff competition to fluid-filled lighters in that regard, as well. While this may be a concern when out in the elements, however, most cigar smoking is done in much less-extreme conditions and most choices in lighting devices are made according to taste more than they are according to concerns regarding their ability to function in trying conditions.

Fluid-filled lighters are still very popular and, because many are given away to mark special occasions, many individuals have a nostalgic attachment to them. There are several brands of lighter fluid available which are formulated to eliminate the chemical taste. Even if a lighter fluid does give this taste, it is usually only for the first few puffs and it dissipates quickly.

Whether or not the taste of lighter fluid is something about which one should harbor concern is entirely for the smoker to decide. Being outdoors is as much about the equipment as it is about anything else and using a Zippo has something of an adventurous feel to it. These lighters long history of reliability makes them an advantageous choice for outdoor enthusiasts. The butane models, however, are very affordable and there’s nothing to say that it’s a bad idea to bring along more than one lighter and to see which proves superior in adverse outdoor conditions.

The gentlemen at Cigar Aficionado magazine rated over 700 cigars in 2009 and have posted their Top 25 list.

“Just as in the original tests, the coordinator stripped each cigar of its identifying cigar band and gave each cigar a new code known only to him (and he is not one of the tasters). The cigars were then smoked by a panel of senior tasters from the magazine, each with a minimum of 12 years experience in cigar tastings. The cigars were rated on their appearance, smoking characteristics, flavor and overall impression, and those scores were averaged for each cigar. At the conclusion of that round, the best of the cigars were rebanded once again with a new code and resmoked by the panel to ensure their consistent quality, and to find the very best. This final tasting consisted of 14 cigars, all of them wonderful, none of them mediocre.”

Congratulations to all of the Top 25 and especially to the number one cigar, accoring to CA: The Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro

Click here to see the complete list.

Camacho Liberty 2009 - cigarinspector.com

Gold Star Smokes (Part V) – stogieguys.com

Sir Vin Cigars Merlin’s Magic - cigarobsession.com

Diesel – Unholy Cocktail - casasfumado.com

Padron Family Reserve 45 Years - tomscigars.com

Cigar.com Cuban Label – toastedfoot.com

Top 25 Cigars of 2009 – cigaraficionado.com

Anyone who has ever visited a tobacconist shop that specializes in high-quality cigars is likely to remember the enormous cabinets in which all of the boxes and brands were displayed for sale. Such a cabinet is known as a humidor, and anyone who hopes to retain and even improve the quality of their own cigars will need to invest in at least one home-sized version. Why would someone require more than a single humidor? Apart from the obvious fact that they may own many boxes of costly cigars that need to be stored properly, they may also want to age cigars without loss of quality.

So, does this mean that you can take all of your cigars and put them in the same box without any further worries or concerns? No, it helps to understand that cigars are full of volatile oils and humidity, and these can often cause a few “clashes” between varieties. For example, most modern cigars will come with a cellophane wrapper, and this is not to maintain the humidity, but to allow the cigar to actually pull air through the wrapper. This cellophane is used primarily to prevent damage from occurring to the tobacco wrapping the cigar and to minimize the amount of flavor or aroma mingling that can occur within a humidor.

This means that storing different types of cigars in the same cabinet or box is not usually recommended. While there are some exceptions – such as storing the same basic varieties together, outside of their cellophane sleeves, for no more than a two month time span – the standard rule of thumb is to keep only one brand in a box for long-term storage. If this is going to be too costly or difficult, most cigar shops and websites sell boxes with Spanish cedar dividers that can help to minimize flavor mingling, and some that even come with dividers and separate trays too.

Now, if you are someone who is going to age their cigars, which is a process that takes upwards of two to three years to successfully complete, then you have to really consider the impact of mixing cigars in the same tray or box. Certainly it would take a knowing palette to detect the subtle mingling that might transpire over the aging period, but is it worth the risk of keeping several types together?

Now, a bit earlier in this discussion the cellophane sleeves that wrap individual cigars were mentioned, and many wonder if these prevent flavor blending or mingling. While they might slow the process to a measurable degree, if you are taking the time to age cigars you may want to still stick with keeping them in individual trays or divided from one another via cedar partitions regardless of the cellophane or not.

Cigar smoking, like any other gourmet activity, is one where every aspect of the endeavor matters. This includes when one should ash their cigar. The ash does do a bit of work for the cigar smoker and maintaining the proper amount affects the quality of the smoke.

The first few puffs of a cigar always entail the hottest ember. The flame generated by high-end cigar lighters, such as a Colibri lighter, is very hot and, thus, is held a bit back from the stogie. However, the ember still needs to cool a bit before the taste is at its best.

While a cigar is certainly hot, it should not be so hot that it affects the taste of the tobacco. This is why very powerful lighters, such as the various Lotus torch lighter models, are held a bit away from the cigar during the lighting process. To burn, fire or embers require fuel, oxygen and heat. The ash regulates the amount of oxygen the cherry receives and, thus regulates the overall temperature of the burn. As any smoker is aware, the first puff off of a cigar is usually the hottest. The temperature of the smoke mellows as ash is generated.

Too much ash, of course, will extinguish the cherry. Usually one ashes their cigar long before this happens but, if it happens to be set down in an ashtray, it will sometimes go out because of this effect. Generally, one wants to find the happy medium between a cool burn and having the cigar go out. This takes some experience but, like most things related to cigar smoking, the experimentation means nothing more intense than enjoying a good cigar! Be sure to take note of how much ash lends the right temperature to the ember at the foot of the cigar.

The cigar ash may still have some very hot embers within it, so keep this in mind when smoking in outdoor locations. Especially in areas with dry grass or wood, this can pose a risk of fire. To make sure the ash is cooled, flick it first into the palm of the hand and then toss it to the wind once one is sure it’s cooled off. Aside from determining the flavor of a cigar, the ash presents one of the hazards of smoking and should be watched.

Smoking pipes date back hundreds of years, even farther back than do cigars. Smoking a pipe is a refined, relaxing pastime that offers worlds of enjoyment, as well. You’ll find that while smoking is most definitely enjoyable, you’ll need several pieces of equipment like tampers and pipe lighters, as well as an understanding of the various methodologies employed to ensure a cool, smooth, satisfying smoke. One of the most confusing aspects of smoking a pipe is that of pipe aeration. What is it? Why do you need to do it?

The process, itself, is not actually difficult, time consuming or hard to understand. A simple aerator tool will help ensure that your smoke remains cool, enjoyable and, most of all, burning. With the right packing methods, you might not need to use the tool, but you’ll find that having such a tool on hand is a good idea, as there may be conditions in which correct packing is impossible, or there are other factors at work.

A pipe aerator is a simple tool. In honesty, it’s little more than a length of straight metal, with no point on the end. In fact, you can use almost any similar instrument to accomplish your task, such as a straightened paperclip. Of course, you can purchase combination tools that offer a pipe aerator, a tamper and a cleaner device to help rid the bowl of excess cake. These three-piece tools are quite common and you’ll find them available wherever you purchase your pipe tobacco. You can also purchase single aerators, as well as single tampers and cleaners for your needs.

Aerating your pipe will require little effort, but it will necessitate a bit of caution. Simply insert the tip of the aerator into the lit tobacco in your pipe several times. You simply want to slide the tip into the packed tobacco – do not jab or twist it, as this can unpack your tobacco. The entire process is designed to enhance the amount of air reaching the heart of the tobacco, which will help to ensure that your pipe remains lit, your smoke remains cool and your experience is enjoyable.

You should have no difficulties in locating an aerator for your pipe. You will find them with all respectable tobacco stores, as well as with online retailers that sell tobacco and related implements. Having such a tool on hand at all times will certainly help to ensure you are able to enjoy your smoke as much as possible. It will also help you avoid smokes with hard draws and other drawbacks that can happen.

We received an email yesterday from the guys at www.stogiereview.com that included information about a new website the stogiereview crew has recently launched. The website, Cigar Friendly, is a user-edited database of cigar friendly establishments across the United States and currently lists 196 smoke friendly locations.

Stogie fans that travel regularly may find it particularly useful and much more efficient than using Google’s local search to locate smoking lounges in their destination city. The email even noted a forthcoming mobile application as well as event planning and favorites/bookmarking capabilities. The email also mentions a soon-to-come feature of ‘State Representatives’ wherein designated Cigar Friendly users will be available to help introduce people to other cigar fans and cigar friendly locations.

Additionally, with the site you can:
Register and Login.
Create a profile and view other people’s profiles.
Create and manage listings.
Comment on and/or rate a listing.
Leave a Visitor Message on a users profile wall.
Send Private Messages to other users.

You can visit the website at: http://www.CigarFriendly.us.

Davidoff Grand Cru No. 4 - cigarinspector.com

Rocky Patel Renaissance - tomscigars.com

Montcristo Reserva Negra Robusto – stogieguys.com

Bucanero Canon Cubano Natural - cigarobsession.com

Illusione 88 - toastedfoot.com

Carrillo by Ernesto Perez – acigarsmoker.com

Litto Gomez Diez – Cubano – fireupthatcigar.com

Diesel – Unholy Cocktail – stogiereview.com