One can easily picture the scene. A smoker has stubbed out their cigar halfway through, they pick up the stogie, grab their Nibo lighter and get ready to relight it and are immediately warned by a friend that they should only smoke the first half of the cigar.

The taste of a cigar will, of course, change a bit as one gets closer to the end. Whether or not this is desirable is completely a matter of personal taste. The best way to find out is to experiment and there are few cigar smokers who would object to this sort of investigation!

The taste of the cigar changes because tar builds up in the tobacco as one puffs through it. This is unavoidable. It’s not that the tobacco is any different from one end of the cigar to the other, it’s simply that the byproducts of combustion inevitably build up and affect the flavor. Many individuals find this change in taste quite enjoyable and, as one gets more used to the flavor of the cigar, one also gets more “bite” off of each puff which makes it enjoyable from start to finish.

A cigar’s flavor may change a bit because, of course, the tobacco dries out a bit as the heat from the smoke travels through the wrapper. This also gives the last part of the cigar a slightly different flavor than the first part. This is unavoidable and, again, there are no hard and fast rules about this. Some individuals will stub out their cigar halfway through and others will chew on the butt long after its gone out on its own. It’s all up to the individual and one’s own preference should be the only thing that guides their choice in this regard.

Fine cigars are not cheap and their price is justified in the quality of their tobacco and in the technique used in wrapping the leaves. Saying that one should smoke only half of a cigar is akin to saying one should only eat half of a gourmet chicken because the taste of the meat changes slightly as one approaches the bone. It is a matter of preference and little more. Some individuals will find that the cigar becomes too strong for their taste toward the end and, in these cases, it is preferable to change brands rather than to waste fully half of a gourmet cigar. There are many mild brands on the market from which to choose.