Well the answer is simple - a long cigar doesn’t stay long for ever and while the lit end of the cigar needs some airflow around it so does the butt and the more you smoke the cigar the shorter it gets. Before long the cigar is so short that the butt has to rest inside the trough if your ashtray has a long trough and once it’s in there the all-round airflow that it needs is gone.

So your perfect cigar ashtray only needs a very short trough no matter what length of cigar that you’re smoking. The trough should be just long enough to keep the lit end above where the ash collects and the butt end with an all-round exposure to the air.

What should a cigar ashtray be made out of?

What the ashtray is made out of is of very little importance from a technical perspective but of course there are aesthetic considerations to think about. If you want something elegant and functional then crystal may be what you choose but if you’d rather have less elegance and perhaps more money in your pocket for more fine cigars then it really comes down to what works for you and blends into your surroundings.

And while you’re thinking about the right ashtray for you, take some time to browse through places like eBay and your local antiques stores for a collectible cigar ashtray. You just may pick up a real bargain that not only looks good and has the right design but is also worth a lot of money.

And that’s something you can think about while you smoke your next fine cigar and sip your favorite after-dinner drink.