a little cigar 101

[dj1340]

Smoke only half!

I suppose if your him and have access to cigars like he did, you could start a new cigar whenever you wanted. Me, if their not horrible, I smoke 'em till my fingers hurt.

[Legend]

Most of the rules fall under who cares. Smoke more than half? Hold it this way or that, touch the flame to the cigar, toast it first, wait 15 minutes, don't smoke too fast. Who cares, I'm not gonna gnats a$$ how my botl smoke their cigars and look down on them for lighting up 14 minutes after their last cigar.

[blueeyedbum]

Interesting; guess I'm a classless bum. At least I don't crush any out in an ashtray. Then again on my budget I don't smoke Davidoffs, and I doubt if I be going to Zino's for dinner soon.

[rlaliberty]

Guess i'm classless too...

[Rubix^3]

Do's addition:
Always wear a handsome ascot and a smoking jacket, especially when smoking in public.

[slayoner]

Agreed! some of these rules aren't for anyone but the snoodiest of the top hat and monocle crowd.

I smoke my cigars until I reach the point where the flavor begins getting consistently less enjoyable as opposed to more. This rarely (if ever) happens halfway through, and sometimes I'm reluctant to put it out at all because I'm still getting good flavors out of the nubbiest of nubs.

Davidoff may have smoked many many more cigars than I have, Posess a considerably higher degree of cigar knowlege, and generally have dealings with a more 'refined' crew of guys. He doesn't, though, spend his money on my cigars. I do, and that being the case I'll continue to draw every last tidbit of good flavor and enjoyment out of them.

[saigon68]

This was good advice (well some of it was). I did learn a few things I did not know before re the proper way to first light and subsequent relighting. Not asking someone else for a light is eye opening. Bad manners apparently. Does that extend to a friend who asks you for a light I wonder?

[PerpetualNoob]

Originally Posted by mistabman

I wish all of my friends would learn this one. Most of the rest of the stuff on the don't list doesn't really bother me, but this one is like fingernails on a chalkboard sometimes. They just grind and grind and grind that cigar into my ashtray. It'll go out on its own in like 30 seconds!!!

Now that I'm able to smoke outside again, I've found a new "ashtray". It's a melamine flowerpot about 4" tall and 4" in diameter. I filled it about 2/3 full of sand. When I put ashes in it, it's deep enough it would take a hurricane to blow them out over the top, there's enough weight to keep it from being tippy, and when I am done with my cigar, I just screw it gently into the sand and it pretty much goes out instantly. No smoke, no stink, no nothing. I'm sure Zino would not approve of my hillbilly solution or for that matter, just about any other aspect of what and how I smoke.

Here's something from the Wiki entry for Zino:

"Zino Davidoff was born on March 11, 1906 in Ukraine. He was the eldest of four children born to Jewish tobacco merchant, Henri Davidoff. Even in his own autobiographical writings, the facts on Zino's youth are a bit hazy, as he was quite young during this time and could only piece together some stories of his youth."

As it happens, I, too, was very young during my youth, so I guess me and Ol' Zino do have that one thing in common.

[rlaliberty]

Originally Posted by slayoner

Davidoff may have smoked many many more cigars than I have, Posess a considerably higher degree of cigar knowlege, and generally have dealings with a more 'refined' crew of guys. He doesn't, though, spend his money on my cigars. I do, and that being the case I'll continue to draw every last tidbit of good flavor and enjoyment out of them.

Nor does his having more knowledge on the subject have any bearing on his authority in smoking technique. His "refined" crowd sound like the same bunch of snobs that continually alienate people within and beyond the hobby.

[Herf N Turf]

Originally Posted by ashmaster

Yea, thats the one I really don't/can't agree with. Doesn't make sense.

Makes perfect sense if you factor in that first and formost, he was a salesman. From his earliest days in Zurich, Zino was all about the aesthetic. When he made the move away from cubans, it was largely based on the dwindling eye-appeal of the construction. The more I learn about Zino, the more I realize that he was primarily about marketing. A quick look around one of his shops and it's abundantly aparent.

In his defense, I think about the era when his methods were being published and popularized. There was a lot of gasoline filled zippo usage, chewing, slobbering, stashing of half burnts and generally phillistine behaviour. Someone had to stop people from lighting cigars off the exhaust manifold of their Studebakers.

How does holding the stick between your thumb and index finger enhance the flavor, or burn? My tea doesn't taste any different when I extend my pinky.

Wonder if Zino rolls over in his grave everytime I refer to a cigar as a "stick"?

[docruger]

just wanted to thank everyone for there input.

[e-man]

I guess the second half of Zino cigars taste really bad. So much so, that they don't even recommend smoking them.

If you don't expect people to smoke the second half, then why would the blender put anything good in that part of the stick? Could it be that most Zino smokers prefer mild sticks, and stopping at the half way point keeps them in the mild range?

[Sirhuffsalot]

Dear Mr. Davidoff,

I will relinquish my cigar, only when it is starting to burn my middle and index fingers, and no sooner! If I find it necessary to re-light my cigar durring this process, so be it. And I dont really care much whos watching.

With regards,
Sirhuff

[Phantom57]

I had the book and have lost track of it. Davidoff was very egotistical, but an expert in cigars. He took pride in servicing only the royal and the rich. If you didn't order cigars by the thousand, he wasn't interested in doing business with you. He also classified smokers by how many cigars they kept on hand. If you didn't keep at least a thousand, you weren't a true cigar smoker. If you bought them by the day to smoke, you were akin to a street urchin. Tremendous knowledge of tobacco and cigars, but an ego the size of Texas.

[longburn]

I do most of those already. But I have never heard of not smoking a cigar past it's 1/2 way point but then again Davidoff is trying to sell cigars. I suppose if he ever starts buying my cigars for me I'll let him tell me how to smoke them.