New cigar smokers have quite a bit to learn. Just a few of these include the proper lighting process, how to relight a cigar and even how to take care of uneven burns. However, one of the very first lessons should involve the proper lighting implements. Most smokers believe that using Zippo lighters is an acceptable thing. It is not. You should never use a Zippo to light a cigar, unless you simply do not want to enjoy that smoke. Why should you avoid these lighters? What are your options?

First, Zippos use standard lighter fluid. This is that smelly stuff that you don’t want to get on your hands. However, while the fluid smells, the flame and the smoke from the flame do as well. Lighter fluid contains numerous impurities, which, when burned, put off a foul odor. If you use that lighter to fire up your cigar, you’ll find that those tastes and odors are imparted to your cigar. This will ruin the taste of your cigar and leave you with a lackluster experience, to say the least.

In fact, any type of lighter that uses standard lighter fluid should be avoided. Instead, you should opt for the new torch lighters on the market, as these use butane. Butane has no odor, no taste and no color. This is because it is virtually free of impurities. Therefore, when you use it to light your cigar, you’ll taste only the cigar and nothing else.

Other options are certainly available for your needs as well. You can use matches, or you can use matches in conjunction with cedar shavings. Some diehard cigar lovers swear by cedar shavings, mostly because they offer flavor enhancement for cigars. Of course, using these is not possible when you’re out and about, or when you’re smoking in a breeze. Therefore, butane lighters are not only an important consideration, but the only way that you can ensure you are able to light up even in windy conditions.

Hopefully, you can see that the use of Zippos is not a good idea and will result in a subpar smoking experience. Save your cigar’s flavor and aroma by using a quality butane lighter. You will find that purchasing a dual or triple jet lighter will even help ensure that you’re able to light that cigar on the first try every time.

Ah, the fine premium cigar. There truly is nothing to compare to the experience of a fine cigar, a glass of really good cognac, and an evening in the shade. It is a peaceful experience to say the least.

However, have you ever looked at your high-profile smoke and wondered what the events were that led to the making of it? Most true cigar aficionados have at one point or another.

The chain of events that led to the production of the cigar that you now hold in your hand is a long one, spanning back over 500 years. It all began when a brave explorer by the name of Christopher Columbus decided to throw caution to the wind and risk it all to prove that there was more to the world than everyone knew at the time. In 1492, he found success, along with a little something in the new world called tobacco.

Ironically, Luis De Torres of a Spanish Envoy to America decided to take some back to his home for personal use. After spotted lighting it, he was arrested for witchcraft and sentenced to a decade in prison.

The presence of tobacco popped up again as Cortez stumbled upon a tribe of Aztec natives that are smoking tobacco. Through Cortez, the tobacco makes its way throughout Spain. From there, the pipe-smoked substance began to grow in fame and use. By the mid 1500’s, tobacco had made its’ way all the way to France where the first seeds were planted and cultivated by a monk by the name of Andre Thevet.

From there, tobacco made its’ way to the distant lands of Portugal, Russia, Turkey, and Italy. The Portuguese, via a trade route, introduce it to the Japanese. Onward it spreads to Morocco, Egypt, and even to the Philippines. Finally, in the early 1600’s, it makes a full historical circle as documents reveal that the husband of Pocahontas, John Rolfe, brings tobacco to the state of Virginia.

By the early 1600’s, Cuba has built a solid name for fine tobacco growth and becomes the major supplier for the majority of the known world.

In the mid 1700’s, the infamous Catherine the great creates the cigar band as a concept. It seems that Catherine would smoke cigars so often that her fingers would take on a brownish colored stain. Therefore, to avoid this, she had a band designed so she could hold her cigars without the irritating stain.

From there, it is only a matter of time until the major brands began to establish themselves. Cohiba, H. Upmann, Partagas, El Rey del Mundo, Sancho Pancza, Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Montecristo and the rest of the premium cigars that you and I enjoy today become very notable over the next century.

That brings us to the here and now. Today, we can sit back and enjoy our fine cigars knowing that they have a history that dates all the way back to Christopher Columbus. So when you enjoy that next high-profile smoke, blow a plume and say, “Here’s to you Chris!”.

Every day, we make ways to keep our lives in order. We follow steps and rules to make sure that everything works properly. Whether it be our cars that need regular oil changes, running the virus scans on our computers, or seasoning a cigar humidor; without the proper attention and time, these expensive investments will not last.

Cigar humidors are one of the most expensive investments a cigar enthusiast can spend on. Although lots enthusiasts have this expensive accessory, only a few of them truly know how to season them the right way. Most of them end up destroying these fine pieces of cigar accessories.

Cigar humidors are a good gift to cigar enthusiasts; especially those who are only beginning to appreciate cigars. However, receiving this gift can be a problem, as not all of them know how to use them and, what’s worse is that, it does not come with instructions on how to properly season it. Properly seasoning a cigar humidor is important to keep your cigars fresh. If you own a cigar humidor and dont know how to properly season a cigar humidor, you will end up with cigars you would rather throw in the garbage instead of smoking them.

Spanish cedar or mahogany is used to line the interior of cigar humidors as they are known to absorb moisture well and hold the humidity within it. They are also known to repel fungus. But before these woods are used, manufacturers must first dry them up; this makes them more sensitive to humidity. If you encounter these kinds of wood in your humidors, and you don’t know the proper way to use them you will end up with too much moisture in your cigar humidor and will end up destroying them. One of the key tricks in cigar humidor is using only distilled water. Distilled water is important because it will not cause buildup in the humidor; you will also need a brand new sponge.

Here are the basic steps to seasoning a cigar humidor

The first step is to soak a sponge with distilled water and wipe down the insides of the cigar humidor. It is important that all the surfaces in the interior are wiped well. The next step is to fill up the humidification device according to the specifications of the cigar humidor and soak the sponge for a second time. Place the sponge inside it and let it sit for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, take the sponge out of the humidor and wipe its interiors once again. The last step in seasoning your cigar humidor is to refill the humidification device. Once you have properly seasoned the cigar humidor the interiors will retain the humidity and will keep your cigars as fresh as the day you bought them.

Now you know how to keep the humidity in your cigar humidor, the next thing you should know is why you should control the humidity.

One of the biggest myths in humidity in the cigar humidors is that the lower the temperature will ensure a higher humidity level inside it and vice-versa. However, this is not true.

This myth claims that if you are maintaining 70% humidity at 70 degrees in your cigar humidor and the temperature falls by 5 degrees, then you should increase the humidity level by 5% to compensate the loss. The reality is that regardless of the temperature drop or increase, the humidity level should be definitely kept at 70%.

The reason why the humidity needs to be controlled is because a cigar needs just enough water to keep its tobacco fresh but not so much as to soak it with moisture. Whatever the change in temperature is, it is important that the level of humidity is kept at the same level. This is because the humidity the hygrometer is reading is not the level inside the cigar but the moisture level inside the cigar humidor. The reading on the hygrometer should be kept at 70%.

Knowing the proper way of seasoning a cigar humidor is the only way to preserve your precious cigars. Once you know the proper way, you can start enjoying your cigar smoking experience.

One of the most relaxing and satisfying feelings is when you finally find a few moments in the day that are all your own, when you can unwind with a nice cigar. However, cigar smoking is not as easy as just grabbing a stogie and lighting it up.

You will find that there are certain traditions and even rules of etiquette that you will want to follow when smoking. Everything from choosing the type of cigar to choosing the right pipe lighters, and even whether or not to remove the band, are very important decisions that you will need to make.

Consider the band on the cigar. Is it right to leave the band on? Well, this depends on a couple of things. If you are simply having a quiet evening at home alone and you want to light up, there is no problem with leaving the band on the cigar. Keep in mind though that if you keep the band on when you are smoking among friends who are cigar aficionados or at a public place, leaving on the band could be thought of as a breach of etiquette. Why would something as simple as a band on a cigar matter?

The band acts as a label, and this label can tell others everything about the cigar. They will know the type of cigar, they will know where it was made, and they will even have a good idea of how much you spent on the cigar. Knowing all of these things can give people a preconceived impression of you as a person. If you smoke expensive cigars, you could find that some people become envious and they will think that you are simply trying to brag about how much you are able to spend for your cigars. Even though this isn’t your intention, it can cause people to get the wrong idea.

All of the different rules of etiquette are things that you will learn over time. Taking the band off your cigar is easy. In many cases, you will be able to slip the band off the cigar even before you light it. However, you will find that the label will come off even easier when you light the cigar and smoke for a moment - it loosens the band and will make it quite simple to slip off the cigar so that you can discard it.