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Tip of the Week
Q: If a cigar is long (like a Cohiba Lanceros, for example), I usually relight it when I'm ready for another few puffs. I've been told that is bad cigar etiquette, and, in fact, is bad for the cigar. Is that true?
A: Let's get real. We all relight our cigars.
Often while smoking during a busy day for instance, you get involved in a meeting or a conversation, and the cigar often goes out. Sure, it may not be the best thing for a cigar because in drawing the flame over a burnt end, you suck in some of the carbonized tobacco. And, if you relight it too many times, the cigar will get harsh from the heat alone. Some suggest that if you know you're going to relight a cigar, blow the smoke out of it before laying it down and then knock off all the excess ash before relighting it.
Remember also that every time a cigar gets cold, the oils and tars saturate the remaining tobacco. When you relight the cigar, those oils and tars are more concentrated, and the cigar can become nicotine-charged. Some people, when smoking a cigar late in the day, will leave it in their ashtray overnight and clip off a portion of the cigar behind the ash in the morning, and relight it. It's not the same as a fresh light, but if it's a great cigar, why waste it?
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