Today we’re talking about three things that can unexpectedly ruin a cigar beyond the aspects of purchasing, storing, cutting, and lighting a cigar. These are things that we don’t often thing about but can have dire consequences for our favorite pastime.
If you want to make sure that you’ve got the basics down, we’ve got you covered:
- How to Smoke a Cigar: Cutting, Lighting, and Smoking a Cigar
- 7 Pitfalls To Avoid for the New Cigar Smoker
- Does Shipping Affect Cigars? Temperature, Humidity, and You
#3: The Hype Train
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Hype Train is real and has left countless cigars in it’s miserable wake. There’s no one person to blame for hype, either, as we are all more than capable of building up a cigar to unfathomable heights ourselves.
You might want to disembark the Hype Train if:
- You’re waiting for a long-anticipated release
- You’ve been holding onto something indefinitely because it’s irreplaceable
- You’re about to eagerly smoking a cigar that all of your friends rave about
We are particularly adept at imagining situations that are nearly impossible to achieve, especially after reading mouthwatering cigar reviews. It’s not to say that your cigar in question will never taste as good as you believe it will, but it’s best to assume that the cigar you’ve been holding onto won’t give you super powers.
The next time you light up a cigar that you’ve placed on a pedestal, spend a few moments cleansing the hype from your thoughts first. Lowering your expectations is a guaranteed way to let the cigar put it’s best foot forward while simultaneously allowing it room to grow on you.
#2: Traveling Without a Surefire Plan
There are few things worse than going on vacation with a stack of cigars just to arrive and realize that you’re missing something vital to the experience. Here are a few examples:
- Traveling without a torch lighter
- Losing your cutter
- Flying with a humidor that doesn’t have a pressure release valve
If you’re flying, chances are that you’ve had to come up with creative solutions for your torch lighters. Since they’re not allowed in the cabin or in checked luggage while filled with butane, we’re usually faced with a choice to take an empty torch lighter or leave them at home.
This isn’t always a big deal as a soft flame works well in most situations, but it can become problematic if you’re traveling to a windy area or don’t have a lot of patience. If you really want to ensure that you’ll have the vacation you’ve been waiting on, it’s best to travel with a soft flame torch adapter. These will house a disposable butane source (like a Bic) and convert the soft flame to a torch. You can fly with them in carry-on luggage by simply separating the adapter and the fuel container.
Here are two of the most common butane torch adapters we’ve used in the past:
If you’re worried about losing your one and only cutter, an easy precaution is to pre-cut your cigars before travelling. Or, you could read our article on How to Cut a Cigar for some nifty tips in tight situations.
Lastly, we have to be sure that if we’re flying with cigars we have the right type of travel humidor. Since cabins and cargo holds are pressurized, flying with the wrong type of humidor could prove problematic when you land and want to fire up. As in, you may not be able to open your humidor.
Travel humidors that feature a pressure release valve make the difference between a nightmare and a dream vacation. If you can’t open your humidor after flying, just twist the nob to release air pressure. After a few seconds of hissing, you’ll once again be able to access your cigars.
#1: Bad Company
When it comes to ruining a perfectly good cigar, people are often the greatest common denominator. Here are a few examples that you've likely encountered already:
- The person that has a voice like a megaphone and wields it like a hammer
- The person that won’t stop bringing religion/politics into the lounge
- The person that hits on everyone else’s significant other
- The person that gets sloppy drunk
- The person that criticizes staff and patrons
- The person that lets negativity consume them
Firstly, we implore you to not be That Guy or Gal! It’s never fun to have all your ducks in a row for a perfect cigar evening just to have your night ruined by a few obnoxious patrons or employees.
Secondly, we encourage you to have a backup plan! Unless you’re the type to confront nuisances or already have a secondary location in mind, headphones are particularly effective at drowning out the noise and negative vibes. Simply put on your favorite cigar podcast or tunes and rock on!
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