Quick answer: To smoke a cigar, cut off just the cap, toast the foot over a butane flame without touching it, then draw smoke into your mouth every 30 to 60 seconds and let it out. Do not inhale. A robusto takes about an hour. If you feel lightheaded, stop, eat something and drink something sweet.
Smoking a cigar is simple once you know the order: pick a mild one, cut it, light it slowly, and pace yourself. Most first cigars go wrong for the same few reasons: a full-bodied stick, a deep cut, a rushed light, or puffing like it is a cigarette. Every one of them is easy to avoid. This guide walks through each step, how long each size takes, and what to do when a cigar burns crooked or goes out.
How Do You Smoke a Cigar?
Smoking a cigar takes six steps. First, pick a mild to medium cigar in a size you have time for: a robusto (about 5 x 50) takes roughly an hour. Second, cut the cap with a sharp guillotine cutter, just above the shoulder where the rounded cap meets the body, and test the draw; it should feel like sipping through a straw. Third, toast the foot by holding it just above a butane flame and turning it until the edge glows evenly. Fourth, take gentle puffs every 30 to 60 seconds, hold the smoke in your mouth for a moment, and let it out without inhaling. Fifth, let the ash build to about an inch before rolling it off gently, and touch up any side that burns slower. Sixth, when you are done, rest the cigar in the ashtray and let it go out on its own instead of stubbing it.
A butane lighter or long wooden matches. Our cigar lighter guide explains the types.
An ashtray, a glass of water or something sweet to drink, and an hour somewhere calm where smoking is allowed.
Something to eat first. A cigar on an empty stomach is the most common way to feel sick.
Cigars are a 21+ purchase in the US, and most stores ship them with an adult signature.
Step 1: Pick a Mild First Cigar
For your first cigar, start with something mild and balanced. A lighter blend lets you taste the cigar instead of just the strength.
Read the wrapper color as a flavor clue. Connecticut (light tan) tastes creamy and mild. Habano (medium brown) adds pepper and spice. Maduro (dark brown) leans sweet, with chocolate and coffee. San Andres (the darkest) is earthy, with cocoa and dark roast.
Save full-bodied blends, often dark maduros or peppery Nicaraguans, until you know you like cigars.
Pick a size you have time for. A robusto (about 5 x 50) or a corona (about 5.5 x 42) is a satisfying first smoke without tying up your whole evening.
Strength comes from the blend, not the size. A thick cigar can be milder than a slim one, so read the strength, not the ring gauge.
Give it a gentle squeeze. A fresh cigar feels firm with a little give. If it is crunchy or cracking, it is dried out and will smoke hot.
Start with a five-pack, not a box. You get several tries for the price of a few singles. Once you find a favorite, a box brings the price per cigar down.
Two easy first cigars, with today's lowest price across the stores we compare:
Macanudo Cafe Hyde Park: the classic mild cigar from Macanudo, about 5.5 x 49 under a Connecticut Shade wrapper, smooth enough for someone who smokes twice a year.
Lowest price today
$37.77 for 5 cigars (about $7.55 a cigar)
Hyde Park 5-pack at CigarPage, the cheapest of 5 stores with this pack in stock.
Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully: a short, mild-to-medium robusto from Romeo y Julieta, one of the most widely stocked first cigars. When I compared stores for this guide, the same five-pack cost $15 or more extra at one store than another, so check the box above before you buy.
Lowest price today
$25.95 for 5 cigars (about $5.19 a cigar)
with code CIGARFINDER
Bully Natural Robusto 5-pack at Famous Smoke, the cheapest of 10 stores with this pack in stock.
The cap is the small round piece of leaf glued over the end you smoke from. Cut too little and the cigar draws tight. Cut too much and the wrapper can unravel.
Find the shoulder. Just below the cap the cigar starts to curve; that is the shoulder. Cut above it, about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch from the end. Below the shoulder, the wrapper loses the glue that holds it.
Pick a cut. A double-blade guillotine gives the cleanest, most open draw and is the right choice for torpedoes and other pointed heads. A V-cutter notches a wedge into the cap and suits thick cigars (52 ring and up). A punch removes a small round plug and suits medium ring gauges, about 42 to 52.
Cut in one quick motion. Set the cutter, then snap it closed. Slow cuts crush the cap.
Test the draw. Before you light, pull air through the cigar. This cold draw should feel like sipping through a straw, and it often gives a first hint of the flavor. If it is tight, take another thin slice.
Brush off loose bits. Tap the head gently so stray tobacco does not end up on your tongue.
Never bite it or use household scissors. Teeth and dull blades tear the wrapper. A perfecto is closed at both ends; cut only the head.
Lighting a cigar is not like lighting a candle. You toast the open end (the foot) first so the whole tip burns evenly.
Use a clean flame. A butane lighter, a long wooden match or a cedar spill (a thin strip of cedar) all work; a cedar spill adds a light cedar note to the first puffs. Avoid lighter fluid and paper matches, which leave a chemical taste. With a wooden match, let the sulfur tip burn off first.
Take off the cellophane. Leave the band on until the cigar has warmed up, then peel it off gently if you want to.
Toast before you puff. Hold the foot at about a 45-degree angle, just above the flame without touching it, and turn the cigar slowly until the edge glows all the way around.
Then light it. Put the cigar in your mouth and take slow puffs while you keep turning the foot near the flame.
Check the ring. Pull the cigar away and look at the foot. You want an even ring of glowing tobacco. Touch up any dark spot with the flame.
Step 4: Puff, Don't Inhale
This is where most people coming from cigarettes go wrong. Cigar smoke stays in your mouth, where you taste it, and then you let it out.
Pace yourself. Faster than a puff every half minute or so and the cigar overheats and turns bitter. Much slower and it may go out, which is fine; you can relight it.
Hold it, then release it. Draw the smoke into your mouth, hold it a moment to taste it, and blow it out. There is no need to inhale. Our guide to inhaling cigars explains why.
Try a retrohale. Once you are comfortable, push a little smoke out through your nose instead of your mouth. Your sense of smell picks up flavors your tongue misses. Start with a tiny amount; it can sting the first few times.
Hold it gently, between your thumb and fingers, not clenched in your teeth, and set it down between puffs. Take a sip of your drink and talk. A cigar is meant to be slow.
Be a good neighbor. Smoke where it is allowed and blow the smoke away from people.
Step 5: Let the Ash Build and Watch the Burn
A well-made cigar holds a firm ash, and that ash helps keep the burn cool and even.
Leave the ash alone. Let it reach about an inch, then roll it off gently against the ashtray instead of flicking it.
Fix a crooked burn early. If one side burns faster, touch up the slow side with your flame. Our cigar canoeing guide covers the causes.
Notice the thirds. Most cigars change as they burn. The first third is usually lighter, with cream, cedar or nuts. The middle third deepens, with leather, earth or coffee. The last third is the strongest. Plenty of smokers stop at the band, and that is fine.
Step 6: Finish It the Right Way
When you are done, you are done. There is no rule that you have to smoke a cigar to the end.
Do not stub it out. Crushing a cigar makes a stale, bitter smell. Rest it in the ashtray and it goes out on its own in a few minutes.
How Long Does It Take to Smoke a Cigar?
It depends on the size and your pace. At a steady, relaxed puff:
Size
About
Smoke time
Petit corona
4.5 x 42
30 to 45 minutes
Corona
5.5 x 42
45 to 60 minutes
Robusto
5 x 50
45 to 60 minutes
Toro
6 x 50
60 to 90 minutes
Churchill
7 x 47
90 to 120 minutes
Short on time? Pick a smaller size rather than rushing a big one. Our cigar sizes guide covers every shape.
What to Do When Something Goes Wrong
Even good cigars misbehave sometimes. Here is the fix for each common problem.
It went out. Roll off the ash, blow gently through the cigar to push out the stale smoke, re-toast the foot and relight. The first puffs taste a little harsh, then it settles. Relight within an hour or two; after that the flavor turns stale.
It burns on one side. Touch up the slow side with your flame and keep it out of the wind.
The draw is tight. Take another thin slice off the cap. If that does not help, gently roll the cigar between your fingers to loosen the filler, or open it with a draw tool (a thin metal poker made for this).
It tastes hot or bitter. You are puffing too fast. Set it down for a minute.
The wrapper is cracking. The cigar is too dry. Our how long do cigars last guide covers storage and how to revive a dry cigar.
You feel dizzy or queasy. That is too much nicotine, usually from a strong cigar, an empty stomach or puffing fast. Stop, eat something and drink something sweet like juice or soda. Our guides on why some cigars give you a buzz and cigar sickness have more.
What Should You Drink With a Cigar?
Match the drink to the cigar's strength: coffee with a mild Connecticut cigar, bourbon or aged rum with a medium or full one, and sparkling water any time, because it cleans your palate between puffs. For full pairing ideas, see our cigar and drink pairing guide.
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
Starting too strong. A full-bodied cigar on an empty stomach is the fastest way to a bad first night.
Cutting too deep. Past the shoulder, the wrapper comes loose.
Using a fluid lighter. It leaves a chemical taste on the foot.
Puffing too fast. Heat builds and the cigar turns harsh.
Letting cigars dry out. Store them at 65 to 72 percent humidity in a humidor or a sealed bag with a humidity pack. See our cigar storage guide.
Not sure which cigar to start with? Tap or click the chat bubble in the bottom right and ask Cigar Finder AI. Tell it what you usually drink and how much time you have, and it will suggest a first cigar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I smoke a cigar correctly?
Smoking a cigar correctly comes down to three habits. Cut only the cap, above the shoulder, so the wrapper stays intact. Toast the foot before you puff, keeping the flame just off the tobacco, so the whole tip burns evenly. Then pace yourself: a slow puff about every 30 to 60 seconds, smoke held in the mouth and let out, never inhaled. Let the ash build, fix a crooked burn early, and rest the cigar in the ashtray when you are done.
How do you smoke a cigar for beginners?
Start with a mild cigar in a short size, such as a Macanudo Cafe or a Romeo y Julieta 1875, and smoke it after a meal with a glass of water or a sweet drink nearby. Use a sharp guillotine cutter and a butane lighter, sit somewhere calm, and give yourself an hour. Puff slowly, do not inhale, and stop if you feel lightheaded. Your first cigar is about learning the steps, not finishing it.
Do you inhale a cigar?
No. Cigar smoke is held in the mouth, tasted and let out. Unlike cigarette smoke, it is not meant for the lungs, and trying to inhale it is harsh and can make you dizzy. If you want more flavor, try a retrohale instead: push a small amount of smoke out through your nose, where your sense of smell picks up notes your tongue misses.
How long does it take to smoke a cigar?
It depends on the size and your pace. A petit corona takes about 30 to 45 minutes, a corona 45 to 60, a robusto 45 to 60, a toro 60 to 90, and a Churchill 90 minutes to two hours. If you only have half an hour, pick a small cigar instead of rushing a big one, because puffing fast makes any cigar taste hot and bitter.
Can you relight a cigar?
Yes. Roll off the ash, blow gently through the cigar to clear the stale smoke, re-toast the foot and relight it as you did the first time. The first few puffs taste a little harsh, then it settles. A cigar tastes best relit within an hour or two; after that the flavor turns stale and bitter, so it is better to start a fresh one the next day.
Do you take the band off a cigar?
You can, but wait. The band is often glued lightly to the wrapper, and peeling it off a cold cigar can tear the leaf. After the cigar has burned for 10 minutes or so, the heat loosens the glue and the band slides off easily. Leaving it on is fine too; it is a matter of taste, not etiquette. Always remove the cellophane before you light.
How do you put out a cigar?
Rest it in the ashtray and let it go out on its own; a cigar stops burning within a few minutes once you stop puffing. Do not crush or stub it like a cigarette, because a crushed cigar smolders and makes a bitter, lingering smell. If you are indoors and want it out fast, set it in the ashtray away from the ash pile and let it cool.
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