How do you smoke a cigar?

[guado]

I Go to the humi....browse for quite a while on what to smoke. Usually this process takes about 15 minutes(unless of course I Am jonesing for something also).

I rummage around the house looking for the last place I left my Xikar or just use the 3 blade cuban crafters if I can't find it. I snip the tip, admire at how I consistently cut it at an angle no matter how hard I try not to.

Lighting...I take my lighter and toast the foot very good. I keep the lighter on the foot till at least half of it is glowing then puff away to a nice even glow. I take a few good drags in the initial minutes seeing if anything "jumps" out at me in the terms of flavor or disgust. If all goes well I proceed to smoke in a calm resting manor just enough to keep it from going out. I hardly ever touch up unless the coal(center) starts to burn faster than the wrapper...noticable flavor diff of course. I then ponder the cigar, i think about how it feels in my mouth, how the wrapper has tasted(outside of the smoke), I look at the smoke plumes and cheer when I have a cigar that produces a rediculously thick plume.

I also compare it to other cigars within the same family, how it tastes similar, different, price differences is this cigar worth the extra/saved $$ compared to others in it's line. How does this one compare to a maduro/natural/cameroon of the same family etc.

Then smoke and enjoy till it gets hot. Once it starts getting hot is when I usually make my final determination on a good cigar. If a cigar tastes good hot it usally was fantastic throughout the length of the cigar and I am extremely pleased with it. If it gets a bit harsh or "stinky" then I chalk it up as a good smoke with a bad ending. I do try to purge cigars if they get harsh as to attempte the "good with bad ending" penalty. sometimes it works other times it doesn't.


I don't write anything down, I don't keep wrappers, and I surely don't write out reviews(although I have tried but words roll off my tongue like molasses rolls out of a jar in freezing temperature).

I log it to memory as "I liked it," "I REALLY liked it," "This is one of the best cigars I have ever had," "This cigar was disgusting and the person rolling these should be shot," and "This is a good everyday smoke I think I will keep a box on hand, nothing special nothing bad."