Cigar Etiquette: Composure with Style

The most important rule of cigar etiquette is this: there are fewer rules than many suppose. What remains is consideration — for the people in the room, and for the cigar itself.

The Band Question

Leave it on or take it off? Both are defensible. Tradition holds that the habit of removing the band traces back to British etiquette, where displaying the brand — and thus the price — of one’s cigar was considered impolite; on the Continent, this was never taken so strictly. In practice, there is something to be said for leaving it on, at least at the start: the band is glued, and anyone who forces it off a cold cigar risks the wrapper. After a few minutes of smoking, the warmth loosens the adhesive and it slides off almost on its own.

Offering and Sharing

When offering guests cigars, give them a small selection and let them choose — strength and format are personal matters. A cutter and a light are proffered, but not used uninvited: nobody cuts or lights another person’s cigar without being asked. And declining an offered cigar is not an insult — a polite refusal is better than a reluctant smoke.

In the Lounge

Smoke goes with the territory; consideration does too. Do not blow smoke towards anyone, do not comment uninvited on another person’s cigar choice, and allow everyone their own pace — the cigar is a slow affair, and those who rush or are rushed gain little from it. One gives information readily when asked; the difference between conversation and lecturing lies in the tone here as much as anywhere.

The End of the Cigar

A cigar is not stubbed out. Crushing it releases acrid odours that fill the entire room — left in the ashtray, it goes out quietly and on its own within a few minutes. When to stop is your decision alone: some put it down as soon as the final third grows hotter and stronger, others smoke it with devotion to the very last stub. There is no obligation — only the dignified end.