5 Ways to Enjoy Smoking Cigars Outside

5 Ways to Enjoy Smoking Cigars Outside

By Tommy Zman

Many of us around the U.S. experienced one of the most brutal winters on record in our areas. I reside in North Jersey and that crazed biotch known as Mother Nature sure did a number on us. February gave us something like only two days above freezing and a one day low of minus 10, which is pretty serious in my neck of the woods. But alas, it is spring time, the time when a man’s fancy turns to… cigars! It’s not too hot yet, the weather is gorgeous, and we can finally take up a good smoke in the great outdoors as Momma N has given us a well-needed reprieve.

Now there’s a gazillion ways to enjoy a cigar outside, but I’m gonna give you the list of my top 5 favorite ways. And hey, in the comment section below the article I’d love you to share some of yours.

Smoking Cigars Outside While I’m Grilling

I am the grill master general of my home and to me there’s nothing more manly and relaxing than firing up a good cigar while charring a big ol’ carcass on the grill. It’s all in the preparation, really, as you get your food items ready – the main dish, side dishes, and whatever else you can fit on that fiery grill top. Of course, I’m a meat making maniac – steaks, burgers, chops, ribs – always seasoned or marinated to perfection for optimal flavor. But my specialty is my Beer Can Chicken where you are required by Polish law to devour the succulent crispy skin in its entirety.

An equally important part of the prep time is choosing the proper cigars and accompanying libations, depending on exactly what you are cooking and how long you’re going to be out there. If it’s only going to be a quick half hour above the fire for something simple like burgers and dogs, I’m going with a nice robusto, maybe something with a little fire-cured kick like the Sam Leccia Black. But if I’m cooking like a mad man for an hour or two, a bigger smoke like the full-bodied La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age Magnum will be sacrificed to the great tobacco gods.

Smoking Cigars Outside on the Back Patio with My Buds

There is nothing better in this world after a long, hard day in the salt mine, then having that great barbecue feast, then heading to my back patio for a relaxing after dinner cigar with my buddies. The text alerts were sent out hours in advance and all my favorite knuckle dragging cromags will be there to share in some glorious premium rolled tobacco goodness.

It’s truly the ultimate in unwinding as we cut and light our sticks then just sit back and toss the proverbial bull for hours on end about the trials and tribulations that life brings us. (I’ll usually go for a nice dark, sweet maduro for my post dinner dessert, something on the fuller bodied side like a Joya de Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo or maybe a Romeo y Julieta Montague with that delicious Brazilian wrapper.) Nothing really ever gets accomplished – wars don’t end, major diseases don’t get cured, Justin Bieber doesn’t disappear for good… it’s just me and a group of junk scratching manly beasts relishing in some much needed camaraderie.

Smoking Cigars Outside Sitting Next to a Roaring Fire

I’m still hanging with my herfing buds on the back patio and it’s a Saturday night so everyone decides to pour another scotch, light up another stick and stay for a while. (A nice dessert cigar will always do the trick like a Java by Drew Estate maduro with that sweet scent of infused coffee beans, or perhaps a tasty Tatuaje Miami.) It’s a beautiful night, the stars are out and there’s a little chill in the air so it’s time to crank up the fire pit.

What shoe stores are to women is what a raging fire is to a man, and there is nothing more primordial than the act of starting up a blazing, cackling pit, then stoking the wood for hours on end. Staring into those dancing flames as the viscous blue smoke swirls above your head might just be the cure-all to any of life’s so-called complications.

Smoking Cigars While Golfing

I love smoking cigars while spending a day on the links. You’re roaming the great outdoors away from the craziness of the real world as you chase your Titleist 4 from fairway to fairway. You hail the cart girl, spring for a round of icy cold brews for the foursome, then break out a stick that you know will last a good eight or nine holes. A nice cigar on the course can often be your favorite club in your bag as it soothes your soul with every tasty puff. Sometimes I actually line up my putts with my stick, taking a mind-clearing draw and then knocking her home.

Since I like a smoke to last a good portion of the front nine, I often start out with the infamous Arturo Fuente Canones. At a size of 8 ½ by 52, you might actually use this flavor-filled stick to tee off on a long par 5. And if you want to go maduro on the back nine, the Punch Presidente is another super tasty cigar to replace your 3 wood, again at 8 ½ by 52.

Smoking Cigars While Driving In the Car

If I’ve got to drive somewhere (and I’m alone) and I know I’ll be a half hour or more in the car, I will light up a great stick every single time. To me, it’s like having a good friend there with me as my turbulent mind unwinds upon every tasty draw. Half hour to 45 minute rides will get a robusto or maybe a corona, but rides of an hour or more are generally meant for a toro or a torpedo falling into the 6 x 52 range. A couple of nice touring sticks I enjoy that have a great draw, flavor and aroma are the Perdomo Habano which is a full flavored Nicaraguan taste bomb, and the Montecristo Classic for the times when I’m in a mellow kind of cruising mood.

Now if you are going to light up in your machine, you’re going to HAVE TO see my previous CA article (Dec. 2014) on “How to Unstink Your Car from Cigars.” Trust me, you’re gonna thank me for it later.

So there you go, my personal 5 favorite times to smoke when I’m outside. Now let’s hear from you guys in the comments. Any hunters, fishermen, campers, hikers… fill us in on your favorite moments!