Q. I’ve noticed that some cigar smokers lick their cigar before lighting-up. Is this a common practice?
– Elliot in Marblehead, MA
A. For this one I yield the answer column to my friend Gene McCann, who sent me an email on this very subject a while back. Take it Gene…
I have been an avid Cigar Collector/Aficionado (wanna-be) for many years and have read all the books (including “The Bible” by Zino Davidoff). In “the old days” it was common to wet a cigar before smoking by licking it and/or putting it deep in your mouth repeatedly. I realize that this no longer is required or encouraged because “good” cigars are aged and shipped humidified.
However, from a strict “pleasure” point of view, I often spend about 30 minutes with a cigar before I start to light up. During this “foreplay,” I cut the cigar; check the draw, generally admire the stick and yes, I moisten the cigar a bit before lighting up just because it tastes so damn good. So, while I don’t recommend that readers take this as license to suck on their cigars like popsicles, I say, “viva la difference,” and if it tastes good it feels good.
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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To be quite honest I smoke quite a bit of vintage cigars 20 plus years and older.
I find that wetting a cigar before smoking really helps with various wrapper problems but that’s just me.
So yes I usually wet a cigar that is 15 years or older just because it seems to me that it does help with the burn and the temperature of the cigar and I tend to enjyoy it quite a bit more because of it.
Just my two cents worth.
Holy shit Gene.