There is a ritual associated with cigar smoking, which affords as much
camaraderie and relaxation as it does sensation of taste. The rolling of the
dark tube between the fingers in anticipation, removal of the ring if you so
desire, clipping the smooth, tobacco-covered end, or puncturing a bullet hole in
order to clear a pipeline for the delicious flavor to travel are the precursors
to the art of savoring a cigar.
Cigars are smoked differently than cigarettes or pipes, in that the smoke is
not inhaled into the lungs. Rather, it is gathered into the mouth and held there
for a moment, and then exhaled through the mouth.
The ritual continues in the holding of the cigar, watching as the end turns
from burning ember to softly tube shaped ash, and back to ember as the ashes are
discarded.
The flavor of the cigar deepens and sharpens as the fire comes closer to the
smoker and less filtering through the filler occurs.
In addition to the purely mechanical ritual of holding, lifting, inhaling,
tasting, exhaling and tapping of the cigar, there is a meter and rhythm employed
in the enjoyment of a cigar, a cadence by which leisure moments are measured and
multiplied.