Whether you’re a newbie to the world of cigars or a seasoned smoker, at some point you’re likely to find yourself in a bar, on the golf course or on a friend’s porch enjoying a great cigar with someone else.
If the conversation drifts to cigars, are you knowledgeable enough to sustain the discourse?
For example:
- Do you know when to use a “cutter” and when to use “scissors?”
- Can you describe the difference between a “canoeing” burn and a “mousehole” burn?
- And can you explain why it’s important to “stack your ash?”
To help you navigate the lingo, we’re developing a series dedicated to the language of cigars. Enrich your vocabulary with these words and you’ll not only expand your knowledge of cigars but you’ll impress your fellow smokers as well.
In Part 1 of this series, we cover basic cigar lingo in three areas: cutters, burns and ash.
Cutting Your Smokes
While cigarettes come ready to light, cigars don’t. The head of a cigar is closed and must be cut open in order to smoke it. The objective is to cut an opening that’s smooth around the edges and leaves the cigar’s structure intact.
There are a number of tools called cutters from which you can choose to do this.
The Guillotine
As the name suggests, a guillotine is a flat-bladed cigar cutter with a hole for inserting the cap. It’s the most common cutter style and comes with one or two blades.
The Lance
A lance is another kind of cigar cutter, which pierces the cap rather than cuts a hole.
The Punch
A punch is a cutter that twists a cigar blade into the cap, making a small hole in the cigar’s head.
The Scissors
Cigar scissors are a particular type of cutter that offers more precision than a typical guillotine.
The Burn
From wrappers to binders to fillers, the process of manufacturing cigars can be complex. Because of this, cigars don’t all burn the same. The vocabulary words below will help you understand and describe the various burns of your cigars.
Canoeing
When one side of a cigar burns faster than the other, you have a faulty cigar. The resulting shape resembles a canoe, thus the term, “canoeing.”
Draw
The draw is used to describe the process of sucking smoke through a lit cigar. In handmade cigars, the draw can vary, especially if the cigar was rolled too tight or too loose, which affects the burning temperature.
Mousehole Burn
Mousehole burns are small burning holes appearing under the cigar’s ember along the wrapper.
Runners
Runners are an undesirable occurrence in which small parts of the wrapper burn unevenly.
Tunneling
When the interior of the cigar burns faster than the exterior, you have a type of burning described as “tunneling.”
The Ash
The cigar novice might be tempted to flick the ash off as the cigar burns, but seasoned smokers knows that keeping that ash on the stick is key to a great smoke. Here’s the lowdown on ash.
Splitting Ash
When your cigar’s ash splits on the stack, the undesirable occurrence is called, “splitting ash.”
Stack
The ash that remains at the end of a burning cigar is called a “stack.” You want a long stack on your cigar as that improves the smoking temperature and signals you that your cigar is quality-made.
Stacking
Because long stacks are desirable, you want to develop the art of keeping your stack on the cigar as long as possible. That skill is called, “stacking” and some cigar enthusiasts actually compete to see who can keep their stack on the longest.
Come visit us at M.A.s’ Smoke House and let’s talk cigars! We serve customers in two locations: Towne Oaks Shopping Center at 855 Pierremont Rd in Shreveport or at 2917 Old Minden Rd in Bossier City.