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6 Cigar Tips For Your Special Occasion

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A good cigar can be the perfect compliment to your wedding, anniversary, bachelor party, or business event, but how does one go about selecting the right smokes for such an occasion?

Here are some tips on making sure that your party is a smoky success:

1. Adult Supervision Is Required

No matter what cigars you decide on having at your event, you’re going to want to appoint a “cigar attendant” to handle their distribution. Whether they happen to be smokers or not, when the free cigars come out everybody likes to grab “a few extra” for back home. Often times there is a beautiful cigar spread laid out for the taking reduced to just a few sticks in a matter of minutes. Arrange a designated “cigar station” and for someone to supervise your smokes, or just dole out one or two per guest along with dinner to be on the safe side.

2. Be Frugal, But Not Too Frugal

With cigars, you don't always get what you pay for, but you never get what you don't pay for! For a true “Special Occasion,” it’s only fitting that your cigars be somewhat special as well. Premium cigar brands like Arturo Fuente, Padron, and Diamond Crown will add an extra touch of class to any affair.

That being said, you also don’t want to go super-high-end for all of the cigars. Chances are that many of your guests are not very familiar with cigars, so the prestige associated with a cigar such as an Opus X would be lost on them. The good news is that nowadays you can get some amazing smokes for reasonable prices.

3. Think “Mild”

While a seasoned cigar smoker might consider the Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 or 601 La Bomba Napalm to be a perfectly relaxing smoke to wind down with, its likely that those particular cigars would be much too heavy for the majority of your guests. You’ll probably want to stick with cigars in the mild-to-medium range to suit stogie novices, especially for guests who are not accustom to smoking cigars. If you’re expecting some cigar-savvy company it would make sense to also keep a few fuller-bodied sticks on hand for the initiated, but the majority of your selections should be on the mild side.

Suggested mild cigars:

Macanudo Cafe, Romeo y Julieta 1875, Gispert, Ashton Classic

4. Have a Variety of Size Options for Guests

You’ll want to have different size options available to accommodate a range of preferences. For instance, a cigarillo may be a good size to have on hand for guests who want to partake but don’t necessarily want to spend a long period of time smoking. Here’s a quick guide to average smoking times for some of the most common cigar sizes:

Churchill (7x50) - 1 hour+ smoking time

Toro (6x50) - about 1 hour smoking time

Robusto (5x50) - 45 minutes - 1 hour smoking time

Corona (5 1/2x42) - about 30-40 minutes smoking time

Small Cigar/Cigarillo (4x30) - about 20 minutes smoking time

5. Provide The Right Tools For The Job

You’ll want to make sure that you have all the necessary cigar accessories readily available. At the very least, torch lighters or wooden matches, cigar cutters, and ashtrays should be provided. Your appointed cigar attendant (see #1) should also be on hand to provide instruction on cutting, lighting, etc.

6. Go The Extra Mile

If you’re really looking to make an impression, here are a few “extras” that you may want to consider:

-Customized cigar bands or accessories

Custom is classy. When you personalize your cigar bands, cutters, etc. to commemorate your occasion, they take on new meaning. Even a non-smoker will appreciate the keepsake of a cigar or related item bearing your special message to remind them of the great time they had at your swanky shindig.

-Cedar Spills

Though usually reserved for only the snobbiest of aficionados, cedar spills can add a very interesting element to the cigar ritual. Lighting a cigar with a lit strip of Spanish Cedar is said to preserve the cigar’s natural flavor, keeping it free from the impurities of butane or lighter fluids. It also tends to make anyone who does it look like an experienced cigar pro to those around them.

-“Cigar Basics” info card

If cigar smoking is going to be a focal part of your celebration, providing guests with a brief intro to cigar basics on a printed card or brochure can be a nice touch. Basic instructions for cigar selection, cutting, and lighting would be appropriate info card inclusions. This will prove to be very useful for those who are entirely unfamiliar with the cigar hobby and have no clue where to begin. Who knows; you may even start a few folks off on the path to becoming a full-fledged connoisseur with this convenient introduction.

 

Dianna Scolaro

I am a member of the marketing team for Best Cigar Prices, premier online cigar retailer. We have an extensive selection of cigars from brands both large and small, with humidors and other cigar accessories....(Read More)

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