If someone hands you a cigar, especially if you’ve never lit one before, you might not know what to do first. The wrapper is smooth and a bit oily, and it smells earthy and sweet. It’s common to pause, unsure if you should cut, light, or just look at it. Smoking a cigar is simple once you know the steps. Learning them can turn that uncertainty into a relaxing part of your evening.
This guide will show you through each step, share some etiquette tips, and help you enjoy your first cigar at Pinstripe Bar.
Why Technique Changes How a Cigar Tastes
A cigar is not something you simply light and leave alone. It burns slowly, and how you handle it changes the taste of every puff. The three key things to watch are heat, how fast you puff, and keeping the burn even.
If you puff too fast, the tip gets too hot and can burn the tobacco, making the smoke taste bitter and covering up the cedar, cocoa, or cream flavours. If you puff too slowly, the cigar might go out, so you’ll have to relight it, and the taste could change. If one side burns faster than the other, the flavours can get mixed and less enjoyable.
That’s why how you smoke matters as much as which cigar you pick. A mild cigar, smoked the right way, can be better than a strong one smoked badly. A slow, even burn lets you taste the real flavours. The best part is you can learn the basics in just one evening.
How to Smoke a Cigar Step by Step
Once you understand why heat and pace matter, the steps are much easier to follow. Smoking a cigar properly just means doing things in the right order, with each step preparing the cigar for the next.
1. Cut the Cap
Premium cigars have a small cap at the head that you need to open before you can smoke. The main rule for cutting a cigar is simple: cut a little, not a lot. Use a sharp guillotine cutter to make one straight cut just above the shoulder, where the rounded cap meets the straight part of the cigar. If you cut too low, the wrapper might unravel. You can also use a punch, which makes a neat round hole in the cap and works well for smaller cigars.
2. Toast the Foot
The foot is the open end you light. Before you take a puff, hold the cigar at a slight angle just above the flame, close enough to feel the heat but not burn the tobacco. Slowly turn the cigar so the whole end warms up evenly, until you see a soft amber ring at the edge. A butane lighter or a long wooden match works best. If you use a cigar match, let the first bit of sulphur burn off before lighting the cigar. Don’t let the flame touch the tobacco directly, as it can burn the leaf and make the smoke taste bitter.
3. Light Evenly
Lighting a cigar properly takes a bit of patience. After you toast the foot, bring the cigar to your lips and take gentle puffs while turning it near the flame, but don’t let the tobacco touch the flame. After a few puffs, the cigar should be lit. Take it out of your mouth and check if the burn ring is even. If one side is slower, add a little heat to that spot and puff gently to even it out.
4. Draw Without Inhaling
With cigars, you pull the smoke into your mouth instead of breathing it into your lungs. Take a gentle puff, let the smoke sit on your tongue to taste the flavours, then let it out slowly. Most people don’t inhale cigars because the smoke is richer and stronger than a cigarette. Some like to let a little smoke out through their nose, called retrohaling, to notice more aromas. This is optional and should be done gently.
5. Pace Your Puffs
Taking a puff about once a minute keeps your cigar burning cool and steady. If you puff too often, the tip gets too hot, and the smoke can taste harsh. If you wait too long, the cigar might go out. Try to match your puffing to the pace of your conversation. As the Pinstripe house code says in rule VI: “Patience is a virtue”.
6. Let the Ash Build
Letting a solid column of ash build up helps keep the burning tip steady. Let the ash grow to about an inch, then gently tap the cigar on the ashtray or rest it there and let the ash fall off on its own. Don’t flick the ash, as this can disturb the ember, ruin the burn, and spread ash around.
7. Know When to Stop
You don’t have to finish every part of your cigar. In the last third, the smoke usually gets stronger and hotter. When it stops tasting good, that’s your sign to stop. Just rest the cigar in the ashtray and let it go out on its own. Don’t crush it like a cigarette, as that can make a sharp, stale smell linger.
Cigar Etiquette in a Lounge
Good technique helps you enjoy your cigar, and good manners help everyone enjoy the lounge. Cigar etiquette isn’t strict. It’s just a few simple habits that help you feel comfortable anywhere.
The Band Question
Many people wonder if they should take the cigar band off, but there’s no strict rule. If you want to remove it, wait a few minutes until the cigar warms up. The heat softens the glue, so the band should slide off easily without tearing the wrapper. If you take it off too soon, you might damage the leaf. Leaving the band on is fine too. It’s just a personal choice.
Relighting and Resting
If your cigar goes out, don’t worry. It happens. If you set it down for a chat or a drink, you can usually relight it easily. Before relighting, blow gently through the head to clear out any stale smoke, then toast and light the foot again as before. If the cigar has been left out for a long time, the flavour might not be as good.
Sharing the Room
A lounge is a shared space, so being considerate helps everyone enjoy it. Hold your cigar so the smoke drifts away from others, and exhale away from the table. Don’t dip your cigar into your drink; it takes away from both the drink and the cigar. As Pinstripe’s rule VIII says: “Treat the room the way you want to be treated”.
Dress and Pace
A cigar lounge is best enjoyed when you plan to stay awhile. Pinstripe’s house code highlights the importance of presentation, and rule II says: “The 1920s had dress standards. So do we. So, presumably, do you”. Dressing well shows respect for the setting and other guests. Take your time, and don’t rush a cigar at the end of a busy night. Arrive early and let the evening unfold at a relaxed pace.
Smoking Your First Cigar at Pinstripe Bar
Once you know the steps and etiquette, you just need the right place to try them. Pinstripe Bar is a cocktail bar in Ubud de for evenings like this, and it’s a welcoming cigar lounge for both first-timers and experienced smokers.
You can relax in the cigar room or sit on the open-air balcony, where the evening breeze carries the smoke away, and the sun sets over the Valley of the Kings. If you don’t want to cut and light your cigar yourself, just ask the bar team, and they’ll do it for you. It’s a great way to watch and learn before trying it yourself next time.
The humidor at Pinstripe offers a wide range of cigars from different places. If it’s your first cigar, start with something mild. The menu describes Cohiba as mild, with creamy sweetness and floral, herbal notes. Hoyo de Monterrey is also light, with flavours of cocoa, cinnamon, and dried fruit. Both are best enjoyed slowly. For more help choosing the right cigar, check out our guide to picking your first cigar at Pinstripe. We recommend starting with milder options and choosing based on your taste and experience.
Plan to spend 45 to 90 minutes enjoying your cigar, depending on its size. A glass of aged brandy or whisky goes well with cigars. The Old Fashioned at Pinstripe, made with Bulleit Rye and Bourbon, mesoyi, house-blend bitters, and beeswax, is a great choice if you like spirit-forward drinks. For more about the lounge, see our guide to finding a quiet spot for cigars and conversation in Ubud.
Reserve Your Table at Pinstripe Bar
Once you try these steps with a cigar in hand, they’ll soon feel natural. Knowing how to smoke a cigar is one thing, but enjoying it slowly in the right place makes all the difference. Pinstripe Bar in Ubud has a cigar room, an open-air balcony, and a well-stocked humidor above the Valley of the Kings. Come before sunset, pick a mild cigar, and let our team help you enjoy the experience. You can reserve a spot in the cigar room or on the balcony by WhatsApp or by emailing bar@pinstripebar.com.
Book your table and get comfortable for a relaxing evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
New cigar smokers often have the same questions, so here are some quick and clear answers.
Do You Inhale a Cigar?
No. Cigar smoke is generally drawn into the mouth, held for a moment so the flavours register on the palate, and then released. Cigars are typically smoked without inhaling into the lungs. If you want more of the aroma, a gentle retrohale through the nose is the traditional way to find it.
Can You Relight a Cigar?
Yes. A cigar that has gone out can be relit. Blow gently through the head first to purge some stale smoke, then toast and light the foot again as you did at the start.
Should You Remove the Cigar Band?
It is entirely up to you. If you prefer to remove it, wait until the cigar has warmed and the adhesive has softened, then slide it off gently so the wrapper stays intact. Leaving it on is perfectly acceptable.
How Do You Know When a Cigar Is Finished?
Your palate will tell you. When the smoke turns hot, bitter or harsh, often in the final third, the cigar has given its best. Rest it in the ashtray and let it go out naturally rather than stubbing it.
