Happy Tuesday, folks! As the weather improves slightly, I’ve been enjoying cigars at wineries and breweries more often. I’ve been asked recently why I blow on cigars, so I figured I’d answer the question here as well. Each and every cigar I cut and light gets a forceful blow before I light it and a gentle blow after I light it.

The Pre-light Blow

After cutting the cap, the first thing I do is blow forcefully on the cigar. This removes any tobacco bits that might have been waiting to offend your senses when you bring the cigar to your mouth. If you notice any of the wrapper is starting to unravel, just put your finger on it before blowing so that you don’t cause any more damage. 

A less effective alternative for fancy individuals is to dab the cut end on your shirt sleeve. This is also much more appropriate when cutting a cigar for someone else. I avoid putting my face anywhere near a cigar when cutting and lighting for another soon-to-be enthusiast. 

The Lighting Blow

When it comes to cigar flavors, it’s all about managing heat and humidity. After you’ve lit your cigar, you want to inspect what you expect. A gentle blowing on the cherry will quickly show you if you missed a spot. It’s also highly effective at spreading the flame without overusing a 4,000 degree torch. 

If you’ve ever heard someone say that the first inch of a cigar is the worst inch, it’s because of how they’re lighting it. Burnt coffee and burnt tobacco have something in common: they taste awful. You need just enough firepower to ignite your cigar - anything more introduces risk to your experience. 

The next time you light your cigar, see if you can use less of your torch by gently blowing on the cherry to spread the love. 

The Third and Final Blow

Lastly, there is a third time that you may find yourself blowing on a cigar: the purge. I haven’t done this myself in many years, but I found myself doing it in the Dominican Republic earlier this month to return some cigars to normal that had been overhumidified over the course of many, many tasting sessions. 

The purge is usually executed when a cigar isn’t tasting like it should. This could be because you’ve relit the cigar too many times or walked away from it for an hour and want to get back to it. 

To purge your cigar, hold it tightly in your fingers and blow on the unlit side as hard and long as you can. This method works especially well if you’re trying to smoke cigars on a rainy day and they take on too much moisture.