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The serious cigar smoker doesn't just smoke; they luxuriate in the cigar and all that goes with it. There are many accessories that can be collected, some are essential, others just nice to have. This article will have a look at what is available to you and go through the benefits (or otherwise) of having each.
The Humidor
First of all I will mention the Humidor. If you want more information about
what a humidor is and how to care for it please see our article Humidors and
their Care.
The serious enthusiast can’t really do without a humidor. They are the recommended way to keep your cigars moist and ready to smoke. If you do not own a humidor, and are likely to leave your cigars for a long time, they will become dry and unpleasant to smoke. It is of course possible to rejuvenate these neglected cigars, but it seems a chore to have to do this when you could be smoking them!
I would suggest that you look around for a good-sized humidor, otherwise you might find that you have more cigars than can fit – and that is not ideal!
Accessories for your humidor:
Hydrometers measure the humidity inside the humidor, which is a good idea because
it allows you to keep a check on how your cigars are doing. It’s no good having
soggy cigars – and you don't want them to dry out either. Prices vary, but a
selection can be found on www.simplycigars.co.uk
You can also find Pocket humidifiers. They fit around two of your cigars and are designed, as the name might suggest, to fit in your pocket. They seem to be a little redundant, because your cigars are unlikely to dry out in one evening. If you keep your cigars in a humidor for the majority of the time, carrying them to-and-fro should not affect them.
However, a pocket carry case, or simple cigar tube, should be cheaper and might well be useful. You wouldn't want a pocket full of broken cigars!
Humidifying fluid, $10 / £5
Used for humidifying systems. Keeps your humidor ticking. It’s an essential
for keeping everything in smooth working order. Please see our article Humidors
and their Care for more details.
Other accessories
The Lighter, $2 - $200 / £1 to £100
Your lighter should not be filled with petrol as this may well taint the flavor
and quality of your cigar. It would be a great waste to destroy an excellent
cigar with a cheap lighter. You should use butane lighters or matches (but not
paper matches). You should select your lighter carefully. There are several
quite ostentatious ‘cigar gun-lighters’, but you only really need a good quality
butane light. It will do the job just as effectively. Remember to take your
time when lighting your cigar, you need to make sure you get an even burn. They
take longer to light than cigarettes because (high quality) cigars are 100%
tobacco and do not have thousands of chemicals to make them burn.
The Cigar Case
A useful item, ideal for carrying your cigars. They can be found for around
$40 / £20, though more expensive cases might cost you anything up to $100.
The Cigar Cutter or Guillotine
These can be simple hand-held devices priced around $15 or beautifully constructed
elaborate rigs costing upwards of $500 (£250). You
can find a good one here.
These are very useful accessories to have. The average cigar enthusiast is only interested in the smoking experience. It would not be sensible to spend hundreds of dollars on an accessory, especially when that money could be better spent on the cigars themselves! However, these cutters can be very nice ornaments too. Like you choice of cigar, it depends on taste.
Aromatic Candles, for around $10 / £5
These candles are designed to mask the scent of tobacco smoke. They are quite
powerful, but their overall effectiveness is debatable
Cigar rests, $80 / £40
An elegant place to rest your when you are take a breather or in-between puffs
at the dinner table. Not an essential bit of kit, in fact it’s a bit of a luxury
item, but nice to have all the same. Ashtray
You will probably be aware that an ashtray is quite an important piece of you smoking armory. You could go for a cheap drug-store plastic number, but this is cigar smoking! The whole experience should emanate luxury! Crystal and special ash-receptacles can be found on the internet from $40 to $100 (that's £20 - £50). Have a look at Cigar.com’s selection.
For a bit of fun:
Smoking caps, $ - Priceless
Go on, be dilettante and buy a smoking cap. Perhaps not the most fashionable
item in the world, but all the rage in the nineteenth century.
This list may well have put you off cigars for life, but I hope not. There are a lot of accessories out there, and as you can see some are more desirable than others. Choose wisely and you can only enhance your smoking habit!
