Guide
How to smoke a cigar for the first time (and do you inhale?)
Your first cigar step by step: choosing one, cutting and lighting, why you do not inhale, how long it takes, when to put it down and basic etiquette.
Cigar guides
Practical, no-nonsense guides for choosing and enjoying cigars, from naming what you taste to picking a wrapper. Written by the people behind aficio.
Guide
Best cigars for beginners: mild cigars to start with
Mild, forgiving cigars for your first smokes: what makes a cigar beginner-friendly, widely available names by style, sizes to choose and what to try next.
Comparison
Best cigar journal and humidor apps in 2026: an honest comparison
Seven cigar apps compared: journals, humidor trackers, band scanners and community apps. What each does best, what it costs, and who it suits.
Guide
Cigar journal template: what to write down after every smoke
A simple cigar journal template with the fields that matter: cigar, setting, draw and burn, flavors by third, strength and a rating, plus a filled-in example.
Guide
How to build your cigar flavor profile: the 12 flavor families
Wood, leather, pepper, cream: the twelve cigar flavor families, how to recognise them, and how to turn your notes into a profile that predicts what you like.
Guide
How to taste a cigar in thirds (and what to write down)
A step-by-step method for tasting a cigar: preparation, the three thirds, what to note in each, and a simple template that turns notes into better choices.
Guide
Cigar sizes and ring gauge explained: robusto, toro, churchill
Every common cigar size with its length, ring gauge and smoking time, what ring gauge means in millimetres, and how size changes the way a cigar tastes.
Guide
How to store cigars: humidor humidity, temperature and setup
The right humidity and temperature for cigars, how to set up and season a humidor, calibrate a hygrometer, and store cigars without one.
Guide
How to season a humidor and set up a tupperdor
Seasoning a new wooden humidor step by step, how many humidity packs you need, how to set up a tupperdor, and fixes when the humidity will not hold.
Guide
Cigar beetles, mold or plume, dry cigars: what to do
How to recognise cigar beetles and stop them, tell mold from plume, and rehumidify dry cigars slowly without cracking the wrapper.
Guide
How to cut and light a cigar properly
Straight cut, V-cut or punch, how much to cut, and how to toast and light a cigar evenly so it burns well and tastes right from the first draw.
Guide
Cigar strength explained: mild to full, with examples
What cigar strength really means, how it differs from body and flavor, what makes a cigar strong, and well-known examples from mild to full.
Guide
Cigar wrapper guide: Connecticut, Habano, Maduro, Cameroon and more
The main cigar wrapper types, the colour scale from Candela to Oscuro, and what each wrapper tends to taste like. A practical guide to choosing a cigar.
Guide
Cigar and whisky pairing: a practical guide
How to pair cigars with whisky: match intensity, complement or contrast flavors, and pairings for Connecticut, Habano, maduro and full-bodied cigars.
Guide
Flying with cigars: carry-on, TSA rules and customs limits
Can you take cigars on a plane? What the TSA allows for cigars, lighters and cutters, how to pack them, and duty-free limits in the US and the EU.