Enjoying a cigar while sitting next to a roaring fire is a great way to top off a long day of camping activities. (Shutterstock photo)
April 01, 2025
By Adam Heggenstaller
One of the best parts of camping is hanging out around a fire at the end of the day. For some of us, the evening is only enhanced by a good cigar. After all, wood smoke and tobacco smoke are a combination that's best appreciated outdoors.
Just like any other aspect of camping, having a cigar around the flickering flames requires a bit of preparation for the best results. The following steps will ensure you get the most out of your stick, and they apply whether you’re about to smoke your first or 101st cigar. While cigar aficionados may debate some of the finer points below—matches vs. lighter, for example—these are generally accepted as best practices for drawing the most from a smoke.
STEP 1: PACK PROPERLY Cigars may not be quite as fragile as eggs, but they still need protection. Throwing a loose cigar in your pack or pocket is a sure way to crush, bend, break or otherwise damage it. The wrapper, especially, is prone to abrasion if the cigar tumbles around inside a pack with other items. Good cigars cost good money, so take care of them during your hikes and travels.
Protect and care for cigars by using a protective case such as the Cigars International's Herf-a-Dor rigid travel humidor. (Photo courtesy of Cigars International) The best way to ensure your cigars stay in top shape is by carrying them in a rigid travel humidor, such as the Herf-a-Dor , available from Cigars International . The Herf-a-Dor has a reinforced ABS exterior to prevent its contents from being crushed. Inside, foam cushioning molded for individual cigars keeps your smokes well-padded no matter how rough the trail. Plus, the Herf-a-Dor is watertight and airtight; take it along in the canoe or kayak during a float trip without worry. A built-in humidification device keeps cigars fresh in the Herf-a-Dor during extended adventures. Cigars International offers the Herf-a-Dor with capacities of 5, 10, 15 and 40 cigars, and all accommodate sticks up to 8 inches long with a maximum ring gauge of 54.
STEP 2: PREP THE CIGAR A pocketknife can cut many things, but a cigar shouldn’t be one of them. Resist the urge to press your trusty companion into service yet again and use a cigar cutter instead. A sharp cutter—whether it’s a guillotine, V-cut or punch style—takes up almost no room in your kit and will do a much nicer job of prepping the stick for smoking than a knife. Using a knife to cut the cap risks crushing the head and shoulder of the cigar and causing undue damage to the wrapper, which can lead to an uneven burn.
Cigars are identified by their bands, and some makers get quite artistic with their labels. Bands are fun to admire, but they take up valuable real estate on the cigar that’s meant to be smoked. Remove any bands (some sticks have more than one) before lighting the cigar by finding the seam and carefully lifting the exposed edge to free the band from the wrapper. Keep the band (some folks write the date on the back to memorialize a meaningful event) or toss it in the fire; just be sure not to litter.
Use the right tool to prep your fireside cigar such as a cigar cutter. (Shutterstock photo) STEP 3: TOAST AND LIGHT Match or lighter is a personal preference, really. A lighter seems more practical in the outdoors where a breeze can make it challenging to keep a match lit. One important note with a lighter: Use one that runs on butane and not lighter fluid, as you want the source of the flame to be odorless. Lighter fluid can impart an unpleasant taste to the cigar. Same with a candle; you do not want your cigar to taste like citronella.
The first step in lighting the cigar is to toast it. Hold the foot of the cigar (the end you light) about an inch above the flame at about a 45-degree angle. Avoid letting the flame contact the foot. Instead, keep the cigar hovering above the flame as you rotate or roll the stick between your thumb and first two fingers. The cigar should not be in your mouth; you do not want to puff on it before the cigar is adequately toasted, as this can lead to “tunneling,” or lighting the filler tobacco inside the cigar before the wrapper is properly burning.
Be patient—much like toasting a marshmallow over the fire . The goal is to gradually heat the tobacco until it starts burning evenly. Keep rotating the cigar over the flame until the end of the foot—wrapper and filler—is glowing light orange. (If you’re a traditionalist and using matches, plan on this taking more than one.)
The goal is to gradually heat the tobacco until it starts burning evenly. (Shutterstock photo) Now’s the time to take your first draw on the cigar. Back the flame off the foot a couple more inches and rotate the cigar while taking a long draw. Extinguish the flame and remove the cigar from your mouth. Inspect the foot to ensure the burn is even. Softly blowing on it will help ignite any areas that are not burning. If you notice a dead spot that doesn’t seem to want to burn, apply the lighter once more—but again, keep the flame a few inches from the foot so it does not contact the cigar. When the cigar is burning evenly around its circumference, it’s time to sit back and enjoy.
STEP 4: DON’T RUSH The best part about smoking a cigar is having time to do it. So don’t rush it. There’s no hurry. You shouldn’t have to constantly puff on a good cigar to keep it lit. Too many short draws in rapid fashion can cause the tobacco to burn too quickly, ruining the flavor.
If your cigar should happen to go out, you can relight it . Clear off the ash with a twig or use a cutter to clip it off, then repeat the toasting and lighting process. A cigar is best relit within an hour or two; leaving one lying around overnight and then relighting will likely result in poor taste.
A cigar is best when smoked in an hour or two. Leaving it overnight can impart a poor taste. (Shutterstock photo) STEP 5: ENJOY TO THE END The flavor profile of a cigar typically changes the farther the stick is smoked, and sometimes the best is saved for the last. Smoking those last 2 inches of a stick can be problematic if you want to keep your fingers intact. A neat trick is to cut a green twig about the size of a toothpick, sharpen the end (here is where the ol’ pocketknife gets some play) and stick it in the head of the cigar. Hold the twig while you enjoy the remainder of the cigar with no worry of singeing your fingertips.
The old saying is that cigar smoke keeps mosquitos away. Maybe so, but if you follow the steps above, you’ll enjoy that cigar so much you won’t even notice the mosquitos.
