How often should you draw on a cigar?

This question can be answered quite simply: as infrequently as possible. To avoid letting the cigar overheat, you should draw on it just often enough to keep it from going out.

A wide range of further questions remain though, for the neophyte and perhaps also for more experienced smokers.

For long filler cigars, it's the job of the torcedor to roll the perfect cigar by hand, ensuring a good draw and an even burn. This is essential in keeping the cigar from going out after just a few puffs. The draw on machine-made short fillers is usually perfect from the outset. But because of the cut of the tobacco inside, the burn is different, quicker than a long filler.

So, the torcedor has artfully rolled a perfect cigar, it has been evenly lit, across the full diameter, and it burns just as evenly. Let's assume that that cigar is a Corona, just as an example. In his famous cigar smoking guide, Zino Davidoff defined a smoking time of 50 to 60 minutes and recommended drawing on the cigar just once every minute. This sounds like very little, and it is likely that during this period the cigar may go out. Two or three puffs per minute shouldn't overheat the cigar, really, but if the tobacco consistently burns too hot, it could make the cigar taste bitter. This principle should also be taken into account when lighting the cigar, which should be done carefully and slowly.

It's not a tragedy if your cigar goes out. Depending on its size, you can even light a cigar several times if necessary, but you shouldn't wait more than 15 minutes to do so. If you wait longer than this, condensates and other substances which negatively affect the taste are deposited in the cigar and then burned when you light up again. In normal circumstances, these substances would not have reached the palate but would have been released into the air while the cigar burned. This is easy to test for yourself, if you re-light a half-smoked cigar the next day, you will notice that it is bitter and the nicotine taste becomes very pronounced.

If you are a cigarette smoker, you may find the transition to the slower pace of the cigar somewhat awkward. Cigars are meant to be smoked in a relaxed atmosphere, without any hurry. The experienced cigar-smoker connects with the cigar, feels with every puff whether it is still burning smoothly and, regulates an uneven burn with a little flash of the lighter, if necessary.