What the Ash of a Cigar Can Tell You

You would be surprised to know that cigar ash is more than a mere pile of burnt leaves. This inorganic carbon-based mineral that falls off your stick also carries the DNA of what you are smoking. If you know what you want, you don’t have to run tests before knowing the type, origin, and quality of your cigar.

For instance, when you smoke and some ash falls off, if your cigar is quality, it should be cone-shaped. Cigars with high quality have a higher concentration in the center, bringing about flavor and taste in them. So, the leaves outside burn faster than the wrapped leaves, since they contain less sugar and nicotine. As a result, the outer leaves burn and fall off while the center is still burning. And yes, your cigar ash just showed you the quality of what you are smoking!

What Ash Says About Your Cigar

Typically while smoking, you probably are not paying any attention to the Ash falling from your cigar. After all, you think it’s a waste of product. Ash does not only tell you about your cigar quality, but it also gives hints about the delicate craft, the soil it was grown in, and even the way you smoke it.

Also, the cigar Ash has a direct correlation with the temperature at which your cigar is burning. This factor also affects the aroma and taste of your smoke. When the Ash of a cigar is long, there will be little oxygen reaching the alight part of the cigar. So, the temperature of that area is lower, and the smoke is cooled. This gradual burning and cooling allow a more subtle, pleasant aroma out of the cigar. These points are also directly connected to the quality of leaves used in the cigar.  

If Cigar Ash Could Talk, These Are What You Will Hear?

The cigar Ash speaks in a unique language to speak to the listening smoker. Next time you see a cigar connoisseur taking his puff slowly and in style, don’t look at him as arrogant or showing off; it is because he is listening to his cigar. Below are different ways your cigar could talk to you.

Smoke with Pride

Among other things, the way you smoke your cigar reflects on the Ash. As a smoker, the way you inhale and puff out your smoke can make the Ash look shorter or longer. The best way to smoke for the best result is to inhale evenly and smoothly in a light manner.

If you smoke too fast or inhale too deep, you can dent the shape, length, and even the aroma of the cigar Ash. If you observe this happening to your Ash, it’s telling you to slow down. With a bad smoking habit, even the finest of leaves and best quality cannot produce the ideal 1-inch cigar Ash!

 

Origin of Your Smoke

Your cigar Ash tells you amazing secrets in several forms; length, tidiness, stability, and shape all tell one thing or the other. But, if you are wondering about the origin of a cigar, the color of the Ash has the answer. The color of Ash goes a long way in telling the kind of soil the leaves are from.

The cigar has the minerals and chemicals of the soil they are grown and deposited into the plants. Similar to tobacco plants, the soil’s chemical permeates the body of the tobacco via the soil moisture.

If your cigar Ash is light grey or white, it means it grew from soil rich in potassium levels. The white-grey color emerges because all the organic substances burned completely, and no black particles remain in the Ash. These kinds of cigars burn and draw well, although it doesn’t tell much about the flavor and aroma of the cigar. 

The areas tobacco is grown have different soil compositions, producing various kinds of Ash and colors. So, you should not expect cigars everywhere to look and taste the same, and your preference may differ too. Knowing this, you can identify the kind of soil your cigar was grown.

Quality of the Leaf

For the ideal cigar, the Ash should be at least one inch long. If you take your time to inhale smoothly and you don’t jerk off the Ash, it should be that way before it falls off. 

Why is one inch the benchmark of a quality cigar? Quality leaves produce denser Ash, which comes off slowly and takes more time to fall off. The length of Ash also alters the flavor of the cigar. As discussed above, longer ashes soften the smoke and produce much more pleasant smoke. So, if your Ash lengths to one inch before falling off, you are taking in a quality cigar.

It is important to note and identify quality cigars if you want to enjoy them.

 

Workmanship

The Ash from your cigar doesn’t only tell you the leaf quality and soil type. It also shows you the craft that is put into making the cigar itself. If the leaves used are too short or torn, the Ash will not bond together enough to reach an inch. The same applies to the leaves if they are not held firmly together. Apart from the 1-inch yardstick, if the ash surface is uneven or crumbly around the edges, its quality is low.

On the other hand, though, cigars made of long quality leaves have firm, meat columns of Ash. The Ash might even exceed one inch in length and would not scatter quickly. And, even when it falls off the cigar, it would not crumble as fast as that of poorly-made cigars. Usually, machine-rolled cigars tend to produce unstable Ash, while hand-rolled cigars produce firmer, more solid Ash.

 

Keep Trusting Windy City Cigar for the Best?

Windy City Cigar is an excellent option for you in terms of buying quality smoke. We take time to enlighten consumers on the cigar and cigarette to cherish and smoke, as well as the best options for you. Windy City Cigar desires to give you the best, always. Pick your quality cigars here and enjoy smoking with the best experience!

Conclusion 

It is quite evident that the Ash of your cigar tells you some things about your cigar you haven’t taken notice of before now. So, you should start paying some attention to them as they puff out of your stick.

You should not need to rely on marketed suggestions to know what you smoke, provided you pay enough attention to it. Also, check out our store for any of your cigar needs.