A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man

by Frank Vincent

  What to Smoke

  Forty years ago, cigars were considered an elitist thing. However, that was before the cigar boom. Today, they’re accessible to anyone. Back in the day, cigars were only for those men’s men who could afford them, while today there are cigars within everybody’s price range. For example, if you can’t afford to smoke a $50 cigar you can still smoke a premium $3 cigar and enjoy and appreciate the experience just the same. Today, the cigar world is about what’s new and what’s different. In a man’s man’s cigar world, it’s about what you’re comfortable with.

  Discretion is key when figuring out what cigar to smoke and what cigar is right for you. You need to select the appropriate cigar for the amount of time you have, because you do not want to relight a cigar. A man’s man will never save a half-smoked cigar. Why? Basically, a chemical reaction happens when you’re smoking a cigar; if you light it, put it out, and then relight later, it will never smoke or taste the same. If you do relight your cigar, you’re not smoking the cigar the way that the professional blender intended you to smoke it. Let me put it this way: If you were making love with a beautiful woman and stopped in the middle of the throes of passion to go to 7-Eleven to get a Big Gulp, and then a half hour later tried to make love again, would you expect the sex to be as good? No. You would never stop in the first place. Same with cigars—you finish them to the very end.

  When you’re selecting a cigar, there are some important things to consider, and size is certainly one of them. A man’s man will select the right ring gauge for him. Let me explain. If you are 4’ 9‘, 120 pounds, a 50-ring gauge, 71⁄2-inch cigar is probably not the right cigar for you aesthetically. If he truly enjoys a large cigar, a man’s man won’t give a damn and will smoke it anyway. But if you simply don’t feel comfortable smoking a 71⁄2-inch cigar, you’re not any less of a man, either. In fact, you’re more of a man for having the honesty to say that’s not the right cigar for you.

  Here are the various sizes a man’s man can choose from:

  The Sizes:■ Small Corona (3.9 inches)

  ■ Half-cup (4 inches)

  ■ Panetella (4.5 inches)

  ■ Robusto (5 inches)

  ■ Corona (5.5 inches)

  ■ Corona Grande (6 inches)

  ■ Pyramid/Torpedo (6.14 inches)

  ■ Churchill (7 inches)

  ■ Especial (7.5 inches)

  ■ Double-Corona (8 inches)

  When it comes to cigar smoking, a man’s man doesn’t care about price. A cigar does not need to cost a ton of money to be enjoyable. Men, it’s all about the smoke. You can smoke a great $25 cigar and you can also smoke a great $9 cigar. You can like them both equally, but for very different reasons. A man’s man will select the right cigar given all the factors—mood, time, flavor, etc.

  It’s all about what’s right for the moment. Any real smoker will tell you that most of the cigars they smoke in 2006 are nothing like cigars of the same brand they smoked in 1995. However, there are some companies that never compromise on quality, even when the market is not doing well. For instance, a good quality brand like Davidoff is consistent. You can put thirty-two Davidoffs on a table and every single one of them will be identical—the color of the wrappers, the construction, the packing, and the smoke. That is what makes a good cigar, and that’s what you pay for. Let me give you an analogy. If you ask for a Coca Cola on ice in a tall glass, you know what to expect. You already know what it’s going to taste like, don’t you? That’s exactly what makes a good cigar. When you go to get your favorite cigar at a cigar store, you know what it’s going to taste like. When you expect it to taste, burn, smoke, and last just as long as the cigar you had the last time and it doesn’t, you get pissed! What makes Coca Cola such a success is the same thing that makes a cigar a success—consistency.

  A lot of guys buy what cigar magazines tell them to buy. They can’t make choices on their own. But a man’s man makes a decision on his own. Now, you’re probably saying to yourself, “Alright, what do you smoke, Frank?” Glad you asked. Here are my top five cigar choices, in the order that I enjoy them in:

  FRANK VINCENT’S TOP FIVE MAN’S MAN CIGARS1. Davidoff Double R (Dominican) ($25): This is the “Bentley” of cigars. It has quality, consistency, and status. You can smoke this cigar twenty years from now and it will smoke exactly the same as it smokes today. It has a mild, robust smoke. When a fellow man’s man cigar smoker sees you smoking a Davidoff Double R, he’ll know you are “in the know.”

  2. Padron Anniversario (size Diplomatico) (Nicaraguan) ($25-$30): This cigar is similar, qualitywise, to the Davidoff Double R. However, it’s a much stronger smoke. This “kick you in the ass” kinda smoke is not for everyone, but if you like a strong cigar, look no further. It’s sometimes hard to find because its release is limited by the company. So if you find it, buy all the cigars in the store!

  3. Hoyo De Monteray (size Double Corona) (Cuban) ($25-$30): This is the finest Cuban cigar you can buy. It stands alone because of the taste of the tobacco from this region. It has consistency and quality. Special note: Men’s men buyers beware! Make sure you are purchasing a real Cuban. How can you tell if it’s a real Cuban? If it’s too cheap, it’s fake. You have to pay at least $500 for a box of Cubans. Also, if you’re buying a Hoyo De Monteray in a restaurant, you could be paying up to $50 for this cigar, but believe me, it’s well worth it.

  4. Dunhill Gran Cru (#2 Torpedo) (Dominican) ($18-$20): In addition to the smoke of this cigar being excellent, its physical shape, texture and feel plays a big part in why a man’s man wants to smoke it. It is a box-pressed square torpedo cigar. When you pick it up, the construction looks so perfect that you think it was rolled by a machine rather than a human.

  5. Zino Veritas (Honduran) ($12): This cigar is affordable. It provides a similar quality and a similar smoking experience to, say, the Dunhill Grand Cru, without making you drop twice as much money on a more expensive cigar. At this price, I think the Zino Veritas is a great everyday cigar.

  Why do I think the Davidoff Double R is the ultimate man’s man cigar? First of all, it’s large and demands time and attention to smoke. When you smoke a Davidoff Double R, you don’t stand up and move around. You sit back and relax—certainly a man’s man style. It’s also a sophisticated cigar. You’re not going to smoke a Davidoff Double R on your lunch break standing outside your office. Like I said before, a real man’s man only smokes a cigar if he has the time to enjoy it. If you can enjoy a Double R in twenty minutes outside your office, well then, more power to you. The other thing about the Davidoff Double R is that I find it presents an interesting smoke blend. Now, people always talk about the “body of a smoke.” In my opinion, body refers to its character. Body is the way the smoke feels in your mouth. So, you can have a very full-bodied cigar with a very mild taste—meaning that it’s not aggressive or strong in taste, but can still be a very smooth, mellow, and full smoke. By that I mean the smoke actually feels heavy and it has depth and heft.

  A Davidoff Double R is a 50-ring gauge, which allows the cigar to burn cool. You also have a lot of filler burning because of its thickness; you’re going to get more smoke in your mouth, but you will also get more air in the smoke. At this length, the cigar changes phenomenally from start to finish. As you smoke, the tars, oils and everything else are moving through your cigar. Some of that stuff sticks in the filler leaves, so as you smoke the cigar down, you are smoking some of the residual stuff that has already moved through it. This allows the cigar to change. The Davidoff Double R is specifically blended so that there’s a creaminess that never goes away. It’s a versatile cigar. If you like a mellow cigar, I can guarantee you that it does not get too strong; on the other hand, if you normally smoke a very strong cigar, you will still appreciate the overall complexity of the Davidoff Double R and how it changes from start to finish. You can buy a Double R in New York, Las Vegas, London, or Hong Kong and it will still smoke the same. You will probably never smoke a cigar that has this m
uch consistency year after year, cigar after cigar. That’s why it’s my number one choice as a man’s man cigar.

  Okay, I touched on some fairly expensive cigars in my top five list. The cigars I listed above might be everyday smokes for me, but they might not be an everyday smoke for others. That’s okay. Don’t feel that if you can’t afford cigars like a Davidoff Double R or Hoyo De Monteray on a regular basis, then you shouldn’t smoke at all. Smoke what you can afford and enjoy it! Everyone should find a “niche” cigar that they like. A niche cigar is what I consider a dispensable cigar. What’s the best place to buy a niche cigar? A small neighborhood tobacco store. When you’re in a neighborhood that has a corner tobacco shop (or even better, if you’re in a neighborhood where they might be rolling cigars), go in and make a point of not asking the counterperson for a specific brand. You should say, “I’d like the best hand-rolled cigar you have that does not have a band on it.” I once bought a bundle of cigars in Miami that were hand-rolled and cost $88 bucks for 25 cigars. That’s what I consider a niche cigar—a.k.a. “a throwaway.” For example, you’re on the golf course with some fellow men’s men and you light up, take just a few puffs and then throw the cigar away. Maybe you smoke one-third of it. Who cares? It cost next to nothing, so who gives a damn? Every man’s man has an everyday cigar he can rely on.

  If cigars are a very important part of your life and you have just met a woman, then you need to let her know about your passion. You want a woman to love and appreciate you for you, and cigars are part of your personality. On the other hand, you also need to respect her and the way she’d like to be treated. Not sure what that’s all about? Check this letter out . . .

  Dear Frank,

  I was on a dinner date with a girl I’d been seeing casually and the restaurant had an adjacent cigar bar. After dinner, I asked her to join me for a smoke. I don’t think she’d ever smoked before. So, I was excited to take her “cigar-smoking virginity.” When it came time to select our cigars, I was trying to impress her because I know that with women “size always matters,” so I bought her the biggest, fattest cigar in the joint. We sat in some leather chairs and I quickly realized she had no clue what to do. I cut and lit her cigar for her and then lit my own. After a few puffs she started waving her hands like she was flagging in a 747 at Newark Airport. I’ll admit there was more smoke in the room than a London fog, but hey, we were in a cigar bar, right? The date came to a screeching halt when she turned green. After ten unreturned phone calls, I’m getting the feeling this relationship’s dead. What can I do better the next time?

  Bob

  Dear Cigar Un-Aficionado,

  The first mistake you made was bringing a non-cigar-smoking woman into a cigar bar. You should have quizzed her during dinner to see if she was a cigar smoker or not. If cigars are your passion, then great. But they might not be your date’s passion. If you are with a woman who’s a non-cigar smoker, then bringing her to a cigar bar and blowing smoke in her face ain’t cool. On the other hand, if you’re with a woman who is interested in learning about cigars, then a man’s man introduces her to them with dignity and respect. Cigar smoking virginity . . . WHAT!? Fattest cigar in the joint . . . EXCUSE ME!? Show some respect, and genuinely help your lady explore her interest. My final advice is, take a cold shower, stop calling her, and lose my address.

  Frank

  When it comes to picking a particular beverage to accompany a cigar, there are truly no rights or wrongs. If you like a particular drink and you like a particular cigar, and you like them together, then go for it, man. Who am I to say you’re wrong? (Actually, if you’re drinking a McFlurry from McDonald’s with a cigar, I’m going to have to say you’re definitely wrong!) Seriously, there are old-school classic options like cognac or port—drinks that have substance and body that will complement your cigar. Typically, back in the day, cigars were smoked by men after dinner. In England, after a big dinner meeting, they would present port and cigars to the attendees. That was a tradition, and still holds up in many countries today.

  A man’s man always selects his cigars first. Then, when it comes time to select a drink to complement the cigar, there are two ways to do it. You can match flavors or you can contrast flavors. So, if your cigar has a taste of woodiness and you want to match a drink to it, you would choose a scotch. That would complement the cigar nicely. If you’re smoking a full-bodied cigar that has some richness and earthiness to it, you would match it with a single-malt, cognac, or dark rum. On the other hand, if you have a woody cigar and you want to contrast flavors, you would select something like a glass of champagne. You’ll go from spicy, rich, leathery, and earthy in the cigar to bright, crisp, and clear with fruity flavors in the champagne. You’re hitting completely different places on your palette. That’s a fantastic way to contrast your taste experience, fellas!

  Back to Basics

  Let’s review some basics and put them into a man’s man perspective. In this section, I’m going to separate old cigar wives’ tales, myths, and rituals from practicality. Hey, I know that I didn’t invent the cutter or lighter. However, I can offer some generally accepted rules for smoking a man’s man cigar. Let’s go over the basics that set the stage for a man’s man to properly light up. Just remember the three things that are always a must to thoroughly savor the art of cigar smoking: sit back, relax, and enjoy!

  Cutting

  A man’s man does not bite the end of his cigar and spit it out like he’s in some sawdust joint. He cuts it with a cutter. Now, he has two options for cutting a cigar: a closed cut or an open cut. A closed cut (commonly called a “punch cut” or a “V cut”) removes a piece of the cap without removing the whole cap. I find that this can cause the cigar to burn unevenly or draw in a strange way. You see, when you smoke a cigar, the tars, oils and nicotines are moving through that cigar in the form of smoke. When you use a closed cut, those tars, oils and nicotines can get trapped in the cut as the smoke moves through. For that reason, an open cut (commonly called a “straight cut”) is what I recommend. It removes the entire cap (the circumference of the cigar) so smoke moves through the cigar evenly—nothing gets trapped at the opening. Your cigar will smoke in a more balanced way, and most important, in the way it was intended to be smoked by the blender.

  An open cut requires a guillotine-style cutter. A double guillotine is the ideal cutter, because it applies equal pressure to both sides of the cigar with the blades. With a single guillotine, you have only one blade coming down pressing against the bottom of the cutter, which can crush one side of the cigar. The single guillotine has to be razor-sharp in order to truly work correctly.

  A true man’s man takes it one step further, and uses cigar scissors to cut his stogie. Why? Well, because it’s the most elegant approach, and it also gives you total control over your cut and angle. When you’re using a cigar scissor, the cutting mechanism is out in front of you where you can fully size things up. Also, your fellow men’s men can see exactly how much or how little you’re cutting for them. The bottom line is that cigar scissors are just as effective as the double guillotine, but definitely more elegant.

  Types of Lighters

  Without a doubt, a man cannot accessorize like a woman can. For instance, a man cannot go out and buy a designer dress. (Actually, I guess he could, depending on what he likes to do on Friday nights.) However, a man’s man has more limited options—cuff links, watch, tie, handkerchief, ring, etc. And, when it comes to cigar smoking, a lighter, cutter, and case.

  There are basic rules when choosing what to light your cigar with. First, you do not want to use a “Zippo” lighter or other fluid-based lighter. Why? Because it’s aromatic, which means that the aroma of the fuel has the potential to permeate the cigar. A man’s man does not light his cigar with a scented candle, either. Unless you’re hanging out with Madonna, keep the candle wax away from your stogie. An old-school way of lighting up is with a cedar match. Of course, cedar is aromatic and will undoubtedly permeate your cigar. Howe
ver, many veteran cigar smokers feel that cedar enhances the way a cigar smokes and tastes. In the purist’s mentality, which is how a man’s man approaches cigar smoking, you want your stogie to taste how the cigar maker intended it to taste. If a cigar is boxed in a cedar box, then that blender intended the aroma of cedar to permeate the cigar. If the cigar is not boxed in cedar, then it wasn’t supposed to be a part of the equation. Got it? Good!

  Getting back to kinds of lighters: What lighter does a man’s man buy? With all the choices out there in the marketplace today, this is not an easy decision to make. However, if you just bought a see-through lime green lighter at your local convenience store for under $2, I can assure you that you have just made the wrong decision. You want to purchase a lighter that does the job with precision and effectiveness, but also looks sleek and classy. For a man’s man, I think the Davidoff Prestige ($400-plus) is the best lighter. It is manufactured by S.T. Dupont, which makes great quality lighters. Everything from the “ping” when you open it, to the solid feel, to the gorgeous lacquered and metallic finishes, makes this Davidoff lighter not only a highly presentable piece, but also a conversation piece. Most important, it has a dual flame, which is ideal for a cigar. Why? Because a dual flame is more wind-resistant and also gives you a wider flame. With a wider flame, you are covering more of the cigar’s surface. Also, it’s heavy enough that you know it is in your pocket at all times. Its impressive sturdiness and weight is a reflection of you. So, when you pass it to a fellow man’s man, he says to himself, “Wow, now this is a lighter.” Hey, you’d rather be overdressed than underdressed right? A man’s man wants to have the best lighter in the room.