Keeping the cigar band on or off:

Mostly it's your choice whether you want to keep the cigar band on, or take the band off the cigar. One important point to keep in mind while removing the band, should you choose to remove it: do NOT remove the band first off. First light the cigar, let it warm up and "get to know it" so to speak. This will loosen the glue adhesive on the band. But proceed with caution when removing the band from your cigar, as some bands are harder to remove than others.  Some claim that leaving the band on the cigar is more of a social thing.

Cutting my Cuban Cigar:

Many feel that using a guillotine cigar cutter or cigar scissors is the best way to cut a premium cigar. Be careful not to cut off too much of the cap. Some smokers use a cigar punch, a sharp knife, or a V-cutter and some even use their teeth. The most difficult cutting tool to use are the cigar scissors which does require practice.

Lighting my Cuban Cigar :

The best type of lighting device to use for cigars, is the butane lighter, although a wooden match will suffice. Paper matches with wax and high sulfur content can affect the taste of the cigar so be careful.But if you happen to be using a match, strike it, and then wait for the sulfur to burn off the match completely so you are left with a flame in a more pure form.

Start by lighting the cigar at an angle (30-45 degrees or so), and a couple inches away from the tip of the cigar. Rotate the cigar until the foot begins to ignite, never letting the flame touch the cigar. Now, cautiously puff on the cigar while slightly rotating it still. This will insure an even ignition. Once the cigar is lit, let it sit for a minute as the short delay will allow the freshly lighted cigar to stabilize.

Letting ash burn:

The ash of a cigar is one to be left alone. Keep in mind while smoking, that it is not a cigarette. Leaving the ash on as long as possible, helps keep the cigar from overheating. If you pull from the cigar too frequently, it will overheat affecting the smooth taste of it. High quality cigars have a much whiter and solid ash than machine-made cigars. The qualities of the ash will be less

Extinguishing and relighting my Cuban:

By nature the cigar will go out if it's not puffed on at least once every couple minutes. Relighting a cigar fresh generally is not a problem either. Some partially smoked cigars can be saved for more than 24 hours, but the ideal timeframe to relight your cigar is within 2 hours of it going out.

When relighting, hold your flame in front of the foot and blow outward to expel old gases and ash that may be present. After that, proceed as you normally would.

When you are finished with you cigar, simply let it lay. It will smolder out on its own. Stubbing out the cigar may leave a stale odor to linger in a room.

Storage and care for my Cubans:

Typically cigar boxes are the ideal place to store your Cubans. Cigars, like any other organic products, require proper storage and care. If your cigars are properly kept they can be preserved for years. They should be kept from extreme temperatures (hot and cold), and away from humidified environments. Cigars like anything organic, moisture can be absorbed and dispersed. If you find your cigars to be dry place them in an unsealed bag, along with something that will retain moisture for days (small damp cloth, sponge, etc). Rotate cigars periodically to ensure proper moisture distribution.