A faux pas is an embarrassing or tactless act in a social situation, and cigar smokers have never been short on them. We warned you about the Cello Smellers back in 2009. We told you not to lick your cigar before using the community cutter in 2020. Well, it’s our 20th anniversary, so we felt it was time to update the list with the hottest trends in ‘what not to do’ at cigar lounges. Here are the top 10 cigar-smoking faux pas of 2026, in no particular order.
Read on, take notes, and try not to see yourself in more than one of these. For simplicity, these are all described as “He,” but we all know the ladies are just as guilty as the guys for these faux pas.
1. The Content Creator
He doesn’t walk into the humidor; he arrives on set. Tripod out, ring light on, camera angled just so, the cigar is nothing more than a prop. He’ll relight three times because the first take didn’t capture the perfect plume of smoke, ask a total stranger to hold his drink for the shot, and caption the whole thing “cigar season 🔥” even though it’s July.
The tell: he narrates an entire cutting-and-lighting routine to his phone before he’s taken a single puff. Real smokers finish their cigar. Content Creators finish their content.
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2. The Showoff
He walks straight past the known brands and the perfectly good boutiques he’d probably enjoy, beelining for the locked case with three-figure sticks he can’t pronounce. He doesn’t ask about the blend or the cigarmaker; he only cares about what it costs, buys two, and announces the total to everyone within earshot.
He’ll tell you it’s “smooth,” because that’s the only tasting note he knows. Three puffs later, he has to put it down, it’s unsmokeable. Somewhere, a fake cigarmaker who has slapped a gaudy label on an awful cigar is smiling ear to ear. Anotha’ one.
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3. The Cello Smeller
Some faux pas never go out of style. This one sticks his nose directly into the cellophane, inhales like he’s just uncorked a rare Burgundy, and declares “beautiful nose” on a cigar he has smelled exactly zero percent of.
There is one guy worse than the Cello Smeller: the Glass Tube Smeller, who repeats the entire performance with an aroma-proof tube standing between his nose and the tobacco. A timeless classic that will always be wrong.
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4. Machine Gun Puffer
He treats his cigar like it owes him money: rapid, aggressive puffs, one after another, no pause, no patience. No one explained that cigars are meant to be savored and enjoyed, not interrogated.
The result is an overheated smoke, a harsh finish, and a guy who looks like he’s hitting a joint at a concert, not enjoying a premium, handmade cigar. Slow down. It’s not going anywhere.
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5. The Doom Scroller
He’s got a $20 stick in one hand and his phone in the other, and the phone is winning. He’s parked in the corner of the lounge, thumb crawling through an endless feed, not talking to a soul, barely looking up long enough to notice the lounge is full.
A cigar lounge is one of the last places built for actual conversation, and he’s opted out of it entirely. Put the phone face down and interact with other human beings.
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6. Puff Puff Give
Cigars aren’t burgers, and nobody wants half your burger anyway. The Puff Puff Give guy hands over his already-chewed, already-smoked stogie to a buddy who, inexplicably, says yes.
If you want your friend to try what you’re smoking, buy him one. It’s called being a good friend, not a shared appetizer. Exception: your significant other. If she wants a puff, give her the cigar, your credit card, and your dignity.
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7. Burn Notice
He fires up a triple-torch lighter like he’s cutting through a bank vault door and holds it to the foot of the cigar without moving it, figuring more flame equals a better light. Thirty seconds later, the wrapper is cracked, the foot looks like a briquette, and the smoke tastes like a campfire that lost an argument with a gas can.
A cigar doesn’t need to be attacked; it just needs to be toasted. Rotate it slowly, get an even burn around the circumference, then take your first few draws while rotating some more. Any more fire and you’ll spend the first third of the cigar smoking charcoal instead of tobacco.
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8. Running on Empty
He asks to borrow your torch lighter for “just a second,” then gets distracted mid-toast by a conversation. His thumb stays glued to the trigger the entire time, flame roaring, while he talks with his hands and forgets there’s a cigar anywhere near it.
Two minutes later he hands the lighter back; it’s hotter than the surface of the sun, and the tank is bone dry. He didn’t light a cigar; he cremated one and emptied your butane while doing it. Pay attention to what’s in your hand and have some consideration. Oh, and next time, bring your own lighter.
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9. The Self-Appointed Sommelier
Nobody asked, but he’s going to tell you anyway. Your cut is wrong. Your light is wrong. Your ash-tapping technique is, somehow, offensive to his ancestors. The Self-Appointed Sommelier subscribes to three podcasts and now considers himself the humidor’s resident authority, correcting total strangers mid-puff.
Unsolicited advice is a faux pas whether it’s about cigars, golf swings, or parenting.
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10. Lick ‘n Snip
He’s got the cigar in one hand and the cigar shop’s community cutter in the other, and just before he clips it, he gives the cap the ol’ Turner & Hooch. If you’re too young for the movie reference, Google it.
Dear Lick ‘n Snipper: a properly humidified cigar does not need to be licked before cutting. Nobody wants to touch that guillotine after you. Bring your own cutter, or better yet, keep your tongue in your mouth. Sincerely, everyone. Which faux pas did we miss?
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