Cigars make for wonderful gifts at times of celebration and can be given to people who smoke regularly or those who are new to smoking. Whatever the occasion, whoever the recipient, here’s your guide to picking the right cigar gift.

Step 1.
Know your smoker. Is the recipient a beginner smoker or one who smokes regularly? This is important because it helps you determine what type of gift is best.

Step 2.
Know where you’re going. Don’t go to a drugstore to pick out cigars; check out a specialty smoke shop or your trusted online website. This way you can ensure you’re buying something of quality and the ingredients are pure. The next step breaks down all options.

Step 3.
For the beginner smoker, you want to give choices. This is a great opportunity for them to experience the many tastes cigars can come in and uncover what types they enjoy most! Cigar samplers or gifts sets are great for this. They typically contain 5-10 cigars. For someone who smokes regularly, purchase a box of their favorite brand. You can’t go wrong there. If you are looking to purchase one cigar, a longer, light to medium colored cigar is recommended for a beginner smoker. They tend to have a cooler taste. The darker ones are more bold. For someone who smokes more regularly and you don’t know their favorite brand, choose a cigar with a greater ring size, or diameter. They tend to have a richer flavor. A few other ideas are a cigar of the month club or cigar accessories, such as a portable travel humidor, cigar cutter, ashtray or humidification device. These make for great gifts, although you will want to be wary. A beginner smoker may not have the need for such accessories and a regular smoker may already them.

Step 4.
Storage. If you purchase a cigar in advance, keeping it fresh and preserved is essential. While best to store in a humidor, there are other ways it can be done. Keep the cigar in a zip-seal bag or plastic box with a sponge, but do not let them touch. This will keep the moisture in, leaving the cigar fresh and ready to be gifted!