If you’re new to the world of cigars, there are a few tricks you must learn in order to get the ultimate enjoyment out of each smoke. First and foremost, properly drawing a cigar delivers a full experience and allows you to truly appreciate the tobacco’s flavor. Likewise, making mistakes can mark you as a novice, and nothing says “noob” like taking a deep draw and collapsing into a fit of coughing from the smoke!

Here are a few tips to keep in mind for smoking like a pro.

Pick a mild cigar that will allow you to draw easily and bask in the flavor of the smoke. Ask the tobacconist at your local B&M to recommend a few milder cigars and buy one of each from several brands.

Beware shorter cigars because the hot part will be closer to your mouth, which is something a beginner doesn’t need. The best smoke for a newbie is a long, fat and mild stick because it will burn cooler and last longer. It’s OK to start with inexpensive cigars and work your way up to premium smokes.

Until you’ve identified your preferences, don’t buy too many cigars of a single type. Furthermore, store your new cigars in Ziploc Baggies until you’re ready to spring for a humidor.

Every cigar smoker, beginner to aficionado, should have a trusty cigar cutter. It doesn’t have to be top of the line but it does have to be sharp enough to cleanly cut your cigar before you smoke it. A guillotine cutter is a good choice and makes it easy to cleanly clip off the head.

A butane lighter is ideal for lighting your cigar, but plain old matches will do to start. Just don’t use a Bic® or anything else that can introduce unwanted substances into your smoke.

Place the uncut end of the cigar in your mouth, then hold it in one hand just above, but not touching, the flame. Begin puffing as you slowly rotate the cigar. It may take a few rotations and drags to fully light the cigar, so don’t stop! You’ll know the cigar is properly lit when you see a glow around the outer rim of the tobacco and the smoke draws easily.

One popular system of drawing is the “1-2-3 method” which involves taking three puffs. The first two are short and strong while the third is long and solid. Done correctly, this will allow the oils in the foot of the cigar to heat up more rapidly and permeate the rest of the smoke.

Now that you have your cigar properly lit, it’s time to relax and enjoy it, but you do have to follow a few more pointers. For example, rotate it every 30 to 60 seconds while puffing so it won’t go out. You need to develop a rhythm that allows you to smoke the cigar at the right speed for maximum enjoyment.

Also, be sure to pull in enough smoke to experience the cigar’s tasty nuances. Smoke it too fast and it will burn hot, which is damaging to the flavor; smoke too slowly and it will not stay lit. If it goes out, you have to go through the lighting process all over again.

Do not ever inhale! Instead, taste and savor the smoke before blowing it out. The trick is to master the act of drawing and expelling-not inhaling and exhaling.

Unlike smoking a cigarette, the point of cigar smoking is to savor the blend’s flavor. To do this, you need to draw slowly, just a few times a minute. Swirl the smoke in your mouth, allowing it to go all the way to the back. This way, you’ll get the full impact of each puff.

After a thorough swirl, try to draw the smoke to the back of your throat and exhale it through your nose. This maneuver may take a little practice, but it will allow you to invigorate even more senses and truly appreciate the tobacco’s subtleties.

Do not feel like you have to flick the ashes after every puff. Most cigars will hold the ashes until they get to be a half-inch to an inch long, provided there’s no wind. How often you have to roll off the ashes depends on the length of the filler tobacco and whether there’s a breeze or draft. To learn more about ash, read our Cigar Ash 101 guide.

You don’t have to smoke a cigar all the way down. Smoking is supposed to be about pleasure, so smoke until you don’t feel like it any longer. Once a cigar has been lit, you can smoke it only once. Don’t even think of putting it aside and relighting it later!

Proper cigar etiquette calls for placing the finished smoke in an ashtray and allowing it to burn itself out. What’s more, vigorously stubbing out the cigar looks messy.