Written by Chris Bajda, founder of Groovy Cigars · Updated August 2026
Most people asking this are holding a cigar for the first time at a wedding, a birth or a golf outing, and what they really want to know is how not to look like they have never done it before. The short version is that there is no single correct grip, but there is one rule underneath all of them, and once you understand why that rule exists the rest is obvious.
Short answer: Rest the cigar between the pad of your thumb and the side of your index finger, around the band or just behind it, with your other fingers relaxed underneath. Hold it firmly enough that it will not slip and no tighter. Do not pinch it between two fingertips the way you would a cigarette, do not clamp it in your teeth, and keep it in your non dominant hand so your good hand stays free.
Jump to a section
- The one rule that explains every grip
- The standard grip, step by step
- Where on the cigar to hold it
- Big cigars: the cradle
- Holding it in your mouth
- Three grips to avoid
- What to do with it while you are doing something else
- Holding it with a long ash
- Handing one to somebody else
- Frequently asked questions
The One Rule That Explains Every Grip
A cigar is not a solid object. Inside the wrapper leaf, the filler tobacco is bunched loosely on purpose, with air channels running the length of it. That is what you are pulling through when you draw. The wrapper holding it together is a single leaf, thin enough to tear with a fingernail.
So squeezing a cigar does two things, and both are bad. It crushes those air channels, which tightens the draw and makes the cigar burn hotter and taste harsher. And it stresses the wrapper, which is where cracks and unraveling start.
Support the cigar, do not squeeze it. Every grip below is just a different way of doing that. If you can see the wrapper deforming under your fingers, you are holding it too tight, and it does not matter which fingers you are using.
This is also why there is no single official grip and why anyone who tells you there is one right way is overselling it. Plenty of lifelong smokers hold a cigar in ways that would fail any etiquette guide, and their cigars are perfectly fine. The rule is about pressure, not about finger placement.
The Standard Grip, Step by Step
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Take it in your non dominant hand
Left hand if you are right handed. This keeps your dominant hand free for a drink, a handshake or a fork, which is most of what goes wrong for beginners.
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Rest it between your thumb and index finger
The pad of the thumb underneath, the side of the index finger on top. Not the fingertips. The broader contact spreads the pressure out.
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Let the other three fingers relax underneath
They are there to catch it, not to grip it. Some people rest the cigar lightly on the middle finger for extra stability, which is fine and completely standard.
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Hold it around the band or just behind it
Middle to back third of the cigar. Furthest from the heat, best supported, and the band gives you a natural marker.
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Check the pressure once
Look at the wrapper where your fingers meet it. If it is dimpling, ease off. After a few minutes you will stop thinking about it.
Where on the Cigar to Hold It
Two thirds of the way back from the burning end is the honest answer, and the band usually sits right about there, which is convenient.
The part people miss is that this moves. A cigar burns down over 30 to 60 minutes, and the heat travels toward your hand. Every ten minutes or so, slide your grip back toward the head. Beginners tend to hold the same spot the whole way and then wonder why the last third feels uncomfortably warm.
Never hold a cigar by the foot end below the burn line. The wrapper there is hot and softening, and it is the easiest place to crack one.
Big Cigars: The Cradle
Once a cigar gets properly thick, and for most hands that is somewhere in the mid 50s ring gauge and up, a thumb and finger grip starts to feel like holding a broom handle with two fingers. There is no official cutoff, it is whenever the cigar stops sitting comfortably. The fix is to cradle it.
All four fingers lie across the top, the thumb supports from beneath, and the cigar rests in your hand rather than being held by it. It looks deliberate rather than awkward, and because the weight is spread across four fingers there is almost no pressure at any one point. If you are not sure what ring gauge you are holding, our guide to cigar sizes and shapes explains the numbers.
Holding It in Your Mouth
Short version: lips, not teeth, and not for long.
Rest the cigar on your bottom lip and hold it there gently. Your teeth should not be involved. Biting a cigar softens the wrapper with saliva and pressure at the same time, which is how the head ends up frayed and coming apart by the halfway point.
The legitimate moments for a cigar in your mouth are short and functional: while you are lighting it and need both hands, while you are carrying something, or for the few seconds of an actual draw. Between draws it belongs in your hand or in an ashtray. Somebody with a cigar permanently clamped in their mouth is not a seasoned smoker, they are someone soaking a cigar.
Three Grips to Avoid
- The cigarette pinch. Clamped between the tips of the index and middle fingers. This is the most common mistake by a wide margin, because it is the muscle memory most people already have. It concentrates all the force on two small points, dents the wrapper and tightens the draw. If you catch yourself doing it, just move the cigar back to your thumb and index finger.
- The clenched fist. Wrapping your whole hand around it and squeezing. Holding a cigar in a closed hand is not a crime by itself, and some well known smokers have done it, but done tightly it compresses the filler along the entire length of the cigar at once rather than at one point.
- The death grip. Any grip held tensely. This is less about finger position than about being nervous, which is exactly what a first time cigar smoker is. Relax your hand and most of the problem solves itself.
What to Do With It While You Are Doing Something Else
This is the actual problem nobody writes about. Holding a cigar is easy when holding a cigar is all you are doing.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Eating | Put it down in an ashtray. It will go out after a few minutes and that is fine, you can relight it. Do not balance it on a plate. |
| Holding a drink | Cigar in the non dominant hand, glass in the dominant one. If you only have one free hand, the cigar goes down, not the drink. |
| Shaking hands | Move the cigar to your other hand first, or set it down. Offering a hand that has just been holding a lit cigar is the small thing people notice. |
| Golf | Set it in a cart holder or an ashtray before you swing, never in your mouth. A clenched jaw and a full swing is how wrappers get bitten through. Our golf cart cigar holders guide covers the gear. |
| Photos | Hold it in the standard grip, hand relaxed, at about chest height, with the burning end angled away from you. Do not point it at the camera. |
| Talking with your hands | Fine, but keep the cigar hand lower and slower than the other one. Ash travels. |
The common thread is that a cigar you put down is not a cigar you ruined. Letting it go out and relighting it costs you very little, and it is always better than crushing it in a pocket or biting it while your hands are full. A decent ashtray with a deep rest solves most of this, and we keep a range of cigar ashtrays for exactly that reason.
Holding It With a Long Ash
A long ash is a good sign, because it means the cigar is well constructed and burning evenly. It is also heavy and it is cantilevered off the end of the thing in your hand.
Keep the cigar roughly level when there is an inch or more of ash on it. Tilting it down puts the whole weight on the join and the ash comes off in your lap. Move slowly, and when you do tap it off, rest the cigar on the edge of an ashtray and let gravity do it rather than knocking it like a cigarette.
Handing One to Somebody Else
Hand it over unlit, band facing up, holding it by the foot end so they can take it by the head. If it is already lit, do not pass it at all. Unlike a lot of things people share, a cigar is a personal object and passing a lit one around is not a tradition anywhere.
If you are handing out cigars at an event and want the moment to land, a personalized band with the names and the date turns the cigar into something people keep rather than something they smoke and forget.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you hold a cigar properly?
Rest it between the pad of your thumb and the side of your index finger, about two thirds of the way back from the burning end, and let your other fingers sit relaxed underneath. Hold it firmly enough that it will not slip and no tighter. There is no single correct grip, but every good one has that in common: the cigar is supported rather than squeezed.
Do you hold a cigar like a cigarette?
No. A cigarette is pinched between the tips of the index and middle fingers, which puts all the pressure on two small points. A cigar is wider, softer and filled with loose leaf, so that pinch dents the wrapper and tightens the draw. Move it back to the thumb and index finger instead.
How tight should you hold a cigar?
Barely. If you can see the wrapper deform under your fingers you are squeezing too hard. The filler inside is loosely bunched to let air through, and compressing it is what makes a cigar suddenly draw tight and burn hot. A cigar should feel like it is resting in your hand rather than being held up.
Where on the cigar should you hold it?
Around the band or slightly behind it, which is roughly the middle to back third. That part is furthest from the heat and best supported. As the cigar burns down, slide your grip back toward the head so your fingers never end up near the burning foot.
Should you hold a cigar in your mouth?
Only briefly. Rest it on your lips, never clamped in your teeth, and only when your hands are genuinely busy such as when you are lighting it. Cigars are not designed to be held in the mouth for long stretches, and biting one softens the wrapper and can cause it to unravel at the head.
Which hand should you hold a cigar in?
Whichever leaves your dominant hand free, which for most people means holding the cigar in the non dominant hand. It keeps your good hand available for a drink, a handshake or a fork, and it keeps the burning end away from whatever you are reaching for.
Do you take the band off before holding it?
You do not have to, and most people leave it on. If you want it off, wait until you are ten or fifteen minutes in, because the heat loosens the glue and the band peels away without tearing the wrapper. Pulling a cold band off is one of the most common ways beginners rip a cigar.
What do you do with a cigar while you eat?
Set it down in an ashtray rather than holding it or putting it in your mouth. A cigar left alone will go out after a few minutes, which is fine, and you can relight it. What ruins a cigar is balancing it on a plate or a table edge where it rolls, gets crushed or picks up food.
Next: how to cut a cigar, then how to light it, and the full how to smoke a cigar guide for everything after that. If it is your first, start with our best cigars for beginners.