Band on or off.

[El Presidente]

I was asked Friday how many of our members take the bands off their cigars before smoking them. 

I said I didn't know but would hazard a guess that at  least 20% would take the band off before they lit the cigar. 

Let us know in the poll and let's see if I was right or wrong. 

[Islandboy]

I’ve found out the hard way a few times that it’s too easy to ruin a cigar right at the start by removing a band early. The bands stay on for me.

[dobbs]

i agree with islandboy, the only reason i don't take it off before is because it's giving me trouble. then i'll smoke and pull it sometime later. i still voted yes.

-dobbs

[cfc1016]

1 minute ago, Islandboy said:

I’ve found out the hard way a few times that it’s too easy to ruin a cigar right at the start by removing a band early. The bands stay on for me.

Agreed. Though i almost always remove the band, i rarely do so before lighting, unless it very loosely slides off. I'd say most frequently I remove the band around the 1/3-2/3 points

[cigcars]

       *I'd prefer to leave the bands on, but if it's a band taking up 3/4 the length of the cigar, then after smoked for awhile & the glue on the band loosens it; off it comes.

[MigsG]

Band on.  I enjoy the experience of smoking the cigar and looking at it too.  Taste, smell, and see. 

[KavalanWhisky]

I'm a band on guy because I like to take photos to keep track of what I've been smoking.

Sometimes I feel even getting to final third the band just doesn't want to come off and have damaged quite a few wrappers but normally at the end of the smoke so I'm ok.

I like to keep my bands so dont like peeling them but rather taking them off whole.  Follow up poll...who slides or peels bands off....

[Lomey]

I take the band off before smoking if it comes off easily. If it gives me resistance I wait until it heats up enough to remove it. I don't like the feel of it it my fingers if that makes sense.

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[Fuzz]

I've always smoked with the band on, up until the burn gets close, then I take it off. Never thought to ever take the band off beforehand, unless there were multiple band that covered half the cigar. And even then, I still kept the last band near the head, just because.

[JoeyBones777]

I don't always take the band off before I light my cigar but when I do, I'm smoking a Fonseca. Stay smokey, my friends!?

[MrGlass]

Band stays on until the ember reaches roughly the halfway mark, or maybe slightly further if it's something bigger like a churchill/double corona.  If there are two bands, both come off at the same time.  And unless the band is really loose, I don't bother trying to slide it off anymore - I've torn too many wrappers trying to do this in the past, and typically the band ends up in the bin at some point anyway.

As stupid as it sounds, I prefer the band removed while smoking, but I leave it on in case the wrapper starts to unravel as I can use band to help manage this.  

[jackattack]

Band off for me.....I'm a closet hardcore nubber and have the wounds to prove it. ? Bad habit I guess??

[Trimming]

Band on till quarter or so into it.

I know it’s probably graceless and boasting,

but that’s why we come to forums with others who share the enjoyment and info of certain rolls. IMHO

 

 

[NSXCIGAR]

English custom is to remove the band before lighting but outside of there, and at the risk of seeming ostentatious, I leave the band on until the cigar burns down to it for the simple reason that removing a band can easily damage the wrapper. I'd rather have 3/4 of the cigar smoked before that happens.

[Cubadust]

Band on.  I enjoy the experience of smoking the cigar and looking at it too.  Taste, smell, and see. 

I always slide the band off, for the same reason. A bandless cigar is a beauty.

[Piligrim]

I always keep on. mostly because I take pictures of cigar while smoking

[OZCUBAN]

Bands on for me.except at the very end.if it gets that far ? then the band comes off ...

[Burningman]

I prefer band off but will leave it on if the band doesn't easily come off.

[Connoisseur Kim]

I usually remove cigar bands first for collection. However, if the band is stubborn to be removed, then I take it off at almost 3rd of cigars to prevent wrapper damage.

[99call]

I usually light then band off straight away. 

[IanMcLean68]

I always leave the band(s) on until the cigar has burned up to them, unless they are really loose and just want to slide off, as is often the case with piramides and belicosos.

I used to follow supposed etiquette in the early days of smoking and removed the bands as that was supposed to be less ostentatious, but tore too many wrappers on cigars where the applier of cigar labels was a little too generous with the glue.

Letting the cigar burn up to the band heats up and softens the glue. And, putting manners and politeness aside, these days I couldn't give a toss about supposed cigar etiquette.

[OldEasy]

I remove the band beforehand unless I specifically know that I want to take pictures of the cigar. I’ve only ever damaged a cigar trying to slide the band off, so I always peel them these days. Often destroy the band in the process, but haven’t really had any issues damaging the cigar itself even with one box of secretos where they seemed to have just drizzled glue all over the cigars as a topping before closing the box. Like there was seriously glue on the cigar half an inch from the band.

i agree with those who have said they enjoy the tactile feel of the nude cigar. I also don't want to deal with trying to get the band off a lit cigar while I’m smoking it. Kind of a pain and also just breaks up the mood. I always smoke past where the band was, so why not get it off before there’s an ember attached to it?

[Monarch]

band off always. Bands are beautiful but nude cigars even more. I'd rather an extra 30 seconds of careful peeling before lighting than peeling on the final third, burning my fingers and dropping ash.

[madandana]

On until I have to remove it.

[david9985]

Band on for 2 reasons:

 

1 Too easy to damage the wrapper by removing it

 

2 I find it a useful visual reference point for how far through the cigar I am