About Cigar Ashtrays
A cigar ashtray should be designed to enhance the cigar and the smoking experience. When purchasing an ashtray for cigar smokers you should be concerned with three important features; 1) the troughs (cigar rests); 2) the depth of the ash well; and 3) the size of the cigar ashtray.
Resting a cigar is an integral part of smoking a cigar. Continual puffing causes the cigar to burn hot, releasing unwanted chemicals and negatively affecting the taste. Appropriate ashtrays for cigars should have long, wide and level rests to allow the cigar to float over the ash well and burn evenly at all smoking stages.
A cigar ashtray should be large and deep with long, wide rests.
The trough, or rest, should be long (at least 1″ inch) and level to allow the cigar to rest without teetering. There are three types of rests commonly found on a cigar ashtray; 1) Cradle (see amber ashtray above), 2) Ramp (see ruby red ashtray below); and 3) Platform (see yellow ceramic ashtray below).
The cigar should float above the well surface so air can circulate around the ember, providing for an even burn. The ash well should be at least one inch deep to provide float space and to accommodate debris.
The size of a cigar ashtray will range from the compact and portable for the single user to large, or super large, multi-user cigar ashtray. Small ashtrays can be handy, but often lack the depth and trough length required to please the cigar connoisseur. Cigar smokers usually prefer a hefty ashtray, built to handle the needs of the cigar and the smoker.
Big Ashtray offers ashtrays made for cigars from contemporary makers and cigar art ashtrays made in days gone by.