Cigars offer a variety of different notes and flavors that you can pick up on when smoking. They often provide a flavor that’s favorable, but more often than not, they’ll leave you with an ashy aftertaste that might not be pleasant. The aftertaste, along with bad breath, can last quite awhile. If you experience “cigar mouth,” there are ways that you can reduce the taste and how long it lasts. So, if you want to get rid of the cigar taste in your mouth, we’ll go through some tips and techniques to get rid of cigar breath in this post.
Why Does the Ash Taste Last So Long?
It’s completely normal to have an aftertaste when smoking a cigar. Sometimes though, it can last longer than expected. Some reasons for this include the size of the cigar, how close to the end you smoke, and how frequently you puff. Out of these reasons, how close to the end you smoke is actually the biggest factor. The closer you get to the end, the hotter the cigar burns, which can cause the ashy aftertaste to last longer.
Different Ways to Get the Taste Out of Your Mouth
There are a few different ways you can get the taste out of your mouth. On it’s own, it’ll usually go away within 5 hours. Although, if you smoke before bed, you’ll likely have the aftertaste until the following afternoon.
Brush Your Teeth (And Tongue)
The first step in getting rid of cigar breath is brushing your teeth and tongue thoroughly. When brushing, use a generous amount of toothpaste, focusing on a minty variety to combat the strong aftertaste of cigars. Brushing your tongue is especially important since it tends to retain much of the cigar’s flavor.
Use Mouthwash
After brushing, rinse with mouthwash to tackle lingering odors and refresh your mouth. A high-quality mouthwash will kill odor-causing bacteria and leave you with a clean, minty finish, helping to neutralize the cigar taste in your mouth and mask the smell in your breath.
Eating Food
Eating food can work wonders for both eliminating the cigar taste in your mouth and masking the odor. Certain foods, like fruits, vegetables, or crunchy snacks, can help absorb the ash-like flavor and replace it with something more pleasant. While it might not completely erase the aftertaste, it’s an effective way to reduce it significantly.
Gum and Mints
Even after taking steps like brushing and eating, the cigar taste and breath might creep back. Chewing gum or sucking on mints throughout the day can help mask the lingering flavors and odors. Choose strong, minty options to overpower the ashy smell and keep your breath fresh when interacting with others.
Drink Water
Drinking water regularly can help wash away residual cigar flavors and odors. While it won’t provide instant results, consistent hydration will dilute the taste and shorten how long the cigar aftertaste sticks around. Other beverages, such as tea or coffee, can also help refresh your palate.
How to Prevent a Long-Lasting Cigar Aftertaste
For future cigars, there are a couple of things you can do to help prevent that long-lasting cigar aftertaste.
Smoke Slower
Smoking your cigar a bit slower and puffing less frequently will naturally shorten how long the aftertaste lasts. The less puffs you take from your cigar, the less smoke and tobacco you’re allowing into your mouth. You’ll still be left with some aftertaste, but it can help to some extent.
Drink Water While Smoking
Another way you can help prevent a long-lasting aftertaste is by frequently sipping on water throughout your smoking session. If you have sparkling water on hand, this will help even more, as the carbonation in the water helps eliminate some of the lasting odors.
Don’t Smoke All The Way to the End
As the cigar burns closer to the end, them smoke you puff on becomes increasingly hotter. Because the smoke is as a higher temperature as it enters your mouth, it leaves much more of an ashy aftertaste in your mouth. So, if you want to avoid this as much as possible, try stopping 1-2 inches earlier than you normally would.
Cigar Choice
The type of cigar you smoke can also have an impact on the aftertaste you experience the next day. Whether you choose a lighter cigar or a darker maduro cigar, how long the aftertaste is and how how ashy it is will vary. With lighter cigars, the aftertaste tends to be more ashy and smokey, but generally goes away faster than a darker cigar. The aftertaste from darker cigars often lasts longer due to the type of tobacco and higher nicotine content. However, the aftertaste is less unpleasant than the ashier flavors you get from lighter cigars, because darker tobacco has richer and sweeter notes that linger.
Shop Cubano Central For Quality Cigar Accessories
Cigar accessories can make or break your smoking experience. Low quality humidors can ruin your cigars, bad cutters can damage the tobacco, and unreliable cigar torches go out when you need them most. That’s why you need quality cigar accessories. Shop Cubano Central for all your cigar accessory needs – from humidors to lighters, we have it all.
FAQs
What’s the quickest way to get cigar taste out of my mouth?
Start off by thoroughly brushing your teeth and rinsing with mouth wash. Eating food and chewing gum throughout the day will also help. Make sure to also drink plenty of water.
What kind of cigars leave a longer aftertaste?
Darker cigars generally leave a longer lasting aftertaste. However, lighter cigars’ aftertaste is often ashier.
How can I avoid an ashy aftertaste?
A few things you can do to avoid an ashy aftertaste is smoking slower with more time in between puffs, drink plenty of water as you smoke, and don’t smoke the cigar all the way to the end.