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One may not realize it, but the ash on the foot of one's cigar does play a role in how well the cigar smokes and how it tastes. Most often, individuals give this little consideration. There are good reasons to maintain a certain amount of ash while smoking, however.
Figuring out how much of an ash gives the best flavor will depend not only on the smoker's preference but on the cigar in question. Some cigars will burn hotter than others and, thus, need more of an ash. Remember that the first few puffs of a cigar will be the point at which the ash is at its hottest. Cigar lighters, such as Colibri lighters, oftentimes have a very hot flame and the first few puffs are not representative of the overall flavor of the cigar owning to the heat. Once an ash is generated, the real flavor begins.
A cigar ember should be burning slightly cooler than one might think. The ash plays a role in this. To generate an ember, the cigar needs heat, fuel and oxygen. The tobacco, obviously, is the fuel. The lighter provides the heat that allows the cigar to combust and the oxygen is ambient, the levels being increased when one draws through the cigar. To mitigate the heat, the ash acts as something of a damper, reducing the raw amount of oxygen to which the ember is exposed.
The ash also affects how easily one can draw off of the cigar. Of course, a thicker, heavier ash means that it will be a harder draw for the smoker. No ash means that the draw will be very easy but also may mean that the ember will be burning too hot to ensure quality flavor. The art of cigar smoking involves finding a happy medium between the two. It may take some time but, then again, all worthwhile things have that quality to them.
The only other concern of which one should be aware has to do with being outdoors. If one flicks their ash too early, it may pull the cherry, or part of it, off of the cigar along with it. This can result in a fire hazard and should be something toward which one should give proper attention. A longer ash will tend to drop off under its own weight. Let it detach a bit on its own before ashing to make sure none of the burning tobacco is pulled away with it when one is in a dry area.
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