Hello SOTL/BOTL,

There's a myth in the cigar world I'd like to put to rest.

Take the band off before you light it up.

The idea goes like this. You walk into a lounge with a pricey cigar band showing, and you look like you're showing off. So, you peel it off and nobody knows what you're smoking.  I understand the thinking, but here's my problem with it. It assumes the guys around you are worried about being judged, that the man two chairs down is hiding a budget stick because he thinks you're looking. 

Nobody in a lounge should be judging anybody by what's in their hand. That's not etiquette. That's the opposite. Smoke what you like, leave the band where it is. Then there's the practical side. when a cigar is rolled, a little dab of glue holds the band together. Pull it off too early and the glue can grab the wrapper on the way out. 

Now you have torn the outer leaf, and the cigar won't smoke right the rest of the way down. So, wait.  Smoke it for a while and once the cigar warms up, the heat loosens the glue and the band slides right off. No tearing no damage.