When the evening is yours to savour, reach for a generously sized, slow-burning cigar with the depth to evolve over an hour or more. Here are our editors' picks of the best cigars for a long evening, with pairing notes, ideal vitolas and storage guidance.

A new humidor needs seasoning before it ever holds a cigar — here is the calm, reliable way to wake the cedar, settle the humidity and create the perfect resting place for your collection.

Medium-bodied cigars sit in the golden middle ground — rich enough to reward attention, gentle enough to enjoy at any hour. Here are the finest examples to explore, from the legendary Partagás Serie D No. 5 to celebrated Montecristo limited editions.

A practical guide to how long a cigar lasts — from a 30-minute petit corona to a leisurely two-hour double corona — and how vitola size, ring gauge and your own pace shape the experience.

Quai d'Orsay is the most quietly Parisian of all Habanos: a Cuban marca created in 1973 for the French market, prized for its pale Claro wrappers, creamy cedar-and-floral character and effortless elegance. Here is our complete guide to its vitolas, flavours and finest moments.

Torpedo, pirámide, belicoso — the tapered figurado shapes are some of the most rewarding cigars to smoke, yet the names are endlessly confused. Here is a clear, practical guide to what sets each one apart, how they smoke, and which to reach for.