Cigar Ashtray Buying Guide: What to Look For in a Good One

A cigar burns slowly and builds a long, surprisingly sturdy ash — which is exactly why a regular cigarette ashtray doesn't cut it. The cigar rolls off the skinny notch, the ash overflows the shallow bowl, and you spend the whole smoke fussing. This cigar ashtray buying guide walks you through why cigar ashtrays are built differently and what to look for, in plain English.

Why a cigar needs its own ashtray

Two things set a cigar apart from a cigarette: its size and its ash. A cigar can be as thick as your thumb, and a well-made one holds an inch or more of ash before it falls. A cigarette ashtray is built for something thin and quick, so it's too small on both counts.

A proper cigar ashtray solves this with:

• A wide, deep bowl that catches a long ash without overflowing.
• Wide rests (the notches the cigar sits in) that cradle a thick cigar instead of letting it roll off.
• A heavy base so it stays put when you set down a cigar or tap an ash.

That's really the whole story. Everything below is about getting those three things right for your cigars.

What to look for in a cigar ashtray

Here's the short checklist to judge any ashtray against:

Feature	Why it matters
Wide, deep bowl	Holds a long cigar ash without spilling
Wide rests (notches)	Cradle a thick cigar so it doesn't roll off
Heavy, stable base	Won't tip when you set the cigar down
Easy-clean material	Ceramic, glass, and stone wipe clean and resist odor
Right number of rests	One or two for solo, three or four for sharing

Bowl depth and width

This is the headline. You want a bowl deep and wide enough that a long ash can sit (or fall) without spilling over the edge. Letting the ash grow is actually good practice — a longer ash helps keep the burn cool and even, as we explain in how to ash a cigar. A shallow tray fights you on that.

Rest width and ring gauge

The rest is the groove your cigar sits in between puffs. It needs to be wide enough for your usual ring gauge — the cigar's thickness, measured in 64ths of an inch. A robusto might be 50 ring gauge (fairly thick), so a rest cut for a slim cigarette will let it roll right into the ash. If you tend to smoke fatter cigars, look for noticeably wide rests.

Number of rests

Count how you smoke. One or two rests is plenty if you usually light up solo. If you host or share, a three- or four-rest ashtray means everyone has a spot. Hosting a get-together? Our how to host a cigar night guide covers the rest of the setup.

Material and weight

Ceramic, glass, and stone are popular because they're heavy enough to stay stable, easy to wipe clean, and won't soak up odors. They can chip if dropped, so a thick, sturdy build helps. A solid, weighty base is the difference between a tray that stays put and one that slides when you rest a cigar.

A few extras worth knowing

• Indoor vs outdoor. For a windy patio, a deeper bowl keeps ash from blowing around. Some outdoor ashtrays even have a lid or a cigar holder built in.
• Cleaning. Empty and wipe it after each session; ash left to sit can stain lighter-colored ceramic over time. A quick rinse and dry keeps it looking new for years.
• Single vs multiple cigars. If you and a friend tend to smoke together, a wider tray with several rests means nobody is hunting for somewhere to set their cigar down mid-conversation.
• Travel. A full ashtray isn't portable, so if you smoke on the go, pair it with a hard travel case instead — see how to travel with cigars.

An ashtray is firmly in the "nice extras" tier of gear, not an essential. If you're still sorting out the must-haves first, our best cigar accessories guide ranks everything by how much you actually need it.

The takeaway

The short version of this cigar ashtray buying guide: skip the cigarette tray and look for a wide, deep bowl, rests broad enough for your ring gauge, and a heavy, stable base in an easy-clean material like ceramic or glass. Match the number of rests to how you smoke, and the whole ritual gets tidier and more relaxed.

As your setup comes together, the Casa DNC app lets you log each cigar and rate what you smoke, so your gear and your taste improve side by side.