You’re away from home, nestled in a nice little seaside hotel. You’ve got your stogies, your tools, and you’re ready to light up. Hell, you already have one lit right now! You lean down to tap your ash and realize there’s nowhere to put it. Sure, you could dump it in the sand or on the ground like a neanderthal, but what if you want to avoid that? You need a portable cigar ash tray. Before you rush off, hear me out.
What cigar enthusiasts tend to have a lot of, at least in my experience, are lighters, cutters, and stationary ash trays — you’ll see why I’m calling them stationary in a second. You can also throw in cigar cases or holders. Most enthusiasts I know have some way to carry their cigars with them when they leave the house.
What they don’t have a lot of, me included, are portable ash trays. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. Why the hell would you want a portable ash tray? Well, that’s easy. Because when you take your cigars with you to smoke on vacation, while visiting family or friends, or just out of your usual haunts, there’s never anywhere to toss or stow your ash. You can always grab a makeshift bowl or a can or use something like that to store your ash, but they’re not ideal.
For Christmas last year, I ordered my brother-in-law one of these portable ash trays from HopeMillsDesigns on Etsy. Besides being absolutely badass in design, they’re smart as hell. The entire ash tray fits inside a case so you can take it with you traveling. But also, built right into the top, is a fancy cigar holder.
When you order, you can choose from seven different wood types. That allows a small degree of personalization, whether you’re buying for yourself or grabbing a gift for someone else.
I have no affiliation to the store or the creator, but they smoke Boneshaker — as you can see in the pic — so they’re good people in my book. Also, I just really love the designs they’ve cooked up.
If that portable ash tray above is out of your price range, or you don’t like it for another reason, there are a few floating around on Amazon. I will say, they don’t have the same smart designs, but you can choose from several options.
Cup holder style ash trays are pretty common, for example. You can also find some with clips, like this one, that allow you to attach them to surfaces nearby, such as a patio or deck railing.
Here’s one that’s similar to the Etsy one, albeit with a much simpler design. It’s super cheap, too, and it will certainly work when you’re away from home or the office. Alternatively, instead of an actual portable ash tray you could always opt for something more lightweight like this.
Okay, that’s enough throwing around ideas. I think you get it.
Again, most of the common cigar gear is covered. That’s why I like to recommend portable ash trays like the Etsy one as gifts for people who enjoy cigars. It’s the unique, unlikely options that tend to make a splash with people, especially when they don’t already have hundreds of options at their disposal.
Of course, I know some will say there’s no point they can use whatever to toss their ashes and touché. But why go into the unknown unprepared when you can prepare for pretty much everything, hot ash included? Stop throwing that nasty ash in Dixie cups and soda or beer cans.
Briley has over 16 years in the publishing and content marketing business. He's been writing about cigars for nearly half that in various forms. What makes him a tour de force is he also smokes them.
Source: HopeMillsDesigns / Etsy
Source: Bey-Berk / Amazon
Source: Jon Tyson / Unsplash
