Ash plays an important role in successfully smoking a premium cigar. Once the first inch of the cigar has burned to ash, it helps to regulate the airflow and prevent the cherry from burning too hot.

Keeping a steady inch of ash on your cigar — rather than allowing it to fall off of its own accord, or tapping all of the ash off as you go along — is part of the journey to becoming a true aficionado.

To achieve this, you need to adopt a gentle rolling action, removing fractions of ash at a time to keep around an inch-long stem hanging from the cherry. So what’s the best cigar ashtray to help you to do that?

We launched the JR 50th Anniversary Gold Ashtray as the first cigar accessory in our year-long golden anniversary festivities. A striking white ceramic bowl with gold details, the ashtray features our 50th-anniversary logo in the center of a three-corner bowl. At each corner, you’ll find an oversized cigar rest, suitable for even the fattest vitolas.

The feedback has been hugely positive, with 4-star and 5-star reviews across the board praising the ashtray’s striking good looks and sturdy performance, and we think it will become a firm favorite as a showpiece, a table centerpiece when smoking with a couple of friends, or just as a companion when smoking alone.

A classic square ashtray with four cigar rests, Prestige Large Red Ceramic has one small but important design detail: the cigar rests are offset to the right of the center. It’s a subtle difference that means when smoking with friends, your cigars won’t collide in the center of the ashtray. It also leaves the central space free of ash and makes full use of the entirety of the ceramic square bowl.

The durable ceramic finish can be cleaned easily with soap and water, and with an extra-deep basin to contain the ash, which makes this a reliable cigar ashtray for outdoor use, or as a vibrant addition to your indoor smoking setup. You certainly shouldn’t have any problems spotting its scarlet ceramic, even if you prefer to enjoy your smokes after dark.

More a cigar cauldron than a cigar ashtray, Stinky Cigar Large Black is a premium ashtray for true aficionados, and another excellent option if you like to smoke outside, especially with groups of friends. The solid construction of this chalice-like ashtray includes a black powder-coated malleable iron body with stainless steel cigar stirrups that safely hold your smokes clear of the ash.

With a diameter of 7 inches and a height of 6.5 inches, the deep basin offers some of the biggest ash capacity you’ll find, making the Stinky Cigar Large ashtray the perfect accompaniment to a cookout where guests will be smoking all day. If you’re not inspired by the plain black finish, we stock this one in multiple colors, including blue and red.

One more option if you want to show some love for the world’s largest cigar store! Cupholder Black With JR Logo is proof that the best cigar ashtray doesn’t have to cost more than a few bucks. All you need is somewhere to rest your cigar when you want to put it down, and a nice deep bowl to contain the ash as you tap and roll it off.

The genius of this cigar ashtray is its cup shape, allowing it to rest in any standard cup holder. Add an integrated ashtray to your car, golf buggy, or favorite camping chair in an instant — just remember you’ll need to find somewhere else to hold your beer! With 5-star customer reviews across the board, you can put your trust (and your favorite cigar) in this clever little ashtray, while showing off the classic JR Cigars logo on the side of the cup.

We end with a genuinely designer cigar ashtray from Xikar, one of the leading names globally in designer cigar accessories. The Xikar Wave Black Ashtray caters to larger groups better than anything on this list, with a total of six sloping cigar slots around a deep circular basin.

The bowl’s vertical edges give you the maximum capacity to hold ash inside, while the open-faced cigar stirrups mean even the fattest Vitolas will rest comfortably on the edge of this ergonomically designed ashtray.

Finished in durable black ceramic, with the iconic Xikar logo to show the world that you have excellent tastes in designer cigar ashtrays, this is a must-buy if you ever smoke in groups of five or six. Remember you’re not limited to buying just one ashtray — choose 2-3 from this list and you’ll have options inside, outside, and even on the move!