So you just closed your first big deal and it's time to celebrate. Your boss invites you upstairs to the boardroom where the executives are lined up at the long oak conference table, premium cigars by their sides to mark the occasion.

One by one they light up, oaky musks wafting, and finally it's your turn to spark your earthy blend. There's just one problem—you're totally clueless.

"The smoking is supposed to be the fun part," said Michael Herklots, world-class tobacconist and Executive Director of Retail and Brand Development at Nat Sherman, a cigar emporium in midtown Manhattan. "The last thing you want to do is fumble -- to light or cut the wrong end."

How does one avoid these fatal flubs? We sat down with Herklots to find out the best ways to prove your worth when it comes time to lighting up the celebratory Maduro. Puff away, novices.