How To: The Trick Behind Smoke Rings

Listen: We all know smoking is bad for you. It?s a gateway drug to death. Do it long enough, and it?ll give you everything from bowel cancer to lung cancer to cancer cancer to cancerAIDS, and that?s before I even mention how it yellows your teeth, makes your breath stink, and probably somehow interferes with your ability to have sexual intercourse. That said, smoking is fucking cool.

At least, some aspects of it are cool, such as the ability to blue smoke rings. Thankfully, the folks over at WIRED?s pretty expansive How-To wiki have explained to us the simple methodology behind blowing smoke rings:

Take a deep drag off the cigarette and hold the smoke in the back of your mouth. For inexperienced smokers, this will be the hardest step. Avoiding menthols can reduce the urge to cough. Do not draw the smoke all the way back into your lungs.

Draw your tongue towards the back of your mouth, point the tip, and form your lips into an ?O? shape. Make sure to keep the muscles in your mouth and jaw flexed but relaxed, then release a small puff of smoke from the back of your throat. Judging airflow correctly is also a matter of practice. A small sigh works well for some. For particularly dense smoke, flexing the jaw down and forward can project enough air for a good smoke ring.

Learn it before your office Christmas party and you?ll no doubt impress the higher-ups enough to consider giving you a bonus come 2010.