Thread: Cigars- teach me you masters

So I'm guessing my first smoke was a fluke. I can't quite get the lighting process down, and I hate to ruin good smokes. What's the process?

It really is simple... pack up your cigars and humidors and send them to me i will make a carefully study of the lighting and smoking of them... with no risk to your life or limb!

Actually, although there are geeks about this as there is really only one bad thing you can do to light a cigar and that is to use a zippo type lighter that uses naphtha as a fuel.

the traditionalist will use a wooden match or two together after the initial flare up is done.
normally i use a Concorde model Dunhill "Unique" with a "cigar tip" (it is wider than a regular butane flame)
i find that the "jet style" lighters produce too hot and small of a flame area but they can be used.

as for the actually lighting i like to hold the lighter in one hand and the cigar in the other about 2 inches away, turn the cigar so it gets an even heating and then after it starts to smoke a bit i place ti in my mouth and begin to draw on it keep turning until it is lit evenly. but that is just me.

Originally Posted by syslight

as for the actually lighting i like to hold the lighter in one hand and the cigar in the other about 2 inches away, turn the cigar so it gets an even heating and then after it starts to smoke a bit i place ti in my mouth and begin to draw on it keep turning until it is lit evenly. but that is just me.

I do the same but I prefer a torch lighter, unlike syslight. The torch ensures I have a clean and solid flame no matter what the weather is and saves me having to try and cup the end while lighting. As with syslight I take the rolling approach. I cut the cigar roll it between my fingers a bit to loosen things up (no real pressure just roll it), give the cut end a sloppy kiss to wet it then roll it with the flame a few inches away while drawing in on the smoke. Rolling it until it is fully lit will give you a nice even burn and holding the flame (whatever you use) well away from the end will ensure you don't taint it or heat it up too much.

An uneven burn sucks but it doesn't take too much practice to ensure a good burn almost every time.

I'm by no means a master when it comes to cigar smoking, but I use a procedure similar to TomSD and Syslight.

I prefer a "soft" butane flame because my jet lighter is a cheapo and the jet burns butane so fast. I hold my cigar about an inch or two above the flame and slowly rotate it until the whole tip gives off a reddish glow and the smoke starts pouring out. I then take a few long, slow puffs and blow the smoke over the lit end of the cigar to check that she is indeed evenly lit.

One other comment is I have found that there is no such thing as lighting the cigar too slowly. The idea, as I understand it, is that you just want to toast the foot without causing it to flame up.

I think letting it flame up is my issue. I'm hoping that I can salvage this last cigar and try out this slow lighting process.

cigars!

i'm dying for one...
havent smoke a good cigar in a while...

for my 25th bday i got 5 real cohiba cigars!
i still miss em...

:-(

This may be overkill but it explains what they call the proper method to light a cigar with 3 matches, but then again if you are paying and going to enjoy a top dollar cigar may as well do it right


Cigar Aficionado | Blogs | Gordon Mott | Three Matches

Or you can go the uber geek route, get a cedar strip.. Light that with a match, and then light your cigar with the cedar strip..

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