Lighting a cigar takes more time, and thus more patience, than lighting a cigarette.
The simplest way to explain how to light a cigar is to compare it to roasting a marshmallow. You want to roast it, not actually stick it in the flame.
In general, you shouldn’t light your cigar with a flame from a source that could negatively affect the essence of your cigar, such as flames from a candle, a Zippo lighter and other oil-filled lighters, and standard sulfur matches. The lighting methods acan add odd flavors to your smoke. However, they may only last a few puffs.
Many aficionados recommend lighting a cigar with a spill (a strip of cedar). However, it is difficult to use in the wind, compared to butane lighters, and not very transportable compared to lighters. You can also use extra-long sulfurless matches.
When using a torch lighter, it’s important to know how to hold the flame and place the foot of the cigar near the flame. This way, the cigar will receive indirect heat from the flame and be toastier than if it were placed directly in contact with the flame. A general rule of thumb is to hold a cigar one inch away from the flame with a soft flame. Then, simply hold the light directly over the foot of the stub.
To start your cigar smoking experience, you should learn how to light a cigar with a typical Bic lighter. A Bic lighter has a soft flame, which means it moves with wind. A Bic lighter should be used the same was a a torch lighter, but it is more difficult to keep the flame at the right distance from the foot of the cigar. The final result should be a strong red ember at the end of the smoke.
To light a cigar with a cedar spill, light one end on fire and hold it in one hand while holding the cigar in the other. Hold the cedar spill at a slightly downward angle since the flame will burn in an upward direction. Toast the foot of the cigar of the flame as the spill burns.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get cedar spills. You can take the thin cedar sheets from cigar boxes and break them apart to make cedar spills.
Wooden matches are better than traditional matches in books for two main reasons. Wooden matches are longer and allow you the time necessary to toast a cigar. Lighting a cigar with traditional matches could require 4 or more matches. The biggest reason to not use traditional matches is that they have sulfur, which would negatively impact the flavor of cigars. Make sure to use sulfurless wooden matches.
Yes, regular lighters use butane, so there it is ok to use without worrying about affecting the flavor profile of your cigar. The only issues are that wind affects the flame of a regular lighter (unlike a torch) and the lighter can get hot where your thumb is while toasting the cigar.
Using a Bic lighter will not ruin your cigar. In fact, I use it often simply because my torch lighter runs out of butane. Bic lighters also use butane, so there’s nothing to worry about.
The only issue I have with using a Bic is the flame is easily affected by wind, unlike a torch lighter.
Cigar smokers toast a cigar by holding a flame close to the end of the cigar without letting the flame touch it. The purpose is to warm all three components of the cigar: the filler, the binder, and the wrapper. The majority of the flavor comes from the wrapper.
Take your time toasting the cigar, rotating the cigar in your hand to ensure it is being evenly toasted. Without proper toasting, only the filler will be ignited.
After the foot of the cigar is toasted, you should take a draw from the cigar and the entire end should turn bright red.
We advise to never use a Zippo to light your cigar. Yes, you can light a cigar with a Zippo, but you shouldn’t. The flame’s odor will have a negative effect on the flavor of your cigar.
Butane lighters are not bad for cigars. In fact, many aficionados prefer butane lighters.
No. You don’t need a cigar lighter to light a cigar. If you are spending significant money on your cigars, you might want to carefully consider what you use to light your cigar, since you made introduce bad flavors if you use specific lighters or fire sources.