There are a myriad of ways for you to light your Cuban cigar. Some of the methods are regarded as more formal and elegant and a few are regarded as actually being crass by some. Here is the basic mechanics of "properly" lighting a cuban cigar: 1. It is best to gently warm the foot with a flame for 10-15 seconds. Do not allow the flame to touch the cigar, just pass the cigar near and over the flame while slowly rotating it. 2. Place the cigar in your mouth, bring the flame near the foot, but again not actually allowing it to touch your cigar. Simultaneously gently puff on the cigar with shallow and quick puffs while slowly rotating it between your lips to help ignite the cigar evenly. The flame will be drawn to the cigar as you puff. If you wish you can also gently exhale/inhale through the cigar as you light your cigar, some people find this a more successful method. 3. Pull the cigar from your mouth, gently blow on the lighted foot, and examining the cherry glow of the foot ensure that your cigar is lit evenly across its entire ring. 4. If not, repeat Step 2 concentrating on the unlit portion only. The key to properly lighting a cuban cigar is to do so slowly and evenly trying to ignite the tobaccos at the lowest possible temperature. Doing so allows for your smoke to begin cooler, smoother, and free of any harsh tar-like flavors. There are a wide variety of tools you can use to light your cigars. Here are some of the most common ones, a few obscure ones also. Matches - When you use a match it is imprtant for you to allow for the initial striking ignition to cease else you will get a terrible sulphur flavor and aroma. Paper matches are useless, they simply burn too quickly. Standard wood matches are functional, but it can be difficult to light a large cigar evenly without multiple matches. A good trick when using standard wood matches is to actually use two together as this will create a broader flame. There is also special long Spanish Cedar matches available designed expressly for the purpose of lighting cuban cigars. These provide a long burning, and rather elegant way to light your cigar, however you do have to watch for burnt bits of the matches falling into your lap or the carpet. Typically you can only find these long Spanish cedar cigar matches in fine tobacco shops. Flint-Style Butane Lighters - Whether we are talking about the $1.00 disposable Bic lighter or a $1000.00 Dupont, these traditonal lighters are a wonderful way to light your cigar. Some flint-style butane lighters are avaialble with dual flames which provide a broad lighting flame that is perfect for lighting a cuban cigar. High-end lighters such as Dunhill and Dupont are not only asthetically beautiful, but functional tools that can give you decades of flawless lighting performance. Torch-Style Butane Lighters - These high tech ultra-hot burning lighters have become the mainstay lighting tool of many cuban cigar smokers in recent years. Utilizing microported refined butane, these lighters can burn as hot as 1500+ degrees! Some people criticize the use of these lighters because a cigar is meant to be lit as cool as possible, however the truth is if a torch lighter is used properly it can actually provide the coolest, cleanest light. The trick is use the lighter to super heat the air above it and to light your cigar within this plume of super-heated air well away from the torch's jetting blue flame. Torch lighters are efficient, work well in windy areas, and are great for touching up uneven burns. The biggest downsides to them are they require specially refined fuel to prevent their micro-ports from clogging, can be somewhat finicky at times, and that even if it your lighter works perfectly it will eventually destroy itself from its own extreme heat. If you get a year's use from a torch lighter you are doing better than most consumers. Zippo Lighters - This American classic gets little respect as a cigar cigar lighter. This is because its fuel's aroma and flavor tends to taint the taste of the cuban cigar. Zippo claims that if you allow the lighter to burn for a few seconds before using it to light your cigar this foul flavor will dissipate. Most cigar smokers, myself included, disagree. Cedar Spills - This is a long thin strip of Spanish cedar which is ignited by another source and is then used to light your cigar. This is an elegant method that is more about show than go in my opinion. Seldom does a cedar spill function as well as any lighter or even matches. Candles - I have seen this method utilized in restaurants. Again it is meant to be ritzy, but in actual application it can be messy and typically your cigar will absorb a distinctly unpleasing flavor from the burning wick and wax. Flaming Liquor - Another fancy, showy cigar lighting method I have seen employed in a few upscale restaurants. It looks good, but seldom does it work well and you have next to zero control over the flame. Do yourself and your eyebrows a favor, skip ever trying to light your cigar this way. Car Lighter - A car's cigarette lighter does a fantastic job of lighting a cigar cooly, quickly, and evenly. The only problem is that you can only employ this techinque on narrow ring gauge cigars as the lighters were designed for a cigarette's girth. Now that you have endured reading all the above, here comes the part where I tell you to do what you want and what works best for you. Truth is you will find your own style and methods of lighting cigars that best suits you. Personally, I tend to be more gentle while lighting mild cigars as their delicate flavors can be tainted. I am more ritualistic and discerning when sparking a special cigar at a special event as I relish in the moment. And when I am fishing or working in the garage I just torch the heck out of my cigars. So finally in short, the proper way to light your cuban cigar is a matter of your own personal choice. return to Cuban Cigars home page |
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