Lighting a cigar is not the same as lighting a cigarette. Rush it and you'll have a cigar that burns unevenly, tastes harsh, or tunnels through the center while the wrapper stays unlit. Take your time with the light and everything that follows improves.
Toast the Foot First
Before you draw, toast the foot — the open end — by holding the flame just below it without letting the flame touch the tobacco directly. Rotate the cigar slowly, warming the entire circumference of the foot until it begins to glow faintly and you can smell the tobacco opening up. This pre-warming step sets up an even, consistent burn from the first draw.
The First Draw
Once the foot is toasted, bring the cigar to your lips and draw slowly while continuing to apply the flame just below the foot. Keep rotating. You're not trying to get it cherry-red immediately — you're coaxing an even light across the entire surface. Blow gently on the foot after the first few draws to check that it's lit evenly. If one side is ahead of the other, apply a little more heat to the cooler side.
Torch vs. Soft Flame
Butane torch lighters are the most reliable tool for lighting cigars outdoors or in any breeze. They burn hot and precise. The trade-off is that a torch held too close can scorch the tobacco, so keep it at least an inch from the foot and let the heat do the work.
Soft flame lighters — and cedar spills, if you want to go traditional — burn cooler and are gentler on the tobacco. They take a little more patience but many purists prefer them for the cleaner, more gradual light they produce. Matches work too, but let the sulfur burn off completely before bringing the flame near your cigar.
Whatever you use, avoid fluid lighters. The petroleum-based fuel imparts a flavor to the tobacco that no amount of toasting will fully eliminate.
If It Goes Out
Cigars go out. It happens. Knock off any built-up ash, let the foot air for a moment, and relight using the same toasting method. If the cigar has been out for more than an hour, the relight will taste noticeably stale — that's just the nature of cold tobacco. Some cigars recover better than others, but the first half-inch after a long-cold relight is rarely the cigar at its best.
