How to light a cigar...the proper way.

You can't just shove a £20 cigar in your mouth and light it like it's a B&H silver fag. Cigars have a special way of being lit which DO make a difference to the taste and experience.


For starters, it is not a good idea to just bite the end of a cigar. Cigar cutters are pretty essential: follow the link in the last post for more info. Furthermore, do NOT use a zippo lighter! You should use wooden matches or at very worst a butane lighter to get your cigar going. If you can get hold of Spanish cedar matches then that's brilliant and cannot be beaten at all - if not, just matches will do fine.

A mistake that many people make when lighting a cigar is that they hold the flame onto the end of the cigar and draw in until it's glowing red and hot. This is not a good idea as it will impar the flavour, 'jerk-start' the burning process of the cigar and give a horrible bitterness to the smoke. The golden rule to be followed is "Do NOT let the flame of your match touch the end of the cigar!" Follow this rule and you really cannot go wrong when lighting. Simply get your match going, and slowly rotate the end of the ciger about 1/2 inch above the flame, as if you are trying to warm it rather than ignite. It certainly takes longer, but when then end starts to gently glow, inhale gently through the cigar.

I am sure that the trick with cigar lighting is gentleness. Take your time, and just play nice!