Lighting Up - How Do You Do It?...

[Gary]

Told you Bryan . I had a Juan Lopez No2 the other night and using this method as usual the cigar again lit perfectly, burned and draw evenly, it's the only way .

Just on a side note for anyone who may not as yet have smoked a Juan Lopez, especially the No2 (Robusto size), what a great cigar, cheaper than the likes of Cohiba and Montecristo but tons of flavour, a perfect burn and draw, I'd highly recommend picking up a box or at least a few to store in the humidor, a little hidden gem of a smoke.

I've just lit up by this three match method and it worked perfectly.

I'm going to switch sides away from the lighter thing I've been doing.

The match-method light-up was perfect, and the cigar tasted great. Bizarre - I know - but it tasted better somehow.

I agree with a lot of what people wrote above. The process affords more contemplation of the cigar. (They are beautiful things and deserve a good gawp!). It felt as if I was being more caring towards the stick. Towards the expensive stick, and these beauts do deserve respect!

I feel like a philosopher!

I cut the cap by force of habit. Next time I will leave the stogie uncut and see how that works by this guy's recommended method.

My D4 looked like a thing of beauty when I started my smoke. Perfect catch across the foot, and slight, neat-looking white ash.

I'll relegate my lighter for torching up of necessity in the great outdoors.

[Major_Tom]

Hmm, quite a few ways of doing it by the looks of things. The method I use is another variation, there are a few vids on ebay of it aready.

I nearly only ever smoke outside due to my smoke-free house (by declaration of The Other Half) so that puts matches out of the question. I will use them, but only in dead calm -doesn't happen often here.

So I use a butane Colibri Belmont. It's a diddy little black laquer thing and only holds enough gas for one or two smokes.

I wet the end of the cigar and cut it with a double-bladed El Cheapo cutter courtesy of Cgars Ltd. I then toast the foot with my torch from about 1.5" away careful not to lose the damn thing in the flame. Onces its nice and black and smoky I pop it in my mouth and apply the torch again from about 1", rotating slowly and taking small puffs.

After one rotation I blow on the foot to check for an even glow; if not it goes back in the mouth again for another try.

When I'm using matches I take exactly the same technique but use 2 matches to get it blackened and one to light, drawing the flame up to the foot.

[emeraldisle]

The method I tend to employ when lighting a cigar is pretty much akin to how Bryan demonstrated in the Youtube video. Have a silver Jack Daniels cigar lighter.

Gabriel

[TJCoro]

It makes one ponder the impact of the rituals on the pleasures we derive from the sacred leaf - the care we take in lighting and handling our friends; our constant gazing and appreciation of the contruction; the manner is which we store and allow our puros to mellow with age. The least of which the how we finish off our finest smokes - a topic I believe could support its own thread on this forum. I prefer to let mine expire on their own while confortably nestled in a safe place.

Rest in peace, dear friend, and thank you for the brief moments of pleasure you bestowed upon me. - Unknown.

Almost a religious experience; a bid for nirvana, pure intent. But that's just me.

[Robusto]

I've just lit up by this three match method and it worked perfectly.

I'm going to switch sides away from the lighter thing I've been doing.

The match-method light-up was perfect, and the cigar tasted great. Bizarre - I know - but it tasted better somehow.

I agree with a lot of what people wrote above. The process affords more contemplation of the cigar. (They are beautiful things and deserve a good gawp!). It felt as if I was being more caring towards the stick. Towards the expensive stick, and these beauts do deserve respect!

I feel like a philosopher!

I cut the cap by force of habit. Next time I will leave the stogie uncut and see how that works by this guy's recommended method.

My D4 looked like a thing of beauty when I started my smoke. Perfect catch across the foot, and slight, neat-looking white ash.

I'll relegate my lighter for torching up of necessity in the great outdoors.

[Gary]

Great minds must think alike

I was about to type (probably a lot less eloquently) the exact same thing. Everything you've said. 3 matches before a draw....unless i'm in a force ten gale and revert to the old torch lighter.

D

[Robusto]

Damn! Tobacco is a demonised thing that our school servers block. I can't watch it here.

Til later...

I might be more of a positive cinematic role model with a nice, even cherry-red foot by Route B.

Cheers, Drew.

[Drewmidorn]

three match story!

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Blogs/Blog_Detail/0,4695,49,00.html

[Robusto]

Can someone post the specific link to the CA three-match video if seriously they rate it, please?

Cheers.

[Olls]

I'm still experimenting but I'm leaning towards the three match version too, except I just clip the cap before lighting rather than after, as in the CA video. I also use the long cooks matches, although I'm going to pick up some nice cigar matches when I next get a chance.

In a sort of spiritual "respect the cigar" kind of way I completely understand and buy into the idea of lighting slowly and without letting the cigar touch the flame. It's a nice ritual. Scientifically, though, I'm not so convinced. It's not like coffee or toast where therere are degrees of roasting/toasting - with a cigar you always end up burning it, so I can't see how this affects the flavour. Can anyone explain this in a non-wooly way?

How does everyone go about correcting uneven burns and how often do you generally get problems like this or a cigar going out on you? I find it happens fairly often at the moment - maybe it's my technique...

[Robusto]

A member's clip of a succesful three match light-up posted on here would be interesting.
More interesting than a Cigar Aficionado video imo.

[TJCoro]

I light a piece of cedar and then use the cedar to light my cigar. If I don't have cedar, I use butane. If I don't have butane, I use matches

Larry.

To maximize the smoking experience under proper conditions (indoors or no wind), a cedar spill is the best way to light a puro, IMO. I can't explain why, but cigars seem to taste better when lit in this fashion. But that's just me, chaps.

Most of the time, however, I use the "Robusto Method" as demonstrated in his video (BTW Robusto, it appears that after all that blow tourching, you obtained only a partial burn )

I first witnessed this method in 2002 during my one and only visit to JJ Fox. After requesting my premission, the gentleman at JJ Fox took my puro and gently applied a torch to the foot of the puro followed by gentle blowing until it was evenly lit. I was so impressed that I have used this method ever sinced.

[daverave999]

I've been using a flameless butane lighter which is gentler than the torch lighters (3 for 4 quid on ebay). Seems to take me a while, but I'm probably being overly careful. Still at the learning stage...

I saw that Gordon Mott 'Three Matches' video on the cigar aficionado website the other day if others are interested. I'm tempted to give it a go myself! Plenty of other interesting videos on there too I thought.

[cj121]

I use a butane, but a mere clipper. A few draws with the flame at the foot (rotating slightly) and then have a peek to check out whether my stick is on the go evenly, then a lil more here and there and off we go baby. Ooh that makes me want to flame on, but it's late

Robustos comments on keeping off the foot are interesting though.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

99% of the time I use matches, except maybe if there's a good wind blowing, but then I don't usually find it enjoyable smoking a cigar in those type of conditions.

When using matches, ever since I saw Gordon Mott doing it I always use 3 matches to light any cigar. It may sound a little long winded but I like it and apparently it's a technique that goes back many years.

You use the first match to begin to toast the cigar and warm it but almost never letting the flame come into contact with the tobacco.

You use the second match to blacken the foot, now coming into contact with the cigar gradually, rotating the smoke as we go, getting a good even burn the whole way round.

And the third match to finish off lighting it. By the third match the cigar should have an even burn the whole way round and ash about a mm or two down. Before the first draw you should be able to blow on the end of your smoke and see the entire surface lit.

I'm sure most of you couldn't be bothered doing this probably, but once you've done it a few times and have got your technique down, it doesn't seem like it takes that long and I honestly think the cigar burns better and smokes better for doing it.

Just my way

95% of the time I use a torch lighter, but after reading this you've got me thinking. I'm going to have to try this method and see how it works. I have always felt cigars shouldn't be rushed. This may slow me down a little and make it an even more enjoyable experience. Thanks for sharing.