Every cigar aficionado has a horror story about a prized premium cigar that just wouldn't light — it's like a coming-of-age for every seasoned smoker. By knowing how to light a cigar correctly, you can avoid joining this unfortunate club.
In this guide, we'll look at how to properly light a cigar using some of the most popular methods. From a trusty book or box of matches, right through to detailed instructions for how to light a cigar with a lighter, we have you covered.
Because this is a guide for how to light a cigar for beginners, we'll also look at some of the other essential steps. That includes cutting the cigar and toasting the foot before you set the cherry alight.
And although we won't deep-dive into how to taste a cigar through to the finish, we'll talk about the times when you need to take a break and the best ways to relight your cigar when you return to it.
What to light a cigar with
There's a lot of debate about whether lighters or matches are the best way to go. In the end, as long as your cigar gets lit, either method is effective and mostly comes down to personal preference.
For a fancier light, there are stunning cigar lighters on the market, including both soft flame and torch lighters.
It's still worth learning how to light a cigar with matches, though, as you never know when you might find yourself wanting to light up without your trusty torch lighter close at hand.
Torch lighters
Torch lighters are exactly what they sound like — a mini blowtorch-style flame that applies concentrated heat to the tip of your cigar. They're similar to the small flame torches you might use in the kitchen, but they're purpose-made for lighting cigars.
With experience, you can learn to adjust the height of the flame slightly, making torch lighters a good option for retouching the tip of your cigar as you smoke it, or if you like to try different ring gauges.
For beginners, the challenge is to light your cigar evenly without charring it. You might prefer to start with a soft flame lighter for your first few tries, especially because you’re likely more familiar with using them from other situations.
Soft flame lighters
Soft flame lighters are a good starting point when you're still learning how to light a cigar with a lighter.
BIC and Zippo lighters fall into this category, though there are many brands available. When choosing your lighter, it's important to know what kind of lighter fluid it uses. Be sure to choose an odorless fluid to avoid affecting the taste of your cigar.
It can take a little longer to light a cigar fully using a soft flame lighter and it can sometimes be more difficult to get an even burn. Be patient and remember that practice makes perfect.
Matches
Sometimes matches will be the only available option, so it’s a good idea to learn how to light a cigar with matches.
After striking the match, let the sulfur burn off the head first. This way, you won’t introduce its chemical flavor into your cigar. Striking 2-3 matches at once can give you a bigger flame, which is ideal for vitolas with a fatter ring size.
If the flame is nearing your fingertips, blow out the match and light another one, especially during your first few attempts. A good even burn is more important than speed.
Lighting your cigar
Cigars vary in size and shape, but there are a few good tips to follow when lighting any cigar. The first (and arguably most important) is to cut the cap from the head of the cigar.
This extra piece of tobacco leaf stops the cigar from unrolling before you smoke it, but unless you cut it off, you'll find you can't draw air through the shaft, making the cigar impossible to smoke.
For best results, invest in a good-quality cigar cutter and learn how to properly cut a cigar.
Hold the cigar
Begin by holding the foot of your cigar over the flame. Don't make direct contact with the flame, though. Just let the heat gently blacken the edges of the cigar wrapper. At this stage, you're toasting the foot rather than setting fire to it.
Next, start to puff on the cigar gently while still lighting it. You should angle the cigar down slightly from your mouth, at an angle of 30-45 degrees from the flame, so the heat hits the cherry and not just the sides of the stick.
Rotate the cigar as you light it, so it starts to burn more evenly. This will help to ensure a neat and level ash line, so you don't need to touch it up as much.
Cigar lighting tips
Knowing how to properly light a cigar is only half the battle, but it's a good step toward an overall better smoking experience.
Just as important as how to light a cigar is how to ash a cigar. Even experienced aficionados disagree about whether you should knock the ash off your cigar when it reaches about half an inch or allow it to fall off naturally as it burns.
We prefer to let the ash fall when it's good and ready. Keeping good-quality cigar ashtrays nearby is a must so you have somewhere to store your ash. The bowl can prevent fallen ash from blowing around outdoors, and the rim will usually have several indentations where you can rest your cigar when you put it down.
Dealing with an uneven burn
If you find your cigar is burning unevenly, it might be because you didn't rotate it when lighting it up.
This can happen if you're not sure how to light a cigar with matches properly or if you strike only one match at a time, causing the flame to be smaller.
Don't worry, you can fix this situation just by relighting the cigar. Follow the same instructions as lighting it for the first time. Remember to rotate it gently when lighting to get the tobacco burning evenly from all sides.
Avoiding an uneven burn
Learning how to light a cigar with a torch lighter is your best bet to avoid an uneven burn. The stronger, focused flame will give off much more heat, even when lighting up outdoors.
If you find matches or a soft flame lighter difficult to use, think about buying a high-quality torch lighter . It could make all the difference in getting your cigars to burn evenly.
Relighting your cigar
Sometimes, you’ll have to take a break from smoking a cigar — especially if it's a 2-hour beast of a vitola.
Learning how to relight a cigar is not much different from lighting a stick for the first time. Remove any ash so you only have fresh tobacco and trim the charred end, if necessary.
Hold the cigar angled downward at 45 degrees and toast the foot with your lighter. Then puff gently on it to help get the cherry ignited and you're back underway.
We have plenty more top tips on how to smoke a cigar, and practice and experience will help to get you there. So, face your fears and get ready to enjoy that premium cigar waiting in your humidor. You'll find lighting up a good smoke becomes second nature in no time at all.