It seems everyone is agreed on the need to toast the foot while lighting up but it seems there are at least two camps on how much toasting one should do before puffing. On the one hand, a lot of people seem to toast the foot and blow on it until the whole foot is glowing red before taking the first puff. With this method, you don't need to hold the flame to the foot while puffing because the cigar is fully lit before you take your first puff. Others toast until the foot is just blackened (but not glowing red) and then puff while holding the flame to the foot to finish lighting. I started off using a torch lighter to perform the former method (glowing red before 1st puff), but felt like I was charring too many of my cigars and getting that nasty bitter tar flavor. I switched to the second method (puff with flame to foot) using a soft flame and don't have the char flavor problem anymore but do seem to have a more difficult time getting an even light. Any thoughts on this? What method do you use?
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I don't think there's a consensus on toasting the foot of a cigar first. It is more important on aged cigars as the foot could have musty mold flavors that are better burnt off, but I doubt most could tell the difference if three identical cigars were lit and one of them had the foot toasted first.

After blowing through a cigar once it is lit, they are all similar.

The benefit is that the first minute or two when toasted before cutting the head will make the cigar taste further along that it would if just cut and lit.

I use to go through the formality, but not very often now.
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I use a Bic. I never touch the flame to the foot, and steadily rotate the cigar to light the foot evenly. I try not to draw the fuel into the cigar if I can avoid it. Really the only time I blow on the foot while lighting is just to get a better view of what areas are already lit, and where to pay more attention with the heat source.

That has worked great for me. YMMV.
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see this...........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOem4JswMCk

I toast the foot and then smoke,I try not to draw while a flame is on the foot.Doing so can overheat the cigar and make it bitter.
The best way I have found is to light a cigar off the previous cigar.................
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Do whatever works for you. As you gain more experience, you can try other options. Trust me, there are many, many ways to light a cigar.

As for my "method", a quick memory check shows at least 7 different methods depending on the condtitons and also the stick.
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This is how I have lit my cigars for the last several years.

I used to draw (puff) while lighting the cigar, but I found the other method to be much more efficient.
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Situation dictates. Riding in a golf cart or boat, may have to draw and light at the same time. Lounging, I may slowly toast, blow, and draw. Each cigar gets whatever is needed when the time comes.
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Or you could just stop the golf cart for 30 seconds, Jamie. :-) :-)
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Torch til glowing red. Small purge first, to blow out any fuel/fumes that might have been forced up into the cigar. Then enjoy
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In the end what you have is a bunch of rolled up dry leaves. There really is no "right" method. Before torches were prevalent, smokers used soft flames, matches, cedar spills and ultimately a piece of wood pulled out of the camp fire. Whatever method feels good to you is fine. Just like the type of cutter, size of cigar, drink pairing, its all a matter of personal preference. :-)
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No Bob...my way is right!!!


J.K.
:-)
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I'm just the opposite. For a long time I'd toast the foot, blow on it, and then gently puff. I'd spend a good five minutes playing around with the thing. Then one day I realized two things.

• I've got a lot more life behind me than I do in front, and wasting time needlessly makes less and less sense as time goes on.
  
• I could never honestly tell any darn difference in the way the cigar smoked or tasted anyway.

Now I just apply fire and puff away. The cigar doesn't seem to mind.
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I think the ritual of lighting a cigar is part of the pleasure with the entire smoking experience. If I have a really nice cigar that I have been looking forward to smoking, then I typically spend some time giving it a nice toasting, and then carefully lighting it. If it’s a cheaper cigar or if I just want to get smoking and not mess around, I just put the flame on a puff away.

My point is that I don’t think it really matters exactly how you light the cigar… it’s all about how you like to enjoy the experience.
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Five minutes, Bill?....we obviously do something different, takes me about 20-30 seconds to get it fully lit...and I don't even blow on it. :-)
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Been doing it this way for years. :-)
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So you're supposed to light 'em? I thought I might be doing something wrong.
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I just like for it to be evenly lit. So it works out so I don't draw on until it's fully torched and ready to go.
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Winner.... :-)

More or less what it comes down to...

What? Really? 7 Different methods? wow man, that's serious...

Sound observation...

Sage like advice with very valid historical reference...


As for my preferred method, I Toast then after extinguishing and moving the cigar away from the lighter, I draw bringing the cigar to a glow, then retouch and repeat if needed, which isn't typically often as I use a triple flame torch...

/rant

Por Nada... :-)
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I usually toast with a single flame torch then draw. I share Bill's experience of I don't notice a difference but in full disclosure I am usually drinking Scotch with my cigar so I can't claim an untainted palate. I can honestly state that tar has popped up on lighters or matches in my experience and that's pretty nasty but nothing a reclip and a swig of Scotch can't fix.
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