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Now that you've selected and examined your cigar, it's time to move on to cutting and lighting.
One end of the cigar will be open and pre-cut, if you have the corona shape. This is the foot of the cigar. The 'cap' will be the other end. This end is closed and rounded off. This is the end where the cutting takes place. Now what do you cut a cigar with?
Not your teeth. Even though your teeth have always been useful in making quick work of things like the ends of those aggravating plastic strings they use to keep the price tags attached to the new clothes, that doesn't mean they will prove useful here.
Biting the cap will probably result in destroying your cigar or worse, having wet tobacco lodged in your teeth. Not very attractive sir, either to others or as an experience. So let's use a tool for this. Though I am guilty of having bitten off the end of a cigar before, in a rare moment of desperation, a "guillotine" is what I prefer for cutting. It is a small tool that you put your index finger and thumb into, enabling you to cut off the cap of the cigar without mashing or ripping it.
Identify and then cut near the "shoulder" of the cigar. The shoulder is where the rounded end of the cigar merges into the main length of the cigar, or the barrel as it's sometimes called. 1/16 to 1/8th of an inch from the tip of the cap is about where you want to make the snip.
If enough of the cigar isn't cut, you will have a smaller space from which to draw smoke making for an difficult draw when pulling smoke from it. The cigar will likely be more difficult to keep lit as well. If too much of the cap's end is cut you will have a larger opening than desirable, one that can make for a smoke that burns hot and quickly. A quick burn masks the flavors of the blend and introduces a bitter taste that many find unpleasant.
Use the diagram to determine where the shoulder of your cigar is and make the cut there.
If you are prone to skim instructions as I often do, try to linger here for a bit. A cigar is not a cigarette. Don't inhale cigar smoke the way you would inhale a cigarette. Cigars are meant to be tasted but not inhaled into the lungs. Pull the flavorful smoke into your mouth and then push it back out.
Use a butane lighter or long wooden matches (not the paper matchbooks you find in bars) when toasting your cigar. These are the two that I recommend because they're easily attainable and they don't add offensive flavorings to the end of your cigar. I prefer matches the most; the ritual of striking and lighting them somehow adds something to the experience for me. If you are using wooden matches, wait a moment after the strike until the sulfur flash has subsided and the fire begins to burn the stick. If you have no other way to toast your cigar, then yes you can use a scented candle to do it. After a few puffs the sour apple/lavender spring taste will burn away leaving behind at least the latter half of the cigar for enjoying. But seriously, don't do that. If you had something to light a candle with, you had a better tool to begin with.
Place the foot of your cigar near, but not into the flame of the butane lighter, wooden match or anything else not a scented potpourri candle. It is important that you don't place your cigar into the flame the way you would a cigarette. Warm the foot as you rotate it 360 degrees, as if toasting just one end of a marshmallow. As such, you want to be patient and get an even heating on the foot until it begins to "cherry" or glow. Lightly blow onto the foot after lighting to confirm that your cigar is evenly lit.
Cigars are great alone but can be complemented very well with wine or liquor. A glass of scotch or cognac can bring out flavors in your cigar that may be hidden otherwise. Coffee, of course, is also traditionally enjoyed with a cigar.
Assuming that the cap wasn't removed with your incisors and your cigar's foot didn't fall completely into a sweetpea-infused candle wax whilst you were lighting it, you should be enjoying quite a satisfying smoke right about now. I am jealous, so I think now I'll set about doing the same. Cheers.
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Comments
Informative article. It would be a better article if it spoke to the types of "wrapers" on the cigar. Or about the "fillers", "binders" or "wrappers?"
Don't you worry Joe! I plan to go in depth about those things in the near future. Stay tuned!
A handy hint for using a guillotine: for most cigars with a rounded head, set the cutter on a flat surface (such as a table), then clip. This usually removes just the right amount, but do a test draw. A second clip may be needed. If draw is still tough, your cigar is probably plugged. You can also buy a guillotine with a backing for the same effect. For a public gathering, however, I often bring cigar scissors just to show off. :) BTW, first time I met Don Pepin was at his small Calle Ocho factory. After some pleasant chat, he picked up a cigar to light for me...he clipped it expertly with his thumbnail. Perfect cut. I wouldn't recommend it, and it's probably common in some regions, but it impressed the heck out of me. Also, with butane lighters, I recommend the torch style. The burn much hotter, which not only helps light more quickly, but it also burns fuel to the point where no one I know can taste any gas.
Impressive!
I prefer some razor sharp scissor style cutters and a butane lighter. I've always made a mess with matches and been kinda dangerous with them. :)
@Bryan W Haha, you and me both, Bryan.