Cuba & Cigars

Lighting

To light a cigar is a celebration, the act of uncorking a good cognac bottle, it is leaving that the hidden spirits in Whiskey bottles or authentic and excellent Cuban rums, allow a perfect union that will be the culmination of an excellent and succulent meal.

The way of lighting will determine its flavor and combustion, the use of matches is recommended, which are made with this objective. The lighters are also recommended, always keeping in mind that when lighting the cigar it should rotate in such a way that the flame of the lighter cover 100 percent of the perimeter of its foot. The way of lighting could be sensitized in the following way:

With a cigar in a hand and in the other one an appropriate lighter begins the ritual that all the smokers share. Do it slowly and carefully. Remember that the act of lighting a cigar, to pass from the flame to the first puff is one of the most intimate ceremonies of smoking, this is valid in particular for those people that begin in this celestial habit, this is stated because the professional smokers always for tradition make of the moment of lighting a cigar a true ritual.

The technique of lighting

The flame should never touch the cigar; never submerge the foot of the cigar in the flame if you do it tobacco would become carbon and its flavor will remain from the first to the last puff. Do not hold the cigar with the mouth; maintain it at a distance of half centimeter above the flame and in angle of 45 degrees. Little by little, make rotate the cigar until the border of the foot burns forming a ring of uniform ember; once lit, blow carefully until the embers be recovered with a perfect circle of ash.

To light a cigar is a subtle art that requires patience and a lot of attention to make sure that the whole border is lit; if the circle doesn't light equally, the combustion is not uniform. In the case of being formed the effect "tunnel" (in which a part burns more quickly than the other one), you will no longer be able to smoke the cigar in an appropriate way. When the ashes surround the wrapper and the hairsprings of smoke begin to ascend then begins the following step.

Now, toss slight puffs and rotate the cigar above (not inside of) the end of the flame, to light the whole external circle. If the cigar lights well, the 1stª puff will be the most intense and pleasing; some fans, before that puff, usually blow shortly on the cigar to expel the possible bad flavor of the lighting, due to the sulfur of the matches or to the gas of the lighter. Congratulations, you have already lit your cigar. With the rite of lighting, the smoker shows his respect and appreciation, and the cigar responds offering a private instant of supreme pleasure.

What to do if the cigar stops burning?

Sometimes, a cigar very well lit can stop burning; this can happen if you forget during some minutes to smoke it. Don't worry, it is not a sacrilege and it takes less time to light a cigar again than to light a new one.
The first thing that should be done is to shake the ash and to blow carefully to check that the cigar is not lit. If there is no smoke, heat the foot of the cigar, making it rotate on the flame to eliminate the tar and, now light it again.

If you are forced to light several times the same cigar, maybe it was not well rolled; keep in mind that the best cigars are elaborated by hand, with a raw material that conserves great part of its natural irregular structure; although the controls of quality are rigorous, some cigars can be in the market not having the best conditions.
Another possibility is that your cigar stop burning because of an excess of humidity.

The utensils

Never light it with a flame that alter its qualities: therefore, don't use a candle because vapor will give to the cigar an unpleasant flavor; nor a lighter of gasoline, for the same reason.

The matches are habitual in the lighting of the cigars; use wooden extra large matches and without sulfur. If you do not find them and use the short ones, have a whole box near you. Make sure that the flame has burned the sulfur before lighting and use two at the same time; you will obtain a thicker flame.

The special lighters for cigars allow a more regular lighting; they work with the help of an odorless gas and they generate wider flames (some has double flame) and a regulator of intensity. Models of the most varied types, forms and materials exist. To choose one, the approaches are: power, adaptability to the hand and the easy handling.

Links & Sources:

• www.guerrillero.co.cu