
Tobacco burns in the neighborhood of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Properly stored cigars have higher moisture
content than dry materials so it takes a little more time to ignite. It is also the humidity content that causes
your cigar to smolder elegantly instead of bursting into a brush fire.
My preferred means of lighting my cigar is a butane
lighter. Almost exclusively, I rely on a
single flame torch lighter. Multiple
flames certainly work faster, but “torch” is the right word for them. All I need is a heat source that is easily
controlled and not unwieldy. Butane
lighters put out about 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit of heat. Care is required with multi-flame lighters as
they make it rather easy to scorch up the side of your wrapper.
So, with the massive heat output of a butane
lighter, don’t go putting the flame right up to your cigar. You can easily and evenly toast and light the
foot of your cigar without ever putting the flame directly to the tobacco. Granted, if you’re lighting a cigar in gale
force conditions, cram the flame into the end and make it happen. But, for all more civilized times of lighting
a great cigar, back off a bit, and maybe take an extra ten or fifteen
seconds. It will light up nice and evenly
and not only will the burn be better, but so will the flavors.
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