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Need Your Help Pronto!

B

brash

Slack Jack
Joined
Aug 21, 2006
Messages
405
Hi,
I have been smoking cigars for about 6 mths. I have smoked about 15 - 25 cigars practically all cubans. I know that isn't much.After reading in many places and seeing some one light a cigar, I am still unable to light my cigar without it getting that bitter and burnt taste. My main problem is that out of all these cigars only 2 have been good and was not destroyed by my lighting.Also all my cigars go out very often. I always have to relight and so on.BTW I use a butane lighter.

As to the topic. I was wondering if any one could explain to me how to light and keep my cigar alight. If any one has videos, that would be excellent. I really need your help. I dont want to spoil more ciagrs and want to start exploring their flavours. I only have 1 cigar(AF grand reservera chateau Fuente) left and want to really enjoy it , as I won't be able to buy cigars for at least 2 mths due to lack of funds.Thanks in advance for any help provided.
 
It took me at least 15-25 cigars to start feeling good about my lighting methods. Use the search here and you'll find good advice already spelled out. It'll probably take a good bit more practice though.

It's taking me even longer to get my draw methods right to keep a stick lit and to avoid sucking it down too fast. Again, it's practice and different sticks are going to need different methods. I read often to try and puff just once or twice every minute depending on the stick and I've found that has been working for me so far.

Good luck.
 
Perhaps the cigars are over-humidified? In Singapore, that would be fairly easy to have happen, and it can result in an undesirable taste.
 
I highly doubt so. The humidity here is about 67-73. I using a glass jar with a humidity pack, and other are bought from cigar stores. Just so fusterating not being abled to enjoy a smoke and seeing my money being wasted.
 
I'd consider what these guys said. How do you know for sure your humidity is measured correctly? Have you done the salt test and are you using a digital hygrometer? The constant need for relighting is one of the clues to an overhumidified cigar.

I also tend to think that it is hard to do such a bad job lighting that your cigar would taste bad. I mean you would really have to scorch the hell out of a cigar with your lighter and draw so firmly that the cigar is damaged irreparably. But then again, if your sticks are overhumidified then they might well have a tendency to be tight and thus elicit firmer or more frequent drawing.

All signs point to overhumidified sticks.

Wilkey
 
Well, what is it you're lighting your cigars with, exactly? Not a Bic lighter I hope?
 
Thanks for the help, ill borrow my friends hygrometer to cheak it out. Btw im using a colibri single flame butane lighter.
 
Not to pile on, but the first thing that came to mind was your cigar was overhumidified. As for keeping a cigar lit, usually one or two draws every minute or so should keep you going. However a touch-up here and there is not uncommon. But both these things will be harder to accomplish if the cigar is too moist.

Just to point out, just because a cigar is fresh from the cigar shop, doesn't mean it's in perfect smoking shape. This happened to me a few weeks ago. I bought a Camacho cigar at a shop and went home to light it up with my brother. Upon pre-light I noticed that the foot of the wrapper was torn up the length of the cigar. I wondered if the cigar was too moist and the wrapper burst because of the swelling. Well sure enough, a half hour later and it was a constant struggle to keep the cigar lit for more than a couple minutes. I ulimately had to toss it out after 6 or 7 attempts to relight it, and I had only smoked about 1/3 of it!

Also, in my experience, it is harder to get an even light with a torch lighter (especially if you're smoking a large ring gauge cigar). I have two colibri lighters, one is a torch, the other gives a nice large flame. A wider flame (a couple matches work well) will give a more even and larger source of heat than a pin-point torch lighter will.

However, if I'm outdoors, or there is a slight breeze around when I'm lighting, the torch is the way to go.
 
After all of the help, I borrowed a hygrometer and tested my humidipak : 69%. So thats gd. After couple of days i took out my cigar to smoke. It was easy to light , didnt go out that fast and i had minimal touch up even after ashing. However, I only had one problem. After the first puff; there was a bitter and burnt taste with every puff. Is there Some thing i did wrong when lighting to cause that ? Thanks.
 
brash said:
After all of the help, I borrowed a hygrometer and tested my humidipak : 69%. So thats gd. After couple of days i took out my cigar to smoke. It was easy to light , didnt go out that fast and i had minimal touch up even after ashing. However, I only had one problem. After the first puff; there was a bitter and burnt taste with every puff. Is there Some thing i did wrong when lighting to cause that ? Thanks.
Click to expand...

What are you lighting the cigars with?

EDIT: okay, so apparently I can't read. :) Nevermind...

You can try dropping the RH down to 65% or so, believe it or not, it can make a difference. However you may find the initial puffs on your freshly lit cigar to be slightly bitter anyway, just like your first sip of coffee can be a tad jarring.
 
I find most cigar shops keep the RH around 70% which is too humid for smoking MOST cigars. When I purchase cigars at the local I usually rest them in my 65% humi for at least a few days. Exceptions are Ashtons VSGs, La Aurora Preferidos, and any cigar that has a dry feel to it - assuming the local's RH is about 70%.
 
I need to a humidor fast. Im using humidipaks at the moment and some glass jars.
 
I just joined recently, so I hope I'm not out of line with posting so soon, but I came upon some good advice that I would be happy to pass along. I have been smoking for about 2 years, and only after some of the same heartaches that you are having, did I have someone give me these tips. You may be already using them and I appologize for wasting your time.

1. I use a torch lighter from promithesus. (sp?)
2. I hold the flame about 1/4 inch and at a 45 degree angle from the end.
3. I roll the cigar while just starting the burn on the wrapper.
4. Finally, while I have a slight wrapper burn started, I pull the flame in slightly with a draw through the cigar. I don't get the taste of a scorched stick.

Good Luck
 
Send me some of your smokes and I will send you a video of me smoking them with some half naked chicks serving me alcohol. It will be an instructional video. Hell if you want to send me some alcohol to go along I will show you how to drink it also.



Or just check you humidity, prolly to high... Set one out for abou 5-8 hrs and try it. If it burn great, it is prolly a humidity problem.
 
JetDr said:
I just joined recently, so I hope I'm not out of line with posting so soon, but I came upon some good advice that I would be happy to pass along. I have been smoking for about 2 years, and only after some of the same heartaches that you are having, did I have someone give me these tips. You may be already using them and I appologize for wasting your time.

1. I use a torch lighter from promithesus. (sp?)
2. I hold the flame about 1/4 inch and at a 45 degree angle from the end.
3. I roll the cigar while just starting the burn on the wrapper.
4. Finally, while I have a slight wrapper burn started, I pull the flame in slightly with a draw through the cigar. I don't get the taste of a scorched stick.

Good Luck
Click to expand...

That's the way to do it. I find that my cigars taste fuller and burn much better at ~62-65% humidity.
 
Thanks for the info. I lowered the humidity and had a great burn. Still had abit of a bitter taste but not as much anymore. Hopefully in a short while I'll manage to get the taste away.
 
Could it also be that the cigars you're smoking are relatively young?
 
If it tastes bad after the first few puffs, also consider blowing out though the cigar a couple of times.
 
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