Indulging in the lush layers of smoke that only a premium cigar blend can provide requires a bit of preparation. From researching and selecting the right size, shape, and cigar blend, to storing and aging your cigar stash in a properly calibrated humidor, the entire process requires consideration and preparation.

Regardless of what cigar type or brand you prefer, knowing how to properly cut and light a cigar can spell the difference between a divine smoking experience and a smoldering disaster.

Mastering the basics of these preliminary cigar-smoking procedures is crucial if you want to initiate the cigar smoking experience. That doesn't mean that the cigar itself is going to provide a phenomenal smoke session, but at least you can get the whole process underway. So, let's get to it, shall we?

How to Select the Right Cigar and Humidor Accessories

Searching for cigar and humidor accessories online is like digging into a bottomless bucket of tobacco paraphernalia. But as with all mass-produced products, certain brands and grades can be far superior to others. This is why here at Klaro Cigars and Case Elegance, we recommend our own line of cigar cutters and torch lighters, for they are bar-none the best budget-friendly cigar accessories money can buy. 

Making the Cut

A clean cut ensures that a cigar can provide an adequate draw. Too slight of a cut and you’ll feel like you are sucking a bowling ball through a straw. Remove entirely too much of the cap, and you run the risk of the cigar running hot, developing an uneven burn, or worse yet, the entire wrapper unraveling on you.

Selecting a cigar cutter requires knowing what you need, and Klaro's stainless steel units are as straightforward as it comes, and offer a superior slice every time.

Engineered to cut anywhere up to a 60 ring gauge smoke, the Klaro dual guillotine cigar cutter features a full steel structure for unrivaled durability and looks, and sports an easy-close motion for effortless snipping.

Firing Things Up

When it comes to lighting a stogie, pretty much any heat source will work, regardless of what cigar type you might favor. But while a branch pulled from the campfire will work in a pinch, there are a few lighting options that work especially well with a premium cigar blend.

Strips of Spanish cedar, torch lighters, and long-burn matches all provide excellent ignition. While each of these sources of heat has its own inherent pros and cons, the dual and triple jet torch lighter provides what many feel is the ideal heat source. 

Adjustable flame heights, visible fuel levels, all-metal construction, large lighting surface areas, integrated cutters and punches, and unbeatable warranties, the number of Klaro torch lighter perks is tough to sum up in one sitting.

Regardless of whether it is a legacy or boutique brand, a properly lit cigar will always combust more evenly and cleanly than a lopsided light. That is because the cigar wrapper, binder, and filler need to combust at the same rate in order to form an ash that resembles the incinerated tobacco leaves. Not only does this help ensure that the cigar burns cool and stays lit, but it also allows the flavors that are built into every stage of a particular premium cigar blend to bloom and transitions within to occur.

How to Cut a Cigar Perfectly Every Time

Being that almost all premium, long-filler cigars have some form of a cap affixed to the end that you put in your mouth, you must create an opening of some form to draw smoke. While certain situations do call for a cigar punch, the classic cutter remains the clear crowd favorite.

By cutting the cap of a cigar, you not only create a window for the smoke to billow through, but you also gain access to flavors of the binder and filler within the blend prelight. By comparison, a cigar punch only permits a tiny taste of what’s inside from an unlit perspective, but can still allow a decent draw. 

The challenge of cutting a cigar lies in knowing exactly how much cap to remove. You don’t want to hack off too much or leave too little, as both approaches will result in an unpleasant cigar smoking experience. So adhere to the following cigar cutting etiquette and you will never go wrong.

Step 1: Where to Cut a Cigar

Since you want to make just the right-sized cut, locating the "shoulder" of a cigar is the first step to take. The cap is what you will be cutting off, so the curved portion of the cigar connecting it and the head of the cigar to the body, or "barrel" of the blend is the shoulder. 

Severing the head and cap and keeping the shoulder intact is key. So slicing just the very tip of the cap is typically plenty. Cutting too much off bring with it the risk of the wrapper unraveling and entirely too much smoke flow, which can cause the cigar to overheat.

Step 2: Get a Grip

Designated cut point ascertained, place the head of the cigar inside the cutter, pinching the blades until they begin to grasp the cigar wrapper. Doing so allows the cutter to secure a firm perch, thus reducing the risk of an uneven cut.

Step 3: Make the Cut

Stogie severance spot located, and guillotine firmly set to "decapitate mode," cut the cap of the cigar in a single motion. The trick here is keeping a steady hand and applying an even amount of force.

Another method involves placing the open cutter on a flat surface, placing the cigar vertically into the opening, and removing any portion of the cap that pokes out the bottom. Doing so not only stabilizes the entire operation but also guarantees an even cut.

For cigars with pointed caps, like torpedos or figurados, selecting the right spot for a clean cut is easier than a rounded, "parejo" cap. Since the entire cap and head is one long slope, cutting where the cigar begins to taper down to a point is fair game. Just start conservatively, test the draw, and if you feel like you need more flow make a slightly deeper incision.

Tobacco Nerd Note: V-cutters, single blades, double-bladed cutters, cigar scissors, and cigar knives are all viable options for cutting a cigar. However, it is the double-bladed guillotine cutter that remains the most widely utilized, and for good reason. Slicing from both sides, the double guillotine cigar cutter has the ability to produce crisp cuts with very little effort. Guillotines typically have a smaller footprint and do not open easily on their own, thus making them a preferred travel accessory. If you are new to cutting cigars, look for a double guillotine design with a backing plate on one side, as this will help limit how much of the cigar’s cap and head get removed.

How to Light a Cigar with a Torch Lighter

This explains why so many people prefer the butane torch technique, as it does not impart any of the off-flavors commonly associated with lower-quality heat sources. Torch lighters are also incredibly efficient at completing their task, are resistant to wind, and can provide more than one source of heat at one time.

Avoid oil-reliant lighters like the iconic Zippo, matches with sulfur-infused heads, or any heat source that is fueled by a scented or chemical-rich compound. Yes, that includes that potpourri scented candle in your auntie’s house. 

Whether you have a legacy or boutique cigar in your hand, the act of setting fire to a premium cigar blend requires great care at every stage of the process. 

Too much torching and you may char the hell out of the cigar, a mistake that often ruins the entire smoking experience. Pussyfoot around with that flame, and you run the risk of an uneven burn, which may require multiple re-lights along the way.

We’ll get into some of the other incendiary devices you can utilize later on, but for right now let's focus on properly lighting a cigar with a butane torch lighter:

1. Maintaining a slight distance just above the flame, hold the cigar in your hand and slowly spin it until the entire open end of the cigar's "foot" has turned black. This is called "toasting," and it prepares the tobacco for combustion. 

2. Once the foot has been toasted, place the cigar in your mouth and repeat the process, remembering to keep the flame far enough away so that it does not overheat the cigar, while rotating either the cigar itself or the lighter in a circular motion.

3. Cigar foot lit, take a few puffs and observe how it burns. A properly lit premium cigar will provide a clean pull and develop an even ash straight out the gate.

4. Take measured puffs and refrain from giving your stogie entirely too much action. This will both encourage balanced combustion and reduce the risk of the cigar becoming too hot and developing a charred taste.

Alternative Cigar Lighting Options

Being that cigars absorb whatever form of flame sets them ablaze, having a clean fuel source is crucial. So don't just go with the $3 gas station special and expect amazing results. Cheap butane not only tends to have impure off-flavors and aromatics, but it can also clog-up a torch lighter's valves and ports. So unless you like the idea of throwing away your lighters or sending them off for servicing, we suggest sticking with something that is properly refined like Xikar fluid for instance.

Now, as for lighting a cigar, well, that act will always be the same song and dance discussed above. However, the type of heat source that is used to light that stogie can make a massive impact on how a cigar tastes and burns.

There's the soft flame butane lighter, which producs a low heat source, but still utilizes clean-combusting butane to fuel the whole show. Despite their practicality, efficiency, and clean combustion, butane torches aren't your only cigar lighting option, though. Take cedar spills for example. 

Readily available in large quantities, these wafer-thin sheets of natural cedar smell divine, and produce a gentle flame that is ideal for lighting cigars. These highly combustible pieces of tinder are one of the original forms of lighting a cigar, and when done properly, can produce some fantastic initial flavors and aromatics, all while making you look like a total badass in the process. Despite producing a fair amount of oily smoke and ash flake in the process (this is a piece of dried evergreen after all), quite a few people still use Spanish cedar spills to light their stogies. 

If cedar spills are not available, the next best option is to seek out some lengthy matches. This will allow you to light the cigar with one go and will keep you from singing your digits. Just be sure that you get the kind of matches that do not contain sulfur. 

As for the classic oil-fed Zippo lighter, try and let the flame burn for a hot minute before lighting the cigar, as that will allow the fumes to dissipate a bit. You’re probably still going to suck in a hefty amount of oil vapor though, so blowing back out through whatever cigar type you’ve just lit is recommended.

Parting Puffs

Whether you exclusively smoke legacy cigars from the likes of companies like H. Upmann, or prefer to branch out by supporting boutique cigar makers, a poorly cut and/or lit cigar is embarrassing. Not only that, but it also has the potential of ruining the entire experience, especially if off flavors or combustion issues arise. 

Uneven burns, tunneling, canoeing, bitter flavors, routine relights, and unraveling are all common side effects associated with a bad cut or improper cigar lighting etiquette.

Don’t tarnish the countless hours of hard work that went into your cigar by starting things off on the wrong foot. Get the right humidor accessories, and you will be able to prep that premium cigar blend in your monthly curated stogie subscription for a tasty smoke session every time.