lighting with a butane lighter - help needed

[thill]

i have been smoking for 8 or so years. i have always used cigar matches or regular matches. someone bought me a present from JR that came with a cigar II lighter from colobri (sp?). don't know if it is any good, but i have it a try for the first time.

now, with my matches, i always put the flame right to the end at first, just to blacken it a little. then i held the flame away while puffing and rotating and always get a great even light.

with the lighter it appears i can't put it right on the stick, as it lights the tobacco right up (the match only blackened it). and i can't seem to guage the distance to keep it away.

any suggestions for me? about how far away do you keep one of these bad boys? maybe i need to turn down the flame a little.

[floydp]

I try to keep the foot right at the apex of the flame, I suck at lighting cigars but thats what I do. I'm sure you'll get responses from others that know what the hades their talking about.

just my

[opus]

I think as long as the entire foot gets lit it really doesn't matter how it got that way. no lighter fluid though or any other chemical taste.

[Uniputt]

Hold the foot at about a 45 degree angle to the flame, an inch or so above it. Slowly rotate the the cigar while gently lowering it toward the flame to lightly blacken the end. Wait a moment for it to cool. The idea here is just to singe (or toast) the open end of the cigar.

Then, do the same thing while you puff on the cigar. The flame should "jump" up to the cigar as you are drawing on it.

By toasting the foot first, it assures you get an even light to the foot.
I have also been told that the flame should never actually touch the cigar, but instead it should be pulled up by drawing on it.
Hope this helps!

[cigar no baka]

The only way i learned to do it well was take some advice from BOTL's and then practice, practice, practice. After my first few dozen sticks, and few charred fingers and sticks to boot, I got it down to where I can light anything from a teeny cigarillo to a massive LGC Series R #7 well enought to suit me without burning the crapola outta my cigar.

[Ninja Vanish]

When you are using the torch to toast the foot it's ok to actually have to flame directly on the cigar. After that, when you are actually puffing, you want to be sure that you aren't getting too much heat on the foot of the cigar. IF you get the cigar too hot while lighting it, it can cause the first 1/2 inch of the cigar to taste bitter. I generally hold the torch on about a 45 degree angle towards the foot while keeping the end of the flame about 1/4 inch away from the end. There is still PLENTY of heat coming off the torch to light the cigar at this distance and when you draw in you will actually be pulling more heat into the cigar. I usually never have a bad light doing it this way. Just takes a little practice and over time you will figure out how to guage the distance of the end of the flame to the cigar. But oftentimes with the heat that these torches can produce, guys will sort of "overlight" their smoke. MAybe try using a mirror to watch the end of the cigar as you light it. If you get a really bright, almost white hot color coming off the the end of the cigar when you light it, you are pulling in too much heat off the torch and should back it off a little. If you get a nice orange glow then you are doing it just right. One last thing to remember, if the end of your cigar ever "catches on fire" or has a flame coming off the end after you remove the torch, you want to blow it out rather quickly otherwise you run the risk of damaging the wrapper near the foot and messing up the flavor for the first 1/2 inch or so.

[piperman]

I toast the foot until it is smoking a little then pull the flame away about a quarter inch and puff slowly not to start the foot on fire. Works for me.

[Nooner]

yep.. I toast the foot just like I am carmelizing the top on Creme Brulee and when the whole foot is nice and toasted I light and get the foot evenly lit. If the light is a bit off I even blow the flame onto the foot... I also blowon the partially lit foot to spread the burn. Hope that makes sense.

[MoTheMan]

As for me, I like using a table top torch mega lighter. (I have the Rocky Patel one.)
I have to be careful to hold it least 4"-5" from the tip of the cigar, but once I get the end all red hot & well lit, it smokes like a charm.

[Syvman]

Pre-heating the foot with a torch lighter can be very tricky and takes quite a bit of practice (not to mention a ton of fuel). My advice is to just keep trying, OR use two lighters - a cheapo Bic style to preheat, and then the torch for a nice hot light. Just a suggestion.