Cigar toasting

I have always wondered about something and I thought I would get your thoughts. Everything I have ever read or seen in forums or magazine instructs a proper toasting. When I first started smoking last December this is the method I followed because hey, if the experienced smokers are doing it then I should as well. Well I was in Miami last March and went into a cigar shop that was run by a Cuban family (they even had a couple of older ladies rolling cigars).

I purchase my cigar and start my toasting procedure and the man behind the counter and one of the little old ladies looks at me like I'm on crack. The man then come up to me, takes the cigar out of my hand tell me to put it in my mouth and proceeds to light it - he only spends about 2 seconds lighting the thing.

These people look like they KNOW cigars and their actions indicate that the toasting procedure is not how you do it - rather put it in your mouth, light it and go. What do you guys think? Have you witnessed or read about the big guys like Pepin, Fuente, Perdomo, et. al. using a toasting method or is this something that has been picked up by us Americans elsewhere?

Smoked with a couple Cuban rollers and neither ever toasted them. Some people are all business, others labor their approach. End result needs to be the same regardless, the thing needs to be lit evenly.

Well, honestly aren't most oldschoolers scared to change to something new? It doesn't mean they're right, or wrong, it just means they have their set way of doing things. I've never had a problem using a torch lighter. I have however had plenty of problems with matches. And, I'm pretty sure a standard disposable Bic lighter isn't going to light my cigars faster or better. Maybe something like a Zippo would be equal, but some claim the gas affects the taste. I don't know how true this is, and to me it sounds silly, but I can tell you one thing for sure... the smell of the Zippo lighting is enough to put me off.

Light your cigar however you want. Don't let some dude, no matter how experienced they are or claim to be, tell you any different.


Rev.

When I first joined the cigar internet community I heard about toasting for the first time. I tried for a while and I found no benifit or difference in the way the cigar tasted or burned. Others say different but today, I light it right up.

Very valid question.

I spend quite a bit of time in Miami and in Latin Ameica for work and the general consensus is light it and run.

For toasting the end and maybe even lighting it up completely before I start smoking is part of the ritual and relaxing for me.

I enjoy the process and it elevates my experience most of the time.

Again, do what maximizes your smoking experience. Sometimes I wear a tinfoil cap just because!

I don't really "toast" my cigars, at least not how most do. I take a torch to it and wait until the end stays orange without me sucking on it, then I puff. The first two puffs this way are the best puffs of the entire cigar. If I just take a torch or flame to it and puff on it, it tastes like burnt dirt and leaves a real foul taste. This is why I do not use matches or cedar.

A more experienced smoker can light a cigar, and start off with an even burn despite any lighting variation. I find the best benefit to toasting is to start an even burn. I see a lot of people with matches only light half the cigar.

I find that toasting the cigar makes the first couple puffs better than when I don't toast it, but that the flavor of the overall smoke isn't affected. When it I am indoors or it isn't windy outside, I toast the foot and then light it. When it is windy, I stick it in the flame and puff away.

Truly the only purpose of toasting is you can see it and make sure it is starting evenly. The more experienced guys don't really have to do it. That said. I'm pretty darn experienced and I still toast it because of habit. And I don't want to screw it up.

I prefer to toast my cigar to ensure that It gets started evenly, which enhances the taste. I've had some runners whenever I cut to the chase and light it up while it's in my mouth.

I think its about taste. If you can taste the fuel one way or the other, switch. If you notice a difference with matches and lighters, use the one you like better. I don't think there is a "standard". I personally have 4 bottles of butane to refill my lighters so I toast the hell out of them because i like to make sure its evenly lit and also cause I am a little bit of a pyro. But its probably a waste of fuel.

i've always toasted just because "i read it and it sounded good" but my last cigar i just said to hell with it and i just lit it, and i actually enjoyed it, dunno if it was the cigar or the no-toasting thing, but i'm not going to toast it in the future. *shrug*

My cigars are like my wife,,,I will light them the way that I want and won't let some guy come over to me and tell me how to "light" my wife. I see way too many commercials or movies where the smoker lights it up with about 3-5 puffs with a light and sucks on it like he's drinking a soft drink. I use to do that until some good brother of the leaf told me to take my time and light it the right way. He showed me how to toast it without using the flame directly and rotate the cigar slowly. ON the second cigar he lit cedar strips and then lit the cigar with them and wow!! What a difference in taste on both cigars. Don't let anyone influence you when you know how to light your cigar.

Originally Posted by Snake Hips

I don't really "toast" my cigars, at least not how most do. I take a torch to it and wait until the end stays orange without me sucking on it, then I puff. The first two puffs this way are the best puffs of the entire cigar. If I just take a torch or flame to it and puff on it, it tastes like burnt dirt and leaves a real foul taste. This is why I do not use matches or cedar.

I totally agree with you. When I first started smoking I would simply light it straight up and puff and puff until the flame would shoot off of the foot of cigar. I read somewhere that, thats the indicator the cigar was ready to be smoked. I found that by doing this the cigar would taste very harsh & bitter.

So now I toast the foot my way.

I started doing it after I saw someone do it in a review video, and never stopped. I do it every time, now, even though I can't honestly say it makes a lick of difference one way or the other. I think I just enjoy doing it.