Cutting and lighting, done right

Cut just above the shoulder, toast the foot, and light with plain butane. Those three habits fix ninety percent of what goes wrong with good cigars. Here is the counter lesson, slowed down.

The cut: take the cap, not the head

Look at the closed end. The little disc of leaf sealing it is the cap; the curve where it meets the body is the shoulder. Place a sharp guillotine cutter just above the shoulder and commit: one clean, quick squeeze. Hesitation tears; commitment slices. You want an opening that draws like sipping a milkshake, not a straw of air.

A punch cutter (a small circular blade) is the forgiving alternative: it cannot take too much. V-cutters split the difference. Whatever you use, keep it sharp; a dull cutter is the main cause of cracked wrappers.

The flame: butane or cedar, nothing that smells

Tobacco absorbs whatever burns near it. Plain butane lighters, wooden matches (let the sulfur head burn off first), or a strip of Spanish cedar are all correct. Fluid lighters, candles, and stove burners all leave their flavor in your first ten puffs.

The toast: the step everyone skips

1. Hold the cigar at 45 degrees with the foot just above, never in, the flame.
2. Rotate it slowly until the rim of the foot glows evenly: 10 to 20 seconds.
3. Now bring it to your lips, draw gently, and keep rotating until the whole face is lit.
4. Look at the foot. An even orange ring means you are done. A dark crescent means ten more seconds on that side.

While you smoke

A puff a minute keeps the cigar cool; faster turns it bitter and hot. Let the ash grow to about an inch before tapping; it insulates the burn. And retire the cigar when it stops being pleasant. There is no medal for finishing, and nubbing a harsh final third teaches you nothing except regret.