Ok, You’ve got your cigar picked out, now how do you light it?
Lots of people think one match is the same as another and the same with lighters. Big Mistake! Most lighters and matches that you get from 711 or whatever gas station is near your house is not good enough to use when lighting a cigar. Here’s where I’m going to break down the different things you can you use to light your stogie and here they are:
Paper=Bad!
1. Paper Matches. You all know them as those freebe things they give you when you buy your pack of Kool’s or whatever ciggs you smoke. While with ciggs this is a fine and economical choice, with cigars this is a biiiiig no no. The carboard these matches are made with when burned will add they’re flavor to whatever your smoking. While to most people it’s not a big deal, to a seasoned cigar smoker it’s like taking a poop on the Bible. So when you buy a stogie, don’t grab your matches from your local convient store because you’ll just flush a perfectly good cigar down the crapper. Moving on…
Wood Match
2. Wood Matches. Now this is where it’s at. Wood matches are available at almost every cigar shop I’ve ever been to, and the ones that don’t have them, you don’t want to buy from. After the initial strike of the match, let it burn for a second or two to get all the sulfur burned off, then apply the yellowish part of the flame right underneath the tip of your cigar. Do not light your cigar with the blue-ish part of the fire because then you’ll run the risk of burning your wrapper which will also greatly change the flavor of a cigar. Lighting a stogie with wood matches becomes an art form to most smoker and a nice trick most people like use is to rotate the stogie in they’re mouth as they’re lighting it… I find this a good method to get an even light and generally you will have to relight less often. Wood matches are your best bet when your just starting off and most cigar supplies, if they’re worth their salt, will give you a pack or two with your stogies.
3. The Lighter. Ok, this is where we’re gonna get picky. Everyone and they’re mother thinks that Zippos are cool and think that using regular lighter fluid is the way to refill them. WRONG! While I love Zippos and applaud they’re warranties and craftmanship, you must know to buy Butane lighter fluid. Butane burns cleaner then the stuff you use to light your BBQ. Thus Butane lighters are what you want to get yourself if you don’t want to carry around matchs. Now you can fill your reqular Zippos with Butane fluid so don’t go throwing out all those free ones you get at trendy bars when Malboro comes around with them. Depending on where you are and what your doing defines what kind of lighter you want. For a night at the bar or in your home Zippos are great, and you won’t have a problem lighting them. But if you’re like me and enjoy a good stogie in your car, on the green or anywhere outdoors, then a Torch lighter is what you want since most torch lighters are wind resistent (not wind proof).
Zippo Blu
Like any other accessory out there, there are tons of different kinds. I personally like Perdomo’s triple torch lighter and I would like to get one of Zippo’s Blu series since they look really cool and come with Zippo’s great warranty. But make sure to consult your Shop person about which brand to go with, they usually have a fair idea of what works well and what doesn’t.
On to the downside of torch lighters… Burning: Since your using a flame that burns at some ungodly high temperature your going to have to be extremely careful not to burn while lighting.When lighting a cigar you want to keep the tip of the flame atleast 2 inchs below your cigar (it may not look like it’ll light but it will, trust me), and use the same twisting method we talked about earlier. You’ll find it faster to light with a torch then with matches, but alot more troublesome if you don’t keep your eyes peeled.
Butane Fuel
Also fuel is another concern, I find my lighter burns through fluid rather quickly, generally after 3 or 4 cigars I’ll have to refill it. Which isn’t so bad since the cans the fuel comes in can refill your lighter many, many, many, many times. I’ve had mine for prolly a year to two years and have only gone through one can and still have half of the second can to go. Usually the cans of fuel are pretty damn cheap, under $5 for a decent sized can. Other then burning and rate of fuel consumption, I find my torch lighter to be my go to when smoking… Plus the flame looks really cool!
4. Misc. Using anything else that’s on fire to light your cigar may look really cool in movies and such, but chemicals really screw up your taste. So don’t do it! Unless you want to use your whatever flavored yankee candle to light your cigar and make it taste like Strawberry-Mango… I suggest you move down to the flavored cigars in the first place.
Don't Use!
Well that’s all I got when it comes to fire, until next time my little Newblets.
Finally! I’ve come across a random cigar I’ve absolutely hated… The Saint Luis Rey: Series G. I was at my cigar shop the other day and I was in the mood for something new so I peaked around and saw a wide selection from Saint Luis Rey. So I naturally took a look, sniffed around, squeezed a few to find one that met my standards. And at $5.25 a half stick I expected something pretty damn good. So fast forward about 8 hours to my ride home from work. It was the perfect night to smoke a cigar and drive in the middle of winter… The wind was down, the temp was up and it wasn’t long since I ate a meal (never smoke on an empty stomach, it just plain sucks). So I chose wood matches this time over my butane triple torch Perdomo lighter because I like to give new cigars every chance they can get to be excellent and I find wood matches to preserve the flavor over a lighter.
Saint Luis Rey's Cool looking band
Now to the light up, as soon as I brought the flame near the cigar it sparked up… quite scarey to say the least. And so it started off like most cigars, getting it lit, waiting to reserve judgement until a proper smoke can be puffed. And to my tastebud’s dismay the taste was pretty skanky. The only thing I could compare it to is the after taste of pickles. Though I enjoy a good pickle with a sandwich, I don’t enjoy the taste in my cigar. So I figured I might’ve just hit a bad spot in the stogie, but no, the flavor kept up all the way down to the cigar band. Now I usually strip the cigar and finish it off to a nub. But not this one, by the time I smoked it down to the band I had enough and I had to chuck it. I have very rarely ever put out a cigar in the middle of it, I usually do it to ones people give me as presents that are just completely waaaaay off base of quality. Which isn’t they’re fault when they go to a place and they’re advertising “High Quality Handmade Cigars” and they’re machine made with the junk that’s left over from making the High Quality ones.
Over Priced
Other then that I rarely ever do it, but this one just plain sucked in my mind and taste. I would not even recommend this for the golf green, or my worst enemy… it’s just that bad. Maybe I just got a bad one, because apparently from some research I did, Saint Luis Rey has a good name with a strong following. So I welcome anyone to tell me different. But in the mean time I rate this cigar a 1/2 star out of 5, and the 1/2 is only because the banding is pretty cool looking.
Here it is… The first Dumpster dive! And actually this cigar gave me the idea for this new section. We all know we’re in an economic crunch and the cigar world has started helping out us lower-middle classers with this well constructed, flavorfull cameroon stogie
Rocky Patel's Cameroon Especial
The non-descript label
I must say, I was a guinea pig when my cigar shop guy put this bad boy in my hand. It had no box, no brand name at all and all there was was a large, bright orange wrapper, wrapping up the 20 sticks. Dave, my cigar peddler, told me he just got a free-be bundle of these and knowing how much I enjoy Cameroon told me I had to try it and report back to him on my findings. I got to say for being under $3, this is a great buy… A true diamond in the rough. It’s not what you expect from something so cheep; the taste is consistent and the wrapping is pretty damn good. I’ve smoked a few of these and none of the wrappers have peeled or flaked so thumbs up to not having that little bit of annoyance. The smell isn’t the greatest, which seems to be its only draw back, it kinds smells cheap when burned but the flavor makes up for it. So if you don’t care about the people around you, smoke up.
I’ve found with the cameroons I usually smoke that they have to stay at a perfect humidity level or else they start stiffen up. But so far this one’s pretty good. On a side note, I enjoy smoking cigars much better the same day I get them from the shop. Though my humidor holds it’s humidity level and temp, it just loses something after it’s been in there for a while. So I find that smoking Cameroons as soon as possible is the best course of action to get the full experience. But maybe it is just the brands I buy or the kind of distilled water I use in my humidor.
The Amazing Price!
But back to the Cigar in question, The Cameroon Especial has a build that reminds you more of a $7-10 stogie and
a flavor that really makes it stand out from the crowd. Though it has it’s downsides (no box & slight stinky smell), the positives far outweigh them (great flavor, solid build, PRICE!!!!!!!!!). I give this great little gem a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars for the first Dumpster Dive. Hopefully I can keep this lucky streak rolling and have some more goodies for you.
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My appologies to all my loyal readers… all two or three of you, but I’ve been sick with a chest cold. So I haven’t been smoking at all and thus have nothing really to post. But now that I’m feeling much better, Let The Smoking Begin! In the next day or so I should have a couple more entries, and a new section that I’m very excited for. It’s going to be called Dumpster Diving and it involves me going to smoke shops and trying out cheap cigars (usually under $5) to see if I can find a true “Diamond in the Rough”. I already have two cigars I picked up today ready for this section, I just have to smoke them and get my lazy ass writing about it.
Also, I would like to encourage anyone to post questions or either I or my local cigar Guru. And I will definitely turn those questions into posting and also if they are directed at my cigar Guru then I’ll do up a interview with him and get you all the answers you need. My hopes is to turn this into another section of this blog… something along the lines of “Ask the Guru” or something like that (Comment with any name ideas).
Ok, I’m done for now, Keep on smoking.
Choosing your first cigar is alot like choosing what kind of alcohol you like. You should take your time, try a whole bunch (not in one sitting), and ask as many questions as you can. The best bit of advice I can give is TALK TO YOU SMOKE SHOP GUY! He knows alot and since he works in/owns the shop you can trust him. After you learn that finding a cigar that fits you is relatively easy.
Here’s a list of questions you want to ask yourself and your shop owner:
1. Where am I going to smoke this? (Bar? Home? Outside, Inside?)
2. How long do I want to smoke for? (Sizes make a big difference in amount of time spent puffing away)
3. What kind of flavor do you want? (Natural? Conneticut? Maduro? Flavored?…)
4. Am I getting this for an occassion and will I have to grab a couple to share? (Weddings, people are always bumming cigars and smokes and you may be asked for an extra)
5. Am I smoking this because I like it or to be cool? (if you answer the later, just quit now)
These questions will help you to become all that you can be… wait, damn TV commercials. I mean to say these questions will help guide you and the person helping you to find the cigar, or cigars, that is perfect for you.
What I also want to stress is don’t be scared to try different kinds. Don’t get turned off to one style and immediately write off all of that kind, as in Maduro. Just because you get a Maduro of one brand and you don’t like it, doesn’t mean another Maduro brand isn’t good. Each cigar maker produces cigars to different standards and styles. So what I try to do, even before I started this blog, is pick a new cigar every time I go to the shop. What that does, besides increasing my debt, is gives me a variety of choices in what I can smoke and also opens up the possibility that I may a diamond in the rough.
Now I’ve rambled for as long as I can, so comment with any questions or ideas for people just starting out and I’ll hopefully be adding more to this Newbies Guide Section.
The Side Long View
No, there is no Bat-Signal flying high in the air and no guy dressed in a rubber suit leaping from rooftop to rooftop. This is a Review about the Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur 1066, aka The Dark Knight. I was rummaging through my cigar shop the other day and said to myself… “Ya know, You only smoke lighter colored stogies… you should try a dark”. So I’ve had a regular Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur and was felt it was a good smoke that most everyone could enjoy. So I hurried over where they’re kept and took a look. And immediately the 1066 caught my eye. It was short and very dark and looked like it would take the same amount of time to smoke as my ride home from work (roughly 35-40 minutes). Which I guess right because as I was pulling up to my house it was roughly a nub.
Now, I generally choose my cigar by color and smell. I subscribe to the theory that the darker the cigar, the more potent it is. Boy was I wrong… This my look like a heavy smoke but it was very enjoyable and the smoke from it was of the medium variety. It had a very earthy taste and if you really reach for it you could get a small taste of a dark chocolate. It gave off a rather pleasant aroma and the ash was whiter then I expected which gave it a very cool look when you have a inch or two of ash on the end contrary to the dark wrapper.
The build of the cigar was what I expect from Hoyo, good quality and a medium tightness giving you a great draw. I never have to exert my lungs to get a puff and I wasn’t over loaded with tons of smoke. In the end I was very surprised by this selection and from now on I will not ever judge a cigar’s taste by it’s wrapper. This was a very delightful smoke and I very much recommend this to someone looking to move up from mild brands of cigars. 4 out 5 stars for the Dark Knight.
Up Close and Personal
Well here’s the first review from the Stogster! And fitting that this is one of my all time favorite cigars. The Perdomo Habano Corojo Presidente 7×56… That’s a mouth full… and so is the cigar! I enjoy a large range of different kinds of cigars from mild to full body. This one falls into the medium category with me. It’s got a nice pull, a “tight but not too tight” construction which allows you to draw just the right amount of smoke… which to me is a great thing. I’ve had many a cigar where my lungs get a great exercise trying to get some smoke, but this definitely isn’t one of those. Besides the wrapping, Perdomo released a large variety of sizes to suit any smoker, from the 5×52 Robusto to the 7×56 Presidente.
The build is great, the leaf is even better. Perdomo really picks winners when they make the Corojo. It’s not bland and it doesn’t over power the senses, it’s got that right mix of wrap leaf and quality long leaf filler blend. And yes, it is a blended filler. Perdomo uses filler tobacco grown from three of their farms and blend them together to make this excellent cigar.
The Perdomo Habano Corojo is by far my favorite Bar Room smoke. It doesn’t give off a light smoke, but neither is it chokingly heavy. I frequent a bar where smoking cigars is allowed and when I smoke this one I get fewer complaints about “That guy with the cigar” and more “Hey! What kinda cigar is that? Where’d you get it?” (Yes, I’m from Philly and that’s how we talk… add an A to everything). And also I haven’t set off any smoke alarms yet with this choice, knock on wood.
I give this smoke a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars and seriously recommend this to anyone who wants a very enjoyable smoke for a decent price (around $7-$8 for the Presidente).
The Group Shot
One of the first things you need to decide when starting out in cigar smoking is “What kind of cutter to use?” There’s a wide variety out there but they really fall into three different categories: V-Cut, Straight Cut (Sometimes called “The Guillotine” cut) and the Punch Cut. I’ll go into each and they’re benefits and disadvantages:
The V-Cut, as the names says, cuts a V shape out of the tip of the cigar. The pros about this style is it leave you more cigar to smoke since it generally takes away very little from the cap. The problem with V cutters is they can dull very quickly and if you don’t have a Guillotine with you, you’ll have to put up with fraying of the wrapping.
On to the Punch Cut. This is the one I personally use since if I screw it up or my cigar’s getting alittle hard, then I still always have a Guillotine to back me up. This kind of cutter is generally the smalled since all it is is a hollowed out cylinder with a sharpened edge to it. Which when pushed into the Cap of the cigar produces a small hole, perfect for sucking smoke. The only down side I’ve run into this, except for fraying of the ends, is that certain cigars use a lesser quality filler for the cap and you end up not getting as good a taste from the smoke passing through. But I’ve found this to be rare.
Moving on to the Original Gangster, The Guillotine Cutter. This is the most common way to cut a cigar, and generally preferred by many cigar snobs (just kidding). This one works by completely removing a portion of the cigar in one clean snipping motion. The downside to that is if your not quick or have a very sharp blade, your can squeeze the cigar and that can cause the wrapper to unwrap. Straight cutters come in a couple different styles but produce the same result. They are Single Bladed, Double Bladed, and an interesting kind of Scissor device which I haven’t yet tried because most of the ones I’ve seen cost a pretty penny, but a couple of my friends use them with great results.
Now the big problem with cutters is they dull just like any kind of knife. And the more intricate the cutter, the bigger pain in the ass it is to sharpen. So for you lazy asses out there, I recommend a single bladed Straight Cutter. Now like I said, I enjoy a punch cut, not to say I don’t like the others, but for me if it’s done right, and I’m not drunk, you can squeeze a couple more minutes out of your stogie. Also they are generally smaller and come in th
e very convienent keychain form.
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Hello all, I’m The Stogie Guy. I’m a 25 year old graphic designer with dreams of world domination and fine cigar smoking. I started this blog because I was bored and I love cigars and I love talking about cigars… If that sounded like a run on sentence, you would be correct. I do that and I’m not appologizing. So do as I do… sit back, light up a handrolled cigar and pour a glass of your favorite liquor because we have a lot to talk about.
In this blog I will post my thoughts on cigars along with pictures, ratings, tips & tricks for the cigar enthusist and also anything I come across that is cigar related. I will hopefully be updating that bi-weekly at a minimum since that is about the average amount of time I dedicate to smoking, sometimes more, sometimes less. But then again I am a slacker, so don’t be surprised by the strange 3:30am posting with nothing but gibberish in it. Time to start the show!
