The Half Ashed Cigar Forum

So, I flew in with only a poorly made freebie of a torch lighter....one I was willing to part with if the airline powers that be confiscated it. It made it, but (of course) stopped working 2 cigars into the trip. My normal remedy would be a trip to Walmart for a $3.97 Ronson torch lighter. Cheap. Effective.

But, I happened to be in a store that had matches but not torches....so I grabbed a large box of kitchen matches and have been using them all week. There are guys who argue (some adamantly) that the only "proper" way to light a cigar is with a match. I'm now entirely convinced these guys either

1.) are gravely mistaken
2.) figure if they have to endure using matches everyone else should have to
3.) are exceedingly patient
4.) are low grade masochists

If there's a breeze stronger than a popcorn fart, they blow out. One match is never enough to light a cigar. Two isn't enough if you prefer to fully toast and light the foot before puffing. Three is pushing the envelope for an obsessive even-light-fiend like me. The strikers tear. Match heads crumble. They get wet. They get squashed in a pocket.

In nearly every imaginable respect, I'm an anachronist by nature. But when lighting a cigar, give me torches or give me death.

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Yeah, but it's a lot easier to burn your fingertips with matches, so...

I use matches almost exclusively at home in the garage. I use the Red Robin box of 250 matches. I toast for a bit, then puff with the match just before it goes out. I have only needed more than 1 match a couple times.
I don't find it is any "better", but I do like that I get 250 matches for $5. Less wear and tare on my lighters. I do think it adds a tiny bit of cedary flavor at first light, but I don't really care either way.

Zedman05 wrote: but I do like that I get 250 matches for $5.

$5?! These were $0.97 for a box of 250 large wooden kitchen matches.

The real issue for me is my aversion to puffing a cigar before it is *entirely* lit. It just has a harsh flavor for me. I went puff-free during lighting several years ago and can't go back. I've had to this week, and am not liking it at all.


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Kip wrote:

Zedman05 wrote: but I do like that I get 250 matches for $5.

$5?! These were $0.97 for a box of 250 large wooden kitchen matches.

The real issue for me is my aversion to puffing a cigar before it is *entirely* lit. It just has a harsh flavor for me. I went puff-free during lighting several years ago and can't go back. I've had to this week, and am not liking it at all.


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.......Canada.......so $5........ughhhh

I understand the puff-free. I do that with my lighters. Light them completely so all I do is start smoking. Have also been doing that for about 3 years. I really don't find much difference though. The little bit of puffing with a match doesn't add any bitterness or heat that is detectable imho.
I agree though; if you use matches anywhere but inside a building, you are a masachist...

I can't do anything about the popcorn farts blowing your flame out but the solution is a good quality cigar match. The cedar ones seem to burn more slowly and allow me to typically light them with EXTREMELY little effort and toast with ease in a still environment. The Davidoff ones (while doubtful that they're cedar) work extremely well. I had a big box of Smoke Magazine labeled matches about 5 years ago which were spectacular. Probably 4" long and the box was free with a magazine at some shop I was in. Terrific. Go into a shop and ask if they have cigar matches.

"Popcorn fart".


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First, I have to say my first post in this thread is comedic genius.

Next, I have to admit it strikes me as weird (Get it? Matches? Strikes?) that I was so anti-match at that time. It goes to show how far out of pipes I was. Matches have been my singular preferred lighting method for pipes all of 20+ years. Still is, now that I'm back into pipe smoking.

Cigars, though? Still a non-starter for me.

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Part of the problem with matches is getting the right kind for cigars. I find that these by Arango work THE BEST for cigars and would likely work well for a pipe. I put a regular box of Arango matches next to it along with a card game to give some perspective. Also sulfur free is a nice bonus since one doesn't want the match tainting the tobacco. I admit these Statesman cigar matches are difficult to find, but a local liquer store ordered them for me when I asked and still has some boxes. $1.70 for 45 matches is pretty high however, they used to be $1 a box. Likely the hike is due to rarity and the matches being of such high quality.

I enjoy using a match but most of my smoking is on my back deck. Large field directly west so the wind is always a blowin. So therefore I use my Zippo or Bic almost all the time.