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Am I using my torch wrong?

K

Kiss Me Deadly

New Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
19
So. :laugh: Up until now I've been using a bic lighter, and I always had a zippo that I loved, but knowing how it changes the taste I never used it for cigars. But since I love the zippo so much I bought the Zplus insert.

The Zplus works great, by the way. At least so far. But that's not the point.

I've used the search function and couldn't find any information on this specific question, so hopefully I'm not stepping on any toes here, but here it goes:

I've been smoking a few connies. They're satisfying for the price, always lit bic. As soon as I got my zplus I tried it, and the taste was different... For the worse. Much less flavor, and what flavor there was was a lot more harsh, or even dry tasting on the tongue. It's hard to explain.

Is it possible that the hotter torch flame could be killing the taste, or perhaps I'm just not using the torch correctly? :rolleyes: As soon as I went back to a bic light the flavor seemed to be 'normal' for me again. Am I just insane, or can a torch just burn too hot and hurt the tobacco? ???


Thanks!
 
You are insane :laugh:

What you are saying does not make sense unless of course, the gas you have in your Zippo is tainted.

Brian
 
The only thing I can think of is that you are really burning the crap out of your cigar. Use the torch lightly...don't really try to ignite the cigar simply by the torch....do it as you would with a bic. A slight touch up with the torch is fine.

The other thing is connies vary....they are seconds so from cigar to cigar the taste can vary.

A good cheap consistant cigar is the GR Special (corojo) made by STC/ Gran Habanos
 
I'm going to take a guess and say your probably holding the cigar to the torch?

You can't do that, the flame is much too hot for direct contact with a cigar. You can usually get away with holding a soft flame lighter directly to the cigar but not with a torch. Heres what I do:

1. Slightly toast the foot. Hold the lighter close to the foot of the cigar but not so close the torch flame is actually contacting the cigar. Don't let the lighter focus on any one point keep rolling the cigar and moving the lighter until the entire foot is at least blackened. I usually go until the entire foot is glowing red.

2. Put the cigar in you mouth and hold it at a downwards angle. Hold the lighter at an upwards angle so that the flame is pointed at the foot of the cigar. Now without allowing the flame to touch the cigar start puffing and rolling the cigar, pretty soon the flame should "jump" from the lighter to the cigar. Continue doing this until the entire foot is lit.

I will say when I light a cigar among non smoking friends the getting the cigar lit without touching it to flame somehow really impresses them. I don't know how many times I'll be lighting my cigar with matches and somebody tells me I need to hold the cigar closer to the flame, it's not touching. I usually tell them to watch. The cigar doesn't just start glowing, the flames are really jumping from the match to the cigar, most people think it's pretty cool.
 
Heathen.

The only way a real connoisseur lights a cigar is with a magnifying glass and the sun. Use of any burning materials, gas, wood, charcoal, animal, vegetable, mineral, etc. will irreparably damage the fragile tobacco molecules and cause "charring trauma" to the smoke, rendering it useless.

For night smoking, you can compromise and use a small laser to ignite the smoke but only if you have to. Barbarian.

B.B.S.
 
I keep a small block of radium on hand for lighting my cigars. Nothing better than clean, crisp gamma radiation for starting tobacco aflame.

Wilkey
 
BlindedByScience said:
Heathen.

The only way a real connoisseur lights a cigar is with a magnifying glass and the sun. Use of any burning materials, gas, wood, charcoal, animal, vegetable, mineral, etc. will irreparably damage the fragile tobacco molecules and cause "charring trauma" to the smoke, rendering it useless.

For night smoking, you can compromise and use a small laser to ignite the smoke but only if you have to. Barbarian.

B.B.S.
Click to expand...


Ginseng said:
I keep a small block of radium on hand for lighting my cigars. Nothing better than clean, crisp gamma radiation for starting tobacco aflame.

Wilkey
Click to expand...

Wow, I use to think you two knew what you were talking about but now I'm scratching my head. Anything more than rubbing two sticks together is overkill.
 
I bet you are holding it too close. The flame is never suppose to touch the cigar. You will do it by mistake of course (everyone does), but technically, you are never suppose to touch the flame itself to the cigar.

Just out of curiosity, have you tried matches or cedar spills to light the cigar? I'd like to know if that changes the taste to you as well.
 
TugBoat said:
1. Slightly toast the foot. Hold the lighter close to the foot of the cigar but not so close the torch flame is actually contacting the cigar. Don't let the lighter focus on any one point keep rolling the cigar and moving the lighter until the entire foot is at least blackened. I usually go until the entire foot is glowing red.

2. Put the cigar in you mouth and hold it at a downwards angle. Hold the lighter at an upwards angle so that the flame is pointed at the foot of the cigar. Now without allowing the flame to touch the cigar start puffing and rolling the cigar, pretty soon the flame should "jump" from the lighter to the cigar. Continue doing this until the entire foot is lit.
Click to expand...

Since were on the topic of proper lighting techniques, I tend to follow step #1 but skip #2 entirely. I toast the the foot until it is glowing red evenly all the way around, then I forgo the drawing the flame threw, and just begin to smoke.

I forget where I picked this up from, but its been working pretty good for me so far. But I would like to hear some of your guys thoughts on it.
 
Yeah, we're having fun with this one, especially the ionizing radiation! :laugh:

However, I've about had it with the snooty lighting of the cigar rituals. About the only thing I WON'T use to light a cigar is a mosquito candle/torch. Flick your bic with confidence.

lightfart.jpg


Nah, have to rule this one out too.
 
Mizicke5273 said:
TugBoat said:
1. Slightly toast the foot. Hold the lighter close to the foot of the cigar but not so close the torch flame is actually contacting the cigar. Don't let the lighter focus on any one point keep rolling the cigar and moving the lighter until the entire foot is at least blackened. I usually go until the entire foot is glowing red.

2. Put the cigar in you mouth and hold it at a downwards angle. Hold the lighter at an upwards angle so that the flame is pointed at the foot of the cigar. Now without allowing the flame to touch the cigar start puffing and rolling the cigar, pretty soon the flame should "jump" from the lighter to the cigar. Continue doing this until the entire foot is lit.
Click to expand...

Since were on the topic of proper lighting techniques, I tend to follow step #1 but skip #2 entirely. I toast the the foot until it is glowing red evenly all the way around, then I forgo the drawing the flame threw, and just begin to smoke.

I forget where I picked this up from, but its been working pretty good for me so far. But I would like to hear some of your guys thoughts on it.
Click to expand...

I've seen and tried that technique, but it just doesn't taste quite right to me.

What I mean by glowing red is that the foot glows red as a whole only momentarily, when the foot reaches a point where the entire foot will glow red for a moment after a quick pass with the lighter I take the lighter away I'm ready to start step 2. By no means is it going to be lit if I just stop and try to start puffing on it without holding a light to it once step 1 is over.

If I'm using a soft flame I very lightly toast the foot, just enough it won't be difficult when I actually go to light it and then I go to step 2.
 
It's good I have a sense of humor, because this thread has turned out pretty hilarious. :laugh:

The cigar was touching the flame, though, which I believe was indeed the problem. I've tried matches and the taste was just as fine as with the bic, and I never used a straight zippo because of the gas taste.. I do love the smell of matches though, so it's probably why I enjoyed that method.

As for the zplus... The zplus' butane was brand new so I can't imagine that being the problem, it being tainted I mean, but cigarrette smokers who have used my torch didn't notice a difference.

But yeah, as TugBoat said, my technique failed. :rolleyes: The cigars did.... Taste like burning. ??? I'll make sure to do it the right way from now on, hopefully it improves the experience. Once the zplus breaks (or I run out of butane), I have a feeling I'll just stick to bic. :whistling:

Seriously though, thanks for all the tips (real and fake!) Even if I may still be insane! :D
 
I think it's just a matter of technique.

You're not used to the length that a torch flame gets out there. The foul flavor is simply residual smells from the nostril hair you seared in lighting. Try aiming the torch up and not toward your nose.
 
I've been trying to slightly light the foot and then force air through the cigar with a couple forceful "throws" of my cigar. I hold onto the stick and move it up and down in rapid succession until the foot is nice and lit.
 
TugBoat said:
I've seen and tried that technique, but it just doesn't taste quite right to me.

What I mean by glowing red is that the foot glows red as a whole only momentarily, when the foot reaches a point where the entire foot will glow red for a moment after a quick pass with the lighter I take the lighter away I'm ready to start step 2. By no means is it going to be lit if I just stop and try to start puffing on it without holding a light to it once step 1 is over.

If I'm using a soft flame I very lightly toast the foot, just enough it won't be difficult when I actually go to light it and then I go to step 2.
Click to expand...

I used to do it the way you do, but I quite because I was getting the stick too hot. Now after realizing that it was actually me, and not the technique. Im gona try it again that way.
 
James Suckling is a Philistine. He's the perfect example of how not to light a cigar. I'm appalled by the way he sets his cigar on fire.

Doc.
 
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