Smoke This!
How to get your cigar off to a better-starting burn!!
As part of the toasting routine you're not supposed to let the flame touch the tobacco at the foot. Instead, it should be held close enough to get the foot glowing, without it catching fire, then blowing on it. Many times, it may appear that the entire foot is lit, but that's not always the case. Then you have to take the cigar out of your mouth and hit the foot in the spots where the leaf is still black. However, the more you heat the foot, the more likely bitter tars can form. So, here's a little something extra you can do to help it burn more evenly.
Get a good toasting going, then blow on the foot of the cigar until it's all red. If you did a good job in this respect, keep blowing gently on the foot until you have about just under an eighth of an inch of ash - then take that first puff. It's important to blow gently because, like reapplying the flame, you don't want it to get too hot. If you can get the ash going well at the start of your smoke, it has a better chance of burning evenly all the way through. Note that this takes extra time and patience, but it's worth it. - G.K.
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