Never Ruin A Cigar Again: The Best Touch-Up And Relighting Tips

Lighting up and enjoying a cigar should feel like a reward, not a punishment. There is nothing worse than having to constantly touch-up or re-light a cigar when you are trying to relax after a demanding week of work. 

In this article we will look at different methods of correcting an uneven burn by touching-up your cigar, what to do when your cigar goes out and reasons why your cigar may not be burning properly.

How To Touch-Up Your Cigar

You should touch-up your cigar when you notice an uneven burn. Sometimes it will correct itself on its own, sometimes it requires a helping hand. Here are four common ways to touch up your cigar:

Rotate Your Cigar

If you notice your cigar is starting to burn unevenly, rotate your stick so the side of the cigar burning the fastest is facing up. Since heat rises, this may help correct an uneven burn before it gets worse. Doing this also helps you keep an eye on the faster burning side of the cigar, allowing you to monitor the burn.

This technique can also work in slightly windy conditions. Rotate your cigar so the slowest burning side is facing the wind. A gentle breeze can help stoke the ember, correcting the burn.

Purge Your Cigar

Purging requires you to gently blow air through the cigar, stoking the ember inside. This helps cool the cigar down and also clears out any tar, soot, or stale smoke that could be causing an uneven burn. We recommend removing as much ash as possible from the end of your cigar before purging so it doesn't end up on your lap when you blow.

Purging a cigar also helps remove unpleasant bitter flavours, allowing you to enjoy more of what the master blender intended. If you want to save a half-smoked cigar for later, we suggest purging it before re-lighting it. For a complete guide on how to save a half-smoked cigar, read our article Preserve Your Smoke: How To Save A Half-Smoked Cigar.

Lick Your Finger

Lick your finger and use a small amount of saliva on the side of the cigar burning the fastest. Dab the saliva along the burn line. You will typically hear a small sizzle. This is a good sign. Repeat as needed. You can also apply saliva along the wrapper past the burn line if that side of the cigar consistently burns faster.

This method can also help adhere a loose or cracked wrapper. The moisture in your saliva acts like an adhesive, essentially gluing the wrapper back to the cigar. Dry and over-humidified cigars are susceptible to cracks and tears. Storing your cigars properly will reduce the chances of them cracking and tearing.

Use Your Lighter

Using your lighter is the easiest way to fix an uneven burn on your cigar. With your lighter in one hand, hold your cigar in your other hand and position it so the flame touches the cigar at the burn line. Burn the wrapper until it is even all the way around the cigar.

You can adjust how much of the wrapper you want to burn by moving your cigar closer or further from the flame. If you have one side of your cigar that consistently burns slower, you can apply the flame for longer on that side.

What To Do If Your Cigar Goes Out 

Cigars can go out for many reasons including: putting it down for an extended length of time, infrequent puffing, poor construction and even the weather. Worry not, as cigars can be re-lit.

If you are unsure if your cigar is lit, purge your cigar. If you see smoke, take a few puffs. This is usually enough to get the cigar lit again. If that does not work, here is our simple four step guide to re-lighting a cigar:

Remove The Ash

The first step to re-lighting your cigar is to remove the ash. Gently roll your cigar against the side of your ashtray. If the ash refuses to come off, do not force it as this may damage the cigar or cause stress points that will lead to burn issues once you light it up again.

Removing the ash from the cigar will allow you to toast the foot again, ensuring a more consistent burn and full flavour experience.

Purge Your Cigar

Before you re-light your cigar it is a good idea to purge it to remove any stale smoke and ash that may be lingering inside. Gently blow through your cigar a couple of times to purge it. You may see bits of ash fly out of the foot of your cigar. This is completely normal.

Toast The Foot

Toast the foot of the cigar just like you did the first time. Toasting the foot will ensure the wrapper, binder, and filler burn consistently. A consistent burn will give you the best flavours your cigar can offer.

Toasting Tip: We have a step-by-step guide on how to toast the foot of a cigar later in this article.

Draw And Enjoy

Your newly re-lit cigar may take a few draws to really get going. Inspect the foot of your cigar to verify it is burning evenly. You may have to apply a flame once or twice. Purging after the first few draws will stoke the ember, helping it spread across all the tobacco leaves inside the cigar.

Top Reasons Why Your Cigar Will Not Stay Lit Or Burns Unevenly

Some cigars refuse to stay lit. Others want to rebel and burn unevenly the entire time. Even seasoned cigar smokers face these issues from time to time. Here are some of the reasons why your cigar won't stay lit or burns unevenly:

Not Toasting The Foot Properly

Toasting the foot of a cigar ensures the wrapper, binder and filler tobaccos burn evenly. Improper toasting, or not toasting at all, can cause all sorts of burn issues including 'canoeing' (when one side of the cigar burns faster than the other) and 'tunneling' (when the filler burns faster than the wrapper, creating a hole inside the cigar).

Properly toasting the foot of a cigar can be intimidating at first. Our article titled How To Properly Light And Toast The Foot Of A Cigar explains the benefits of toasting and how to do it with both soft flame lighters and torch lighters.

Your Cigar Is Over-Humidified

Over-humidified cigars will hold more moisture than a cigar stored in a properly humidified environment (like a humidor). Excess moisture will lead to multiple issues including not staying lit, uneven burning, and even mold.

An easy way to tell if a cigar is over-humidified is to give it a gentle squeeze. A normal cigar will have slight give while an over-humidified cigar will be spongey and take longer to return to its original shape.

Here are a few simple ways you can fix an over-humidified cigar:

• Temporarily remove your humidification device from your humidor. Typically, a day or two is enough. We recommend using a two-way humidification system like Boveda packs that actively add or remove moisture, keeping a consistent humidity level in your humidor.

• Add more cedar. Spanish cedar will soak up excess humidity like a sponge and also add a very pleasant aroma to your humidor. Many cigar boxes come with a small strip of cedar, which brings us to the next way:

• Dry-box your cigars. This requires an empty cigar box. Like we mentioned earlier, cedar is great at soaking up extra humidity. A dry cigar box will pick up any excess moisture within a day or two depending on the size of the cigar. If you do not have an empty cigar box laying around, you can:

• Leave your cigar out of your humidor. When all else fails, just leave your cigar on the counter for a day or two. Preferably out of the sun. We saved this tip for last as a sudden change in humidity could cause your cigar to crack.

You May Be Puffing Your Cigar Too Frequently

There is no set rule on how often you should puff on your cigar but many cigar smokers agree that 1-2 puffs a minute is ideal. Puffing this frequently will allow the cigar to burn more evenly, let the flavours develop and reduce the effects of a nicotine buzz. If you are a seasoned cigar smoker, you may find that puffing 2-3 times a minute is more enjoyable.

Easy ways to tell if you are puffing too fast include:

• Uneven burning

• Flavours become bitter

• You feel dizzy, nauseous, or light-headed

• The head of the cigar (where it touches your lips) becomes hot

• A sharp, pointy cone remains after you ash your cigar

A cigar is meant to be enjoyed. Take your time. There's no rush.

Poor Cigar Construction

Many premium long-filler cigars are made by hand. Human error can be attributed to bad cigar experiences including uneven burns and issues staying lit.

These issues can be caused by tobacco leaves being harvested too early/late, improper curing, cigars being rolled too loose or too tight and even poor packaging and storage.

Smoking Outside? It May Be Too Windy

If you enjoy smoking cigars outside one of the biggest factors that can contribute to burn issues is the wind. Not only do windy conditions make it nearly impossible to keep a cigar lit, it will be an almost constant losing battle to keep an even burn.

A slight breeze won't do much, but trying to enjoy a cigar during days better suited for flying a kite will not be an enjoyable experience. If you can, find a sheltered spot to enjoy your cigar outside.

If you really want to have a cigar outside on a windy day and dare brave the elements, don't reach for your top shelf sticks. Instead, grab something less expensive that you have more of as wind can affect the taste of cigars. Remember, torch lighters will work better than soft flame lighters in windy conditions.

Summary

Don't let a bad burn be the reason for a ruined experience. Knowing how to re-light and touch-up your cigar will save you time, money and sanity! Cigars are pieces of art, crafted by master blenders who put a lot of time and energy into creating them. They are meant to be enjoyed and savoured.

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