Relighting that Cigar - Is it just me?

[polarbear]

I try not to make a habit of relighting my cigars after they've gone out

Usually if I have to put it down for more than 15min and decide to relight it the flavours I get are harsh and bitter
A quick relight if it goes out while smoking is ok, but once its gone cold I find its never a good idea

That being said, a good friend of mine can manage to make a robusto last for 5 hours by puffing on it for a little while and then coming back to it 30-45min later

Each to their own, I guess

 

[jfire]

Tap all ash off.
Light it gently. Let it sit for a few minutes.
Do not puff yet.
Light it again gently. Purge it while it's nice and hot.
Let sit 30 seconds.
Enjoy.
Anything over 30 mins I'll pitch it.


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[ChefBoyRG54]

Tap all ash off.
Light it gently. Let it sit for a few minutes.
Do not puff yet.
Light it again gently. Purge it while it's nice and hot.
Let sit 30 seconds.
Enjoy.
Anything over 30 mins I'll pitch it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Unless it's someone else's they gave up on?

[Ethernut]

16 minutes ago, ChefBoyRG54 said:

Unless it's someone else's they gave up on?

LOL!

[lafabrica]

to the OP, in my experience it does not decrease the flavors when relighting.  in fact, some smokes taste fuller/better and some occasionally burn better as well.

a lot of the posts above have some great advice - i have 3-4 cigars daily (but 6 actual smoking occasions) and i've tried to find my way.  and i don't want to waste a cigar, but have no problems letting it go if the flavors or burn is off.

i typically smoke 46 ring or less.  for me, lighting with a torch is overkill - i use a soft flame for those vitolas.  larger rings i use both a torch and single flame.  i've learned that using the lowest possible heat to get a cigar lit/burning is ideal for me.  in the beginning, inexperience with lighting and drawing was buring my taste buds - higher heat from a torch and getting foul flavors as well.

when finishing midway, i make sure to have an even burn line and purge as i set it down, then let it go out. 5-10 min later i bring it inside AC.  i think that's important in high humidity areas (count me in that group).  i don't notice too much of a difference if i flick the ash or leave it on at this moment.

now if it went out at the lounge or within 20 min or so, you can just light the wrapper/binder - make an amber ring and start puffing.

if its 1-4 hours later or even overnight, its different.  on cigars that i'm trying several of, i like tasting again in the morning with a clean palate.  fugu made some great points - when relighting, i tap off loose ash, purge again, and light without inhaling.  let it warm up for a minute and go for it.

 

[Moogypug]

Anecdotal: Relighting changes flavor. 

[Ethernut]

7 minutes ago, Moogypug said:

Anecdotal: Relighting changes flavor. 

LOL! 

[Ethernut]

Currently enjoying a TEB JUL 07 Boli BF. Had to step away for a bit. It went out of course, and as others said, I blew out the smoke, cleared the ash and clipped just a tiny bit (about a 1/16th) off to clean up the tunneling that was happening and frankly its pretty good to go. Deeply appreciate the help! I've also been paying more attention to my puffing, and look like I've been a double puffer my whole life. Trying one clean easy puff and seems to keep the stick much cooler and more composed. Great advice!

[Danimalia]

In my experience, relights and touch-ups do tend to affect the flavor of a cigar for the worse. Depending on the cigar and the amount of extra flame you have to put to it, that effect can range from near undetectable to outright ruinous. I have generally not had great luck re-lighting cigars that had been out for more than a minute or two as well. For these reasons, I try not to light a cigar that I will not have the time to finish. I'll still smoke unfinished cigars because they can still be OK and a re-lit cigar is often better than NO cigar, but to me, they all lose something at that point. They're almost certainly going to be more tarry than they would otherwise.

 

One of my big frustrations as a cigar smoker is a stick that has wonderful flavor, but renders itself crappy by requiring too much attention with the flame.

[Danimalia]

14 hours ago, lafabrica said:

i typically smoke 46 ring or less.  for me, lighting with a torch is overkill - i use a soft flame for those vitolas.  larger rings i use both a torch and single flame.  i've learned that using the lowest possible heat to get a cigar lit/burning is ideal for me.  in the beginning, inexperience with lighting and drawing was buring my taste buds - higher heat from a torch and getting foul flavors as well.

Torches are great (and necessary) in certain situations, but when possible, I light with a soft flame. A.) The difference in temperature, and B.) I've found that a cigar slowly toasted and lit with a soft flame tends to get the burn off to a better start. Gets the wrapper a bit of a head start over the filler.

 

Just my own observations, anyway.

[Pinareno]

On July 22, 2016 at 9:38 AM, Ethernut said:

Ok, question I've been wondering. For me and my palate, more often than not, the experience a cigar provides changes fundamentally upon relight. I'm highly sensitive to the ammonia/acrid flavors many develop after a relight. Once a cigar dies out, I dread relighting as I'm anticipating disappointment. Is it just me? 

Its not just you. If I have to relight a cigar, I do so knowing that I will be disappointed with the remainder of the stick. It even smells bad to me before its re-lit. Not sure why that is and it could quite possibly a psychological thing. However, most of the guys I smoke with tend to recoil from the sour taste of re-lit cigar. 

“Smoking cigars is like falling in love; first you are attracted to its shape; you stay for its flavour; and you must always remember never, never let the flame go out"

-Winston Churchill

Im sure he didn't enjoy relighting either lol

[Ethernut]

10 minutes ago, Pinareno said:

Its not just you. If I have to relight a cigar, I do so knowing that I will be disappointed with the remainder of the stick. It even smells bad to me before its re-lit. Not sure why that is and it could quite possibly a psychological thing. However, most of the guys I smoke with tend to recoil from the sour taste of re-lit cigar. 

“Smoking cigars is like falling in love; first you are attracted to its shape; you stay for its flavour; and you must always remember never, never let the flame go out"

-Winston Churchill

Im sure he didn't enjoy relighting either lol

I dont think it's Pshychologial at all! ;-) ..and by the way.. Welcome to FOH!  (the best forum in the world)

[MIKA27]

I never relight, ever. Sure, if the cigar goes out whilst smoking it, indeed you can and I do but I would never let a cigar rest an hour or two and relight later.

For me it's an easy choice, I select a cigar that I know I can enjoy and finish in "X" amount of time, so there is no need to relight.

[Cognoscente]

I know it's viewed as sort of a sin to relight the next day, but I have a method that works for me.  I'm kind of frugal (not cheap, but I pay a lot for smokes, so I'm going to try to get the most out of them as I possibly can.  I totally agree with the time management approach, but for those times when that familiar spousal voice interrupts a peaceful smoke, I have a plan.  

First, after your very last puff, purge.  I do a "flame" purge by gently blowing through, with a lighter in front of (not touching) the foot. I then let it go out on its own.  

After the cherry is all the way extinguished, I purge one more time (OCD, but it doesn't hurt), after which I grab my largest rg, sharpest cutter and cut off enough under the burn line to see "clean" (looking) tobacco - I try to make my cut as even as possible, so sometimes I have to go lower because of an uneven burn line.

I then immediately drop the stogie into an old glass tubo - I have some from Gurkha that can hold pretty much whatever width ring I put in there, and that's it - ready to go the next day, without much loss of flavor. If I'm keeping it for more than a day or so, I put the tube into a cigar zip lock along with a 58 or 62 boveda.

I've had decent results...

[garbandz]

for science and all,I have relit cigars from days before to learn if there is any problem.

I have tried frozen cigars, August heat cigars,and in between.

I have to think there is some correlation between technique and outcome when I consider the question.

As well, it could have to do with country of origin.

years ago I had the most problem with Honduran cigars having a bad taste when relit.

Have not had one in a long time.

Also, I do not draw when lighting my cigar, unless outside in the wind.

That is a rare thing.

 

[canadianbeaver]

On 2016-07-24 at 11:10 AM, PigFish said:

The fact is, I am very sensitive to lousy cigars and will toss them without hesitation.

X2