subject: Relighting A Good Cigar [print this page] Gourmet cigars can cost a fair bit of money and, given that they're designed to offer a long smoke, one may well find themselves having to put the cigar out before they're able to finish it. Cigars, fortunately, can be relit. While there will be a bit of change in flavor, there are ways in which one can mitigate this and the cigar will still taste excellent, even on the second light.
After extinguishing the cigar, many smokers blow through it to get rid of any smoke that may remain in the wrapper. This can lessen the buildup of tar. That buildup is principally what will change the taste of the cigar on the second lighting and it's unavoidable that this will happen to some degree. Simply drawing smoke through the cigar causes this.
Some butane torch lighters come with a cutting attachment. Snipping off the ash and exposing the wrapper allows one to relight the cigar just as they would light a fresh cigar. If one wishes to preserve the maximum amount of tobacco, one can simply knock off what ash remains at the foot of the cigar and relight at that spot. This may result in a somewhat harsher taste, especially on the first few draws.
If the cigar is trimmed back, there will likely be some darkening of the tobacco, particularly in the center of the cigar where the smoke tends to be drawn through the most. This is nothing to worry about and the tobacco will still taste good. In fact, some smokers actually prefer this taste as it has a bit more "bite" to it and offers a different smoking experience.
Given the size of most high-end cigars and the price that many of them command, it would be a terrible waste to throw half of one away. Cigars will sometimes go out on their own, as well, particularly if one takes a while between puffs. Whatever the reason, one doesn't need to be wasteful and the cigar can always be relit. Remember that multiple relights will increase the change in flavor so there may be a point where the quality of the smoke changes enough to make it undesirable to some smokers. Most often, however, even the most sensitive and discriminating smokers will find the taste of a cigar that has been relit once or twice completely acceptable and just as enjoyable.
