First, you must "toast" the Cigar's foot. Sounds odd, but the purpose of toasting is to ignite the outer layers of the tobacco (that’s the binder and the wrapper) which hold the cigar together. If you just held up a match and began to draw, only the inner tobacco – known as the filler – would ignite. If that happened, the cigar would burn unevenly and develop a poorly shaped ash (we'll explain why that's a problem in a moment).

So, you need to give the outer portion of your cigar a head start. Hold a match to the outside edge of the foot and rotate the cigar to evenly toast the edge.

Toasting the foot

You’ll observe that the outside wrapper and binder will have a white, ashen aspect after they’ve been properly toasted.

Properly toasted foot

Next, it’s time to ignite the filler. Use a long wooden match to create a larger flame area so that you can light the entire foot evenly. Place the cigar between you lips. Then, hold the match about a half-inch from the cigar (the flame is drawn in) and rotate the cigar as you draw in air.

Lighting the filler

When you release the pressure of inhalation (you don't actually inhale, but you know what I mean), a surge of flame should shoot up from the foot of the cigar and a puff of smoke should come from your mouth.

Releasing the draw

Congratulations! You’ve successfully lighted your cigar!

Technical Note: Never use a lighter with a noxious gas (i.e., a Zippo) to light your cigar, although a butane lighter is acceptable. Noxious gases will impart a chemical taste to your cigar and mar the pleasure of your cigar-smoking experience. The best-case scenario, however, is always to use a wooden match.

Etiquette Note: A man should never light another man’s cigar. Why? Because, as you may have noticed by now, lighting a cigar is a highly intricate and even a very personal experience. In fact, a man should only light a woman’s cigar if it is a small, quick-lighting cigarillo-type or a panatela. A woman should never light a man’s cigar (thus defeating the entire machismo and swaggering arrogance of the event, but of course). But can a woman light another woman’s cigar? The jury’s still out on that one.