Why Your Choice of Lighter Makes a Difference

Lighters, torches, and matches are far and away the most common ways to light cigars and pipe tobacco, but what some don’t realize is that your choice of lighter makes a genuine difference in the quality of your tobacco. It’s not a commonly thought about aspect of tobacco enjoyment, but the wrong lighter can have a tangible impact on your smoking experience. Thankfully, they’re problems that are quite easily fixed. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you light your next cigar or pipe.

Functionality Over Appearance 

There’s nothing quite like a lighter whose aesthetic personally appeals to you. While it’s just a design or a style, it genuinely enhances your smoking experience, and that’s ultimately the goal with each choice you make. However, it’s common for cigar and pipe smokers to choose their lighter based on appearance rather than functionality. This choice, while not the most impactful part of smoking, can get in the way of your tobaccos potential. Focus on choosing a heat source that interacts properly with the tobacco before focusing on its design. After all, it’s all about the tobacco, so there’s no reason not to fully enjoy it.

Fuel Source 

The fuel source in your lighter has perhaps the biggest impact on the quality of your cigar or pipe. While there are lighters specifically designed for cigars and for pipes, understanding why their differences are important goes a long way in choosing which lighter is right for you. The traditional heat source is the match with sulfur less head, which countless cigar and pipe enthusiasts swear by. It’s a classic and it works well, but plenty prefer the simplicity of lighting it with an easier source. In general, it’s wise to opt for a odorless butane lighter, which are common and affordable. Just remember that lighting cigars and pipe tobacco is much different than lighting cigarettes, something newcomers occasionally don’t understand

Altitude 

Finally, your geographical location affects your smoking experience more than you might think. While most people don’t have to worry about high altitude smoking, cigar enthusiasts in high altitude places will notice that their heat source is affected. Altitude can affect how the tobacco is lit and the speed at which it burns, so choosing a lighter that is specifically designed for high altitude areas is a wise investment. There are a variety of options, and they allow for a cleaner and more consistent burn that other heat sources might not offer, even if they work perfectly fine in other environments.