The Havana Way to Light a Cigar
We were sitting at the Hotel Parque Central, tucked away from the city noise in a calm, cool cigar lounge. Outside, Havana moved as it always does. Inside, the pace slowed immediately.
Four of us from Finland, myself (Axel) and three friends from the Helsinki Cigar Club, joined by new friends from Mexico and Canada. Friends of Partagas has a way of creating that kind of table: different countries, the same rhythm when it comes to cigars. Conversation was easy, drinks were poured, and nobody felt any need to rush the evening forward.
Then the cigars were cut and lit.
A Place Where Time Has Stood Still
Hotel Parque Central sits right in the heart of Havana, but once you step inside, the city fades away. This is not a place that chases trends or tries to feel modern. In the best possible way, time has stood still here for decades.
The cigar lounge reflects that perfectly. Calm, cool, and unhurried. A space that feels unchanged and timeless, where the pace is set by conversation and smoke rather than clocks. Cigars don’t feel like a performance here, they feel like they naturally belong.
For Friends of Partagas, it was exactly the right setting. A place where nothing pushes you forward, and everything encourages you to slow down.
Credit Where It’s Due
The cigars were cut and lit by a woman who very clearly loves what she does. You could see it immediately. Every cigar was treated individually, never rushed, never handled on autopilot.
She didn’t explain the process. She didn’t perform it.
She simply did it properly, with care, consistency, and attention to detail.
A true aficionada.
How the Cigars Were Lit
Each cigar began with a clean cut, precise and confident, without squeezing or damaging the cap.
The Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill (Read the review here) was lit using a cedar stick, deliberately chosen instead of a torch or soft flame. The flame itself didn't touch the cigar. It was held above the burning cedar and gently warmed, slowly turned so the foot heated evenly before ignition.
Only after that did the cigar meet the cedar flame. The foot was brought gently to heat until the ember formed on its own, without drawing on the cigar or overheating the tobacco.
The cigar was then wafted lightly through the air, allowing loose ash, dust, and fine tobacco particles created during the first ignition to fall away instead of being drawn into the first draws.
The cedar returned briefly for a second, gentle application of flame, followed by another light waft: gentle flame, waft, gentle flame, until the burn was even across the foot.
Later in the evening, the Montecristo Edmundo was lit using the Sisuman torch lighter, but in exactly the same way. The flame was kept at a distance, and the cigar was gently rotated in the warmth of the flame rather than pushed into it. Controlled, calm, unhurried.
After lighting, the same sequence followed: a light waft through the air, a brief return to gentle heat if needed, and a final subtle hand movement — a small fan — to feed oxygen evenly across the foot so the burn could stabilise without overheating.
The cigar was then left to rest for a few seconds.
Only after that was it handed over, all ready to smoke and enjoy.
What This Does to the Cigar
None of this was decorative.
Warming the foot before ignition allows moisture to evaporate evenly instead of burning off in one spot. Rotating the cigar distributes heat across the entire foot, helping establish a straight burn early on.
Wafting the cigar removes loose particles and ash created during lighting, keeping the first draws cleaner and less bitter. Giving the ember air to stabilise the burn, reducing the need for touch-ups later and keeping the smoke cooler.
Whether the heat comes from cedar or a torch doesn’t change the result much, as long as the time and control are there.
All of this might seem excessive to some, but after all, who are we to question the cigar ritual of those who have treated it not as a habit, but as a craft passed down through generations in the very city where the legend began?
Familiar Cigars, Better Starts
That evening, I smoked two cigars I know well and return to often:
The cigars were familiar, but the openings were noticeably calmer. Cleaner smoke from the first draw, no harsh edge, no waiting for the cigar to settle down. The burn stayed straight without effort.
Nothing else changed.
Just the way they were lit.
Drinks, Company, and Pace
Finding truly good Western-style cocktails in Havana isn’t always guaranteed. That night, it wasn’t an issue. The drinks were balanced, well made, and worked perfectly with the cigars.
More importantly, the pace was right. Nobody rushed the lighting. Nobody rushed the smoke. Everyone had their own cigar, but observations were shared naturally before the conversation drifted on.
That’s when details like this become obvious.
Tools, Used Properly
The tools on the table didn’t draw attention to themselves, and that’s exactly how it should be.
A clean cut and a controlled flame are all that’s required. Sisuman scissors and the torch lighter were used quietly and precisely, supporting the ritual without interrupting it.
When tools do their job properly, they disappear. Instead, the cigar takes over.
Closing
That evening at the Park Hotel wasn’t really about learning something new.
It was about being reminded of something simple, true & how to enjoy deeply.
Take your time. Keep the heat controlled. Let the cigar settle before you ask anything from it.
Do that, and even cigars you think you know well will show you a better side of themselves.
Just as the night felt like it was coming to a natural close, it ended in a very Cuban way, with a city-wide blackout. The lights went out across Havana, as they now do far too often. No drama, no panic. Just darkness, a few laughs, and the quiet acceptance of something that has sadly become almost routine.
The cigars were already lit properly.
The rest could wait.
