i can see where you are comming from hammondc. more even light leads to more even burn. it makes sence now that i think of it.
i was previously under a different assumption. i thought it was about taste
my theory...
what makes a cigar taste good? oils. Natural oils in tobacco leaves make it taste good. When you smoke fast the oils dont get a chance to release their flavor, its just burned away quickly. this leaves behind a bitter taste.
when you light a cigar you are doing your best to light slowly. when i light a cigar i NEVER let the flame touch the cigar. this lets it "heat up" to the right temp.
I light my cigar very close to the proscess described here:
http://cigar.ambackforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7028
here is how i do it:
i pull the cigar out of the cello, and if need be, the cedar (no, you DONT smoke the cedar)
i look at the cigar to find imperfections and where the cap ends. sometimes this determines how i cut the cigar. I smell the cigar and try to make a guess at what the lit taste will be like. then i clip the cigar or use a punch depending on what shape it is. Draw test.
i pull out my trusty lighter and hold the cigar at an angle with the foot slightly lower than the head and the head pointing away so that i can see the foot clearly. with the flame far away i start to toast lightly. i mean LIGHTLY. as it starts to turn blacki rotate the cigar and move the flame to try and cover the foot evenly with heat. once a few spots of red are seen i put the cigar to my lips and blow out once or twice.
then i light the lighter again. i keep the flame off of the cigar but the heat close to it. i draw on the cigar and let the combination heat and oxygen do its magic. i rotate the cigar while doing this. i then look at the foot for any missed spots. Its easy to see if you blow on the cigar. i relight if needed.
then i blow out one more time quickly and let it sit for a moment. then i start my puff a minute.
when i do this things seem to taste better than when i just light it up. maybe someone can give a scientific reaSon.