The subject of zippos and lighting cigars comes up every so often in a post. I, and perhaps others, would like to see some experienced opinions.

I personally can't detect any taint from a zippo, but my palate is fairly naive and usually quite numb.

Please, stick to what you have personally experienced and know --- don't just repeat what you've "read" or "heard". (Anywhere there's money to be made, there's crap.)

Use a butane torch lighter for a year and then try using a Zippo. X

My experience tells me:

Zippo = No

BUT everyone is different...

X, how bout that taint?

If I have to go through airport security, I never bring my torch lighter. When I arrive at my destination, I usually seek out a cheap zippo. I've never tasted anything different about a zippo-lit cigar. Then again, I dont taste the chocolate, spicy notes, pepper, barnyard grass, and pencil shavings that some people claim to taste. Everyone is different. My taste buds and sense of smell are probably not that fine tuned.

On another note, lighting a cigar with a torch lighter is about a 1000x easier than lighting it with a zippo. Just my .02.

I used to take it for granted that the first 1/2 of a cigar just wasn't going to be that good. I always got a bitter taste at first.I figured it just took some puffs to get it going. Then I got a butane torch and began very carefully toasting and lighting it. no more bitterness at the beginning now. With a good cigar properly lit, the first puffs can be a very enjoyable experience!

IF you start away from the foot, and slowly bring the Zippo to it, you toast it, and then bring it to life just as a torch would. Yes, it's more work, and you DO have to pay more attention to rotating the cigar, but 100 times more trouble? I don't think so. Michael at the Torano table at CigarFest had kittens when he saw me light an Exodus Gold with my Zippo, and told me I should NEVER use one of those. He stopped chiding me when I showed him what you'll never find on ANY Colibri, or any other high-end torch. An engraving of my ship, with the hull number and name on it! Maybe it affects the flavor, but not that I ever notice. I'm partial to my ship's Zippo, and have one (or more) from every ship I've served on!

USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71

USS Samuel B. Roberts FFG-58

USS Deyo DD-989

USS Kearsarge LHD-3 (the one I currently use!)

Taint, it's what's for dinner...

Taint is no mans land. X :~)

I've got the USS Longbeach CGN9 from my pop. I've only used it if I was in a pinch. The fluid taint only seems to last a couple of puffs though. It's probably more pronounced when used on a nancy stick, not the hairy chested, flavor encrusted, nic bombs we all smoke, right? 😉 Like I say, emergency only. Plus, it's a bitch when that flame flaps around everywhere but on the cigar, dangit.

i just bought my first torch lighter...man what a difference! i actually tasted some chocolate and cedar flavors in my padron. i'm hooked now!