Expert: James Yee - 10/25/2009

Question
Hey James,

I bought a couple of Padrons, Fuentes, CAOs and etc.. a few days ago at my local cigar shop and after paying, they handed me a box of "Siglo" long matches.  They were absolutely perfect for lighting (I'm more of a butane guy).  The matches may have been cedar or a nice lighting-type wood.  Yesterday, I went in to see if I could buy a couple more of those matches, but they said they were out because the matches were apart of a "sales event". Now they hand out a small box of kitchen matches that produce a strong phosphorous smell (obviously not the best for cigars)  So I began to wonder.... I know cedar (spanish cedar maybe?) is great for lighting a cigar, but what about the cedar wood you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes?    Would it be alright (as in, not kill me or ruin a fine cigar) if I use a slice of cedar from a department store? It's maybe $0.99  for a piece of cedar 6 inches long, 4 inches wide and 2 3/4 inches thick (that's probably enough to last a few months or until I finish of my box of Ashtons).  The only reason I ask before experimenting is the possibility of chemicals from an industry grade wood or maybe cedar for building is different from cedar to ignite. But then again, the cedar I used for my humidor came from the hardware store...

Answer
Hi Addison,

It's perfectly fine to use lumberyard cedar to light your matches as long as the cedar is untreated and does not contain any type of chemicals (such as weatherproofiing lacquers or oils).  The wood needs to be 100% all natural and extremely dry to hold a flame.

What you can also use is the thin cedar sheets that you find inside cigar boxes.  These are perfect for lighting cigars and all you need to do is cut the sheets to slender planks for your cigars.  If you do not have these, many cigar stores will have spare cedar sheets available for free (or for a small fee; maybe 25 cents or less per sheet)  A lot of cigar stores will pull these sheets from their cigar boxes when they stock their shelves and save them for their customers just in case they need them.

Many cigar stores and lighter shops can also special order cedar matches for you if you ask them.

Hopes this helps.  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James