You should leave 3-4 mm of the cap and not pierce it because, when you press on the filler, you will obstruct the airflow and overheat the cigar.  You should never cut just at the limit of the cap or lower or you'll risk tearing the wrapper; you only have to cut off enough so you can see the filler.

You can light a cigar with a gas lighter or matches, but don't use a gasoline lighter because it will affect the taste. You can find special cigar matches, which light up slowly, but an ordinary match will do if you avoid those that are too rich on wax or sulfur. A cigar that has been correctly lit will always be more pleasant than one that has not, so take your time.

The following is just one method of lighting a cigar. There are a few different ways, depending upon who you speak to, to 'properly' light a cigar.  Find what works for you and go with it.

1.  Hold the cigar horizontally just slightly away from the flame and turn it slowly until the end is equally burnt.  This is called "toasting the foot".  If you do it properly, there is no need to do step #2.  A properly toasted cigar will ash over the embers (often called the braise) and if you gently blow on it, the embers will glow.  A few puffs will ensure that you are properly ignited. If you find that you are having trouble toasting, no bother, go to step #2 below.

2. You can then put the cigar in your mouth while keeping it horizontal. Hold the flame one-centimeter away from the end and slowly inhale while turning it. The end should start burning by now. The braise must be regular to avoid one side from burning faster than the other.

3. Now exhale gently over the braise to ensure a regular combustion. The cigars that have been aged well burn better than the new ones, and a well-lit high quality cigar will be recognized by the fact that the braise will be covered by a fine black layer.

To really appreciate a cigar, it is advised to smoke slowly and not draw too frequently, which will heat it and spoil the taste. Is it necessary to say that you should not inhale the smoke? The high alkalinity and poor amount of nicotine will surely make you cough. To smoke a corona shall take about one half hour, and the bigger cigars such as a Churchill or a Double Corona can take well over an hour.

Do not worry if your cigar stops burning, this is normal, especially if you have smoked more than half of it. Make the ash fall and light it up while burning the end of the wrapper. Next, exhale to chase out the cold smoke and light up your cigar as you would a new one. By doing this, you can smoke a cigar until two hours after you put it off; after two hours it will have acquired the taste of the cold smoke.

The longer sizes can be smoked the day after if less than half of it has been smoked. It is not necessary to shake the cigars to make the ash fall prematurely, nor is there need to try to keep it as long as possible: too long, it obstructs the airflow and irregular combustion develops. The better the cigar has been made the longer the ash. When a cigar begins to let off too much heat and leaves an aftertaste in your mouth (generally during the last 4-5 centimeters), it is time to put it off. You don't have to put off a cigar like a cigarette: it will stop burning by itself inside the ashtray, but you will have to throw it away soon to avoid impregnating the room with the tenacious odor of cold tobacco. In any case there is no need to roll the cigar next to your ear -it won't tell you a thing about its quality-or warm it up in all its length. This was an ancient habit to eliminate the unpleasant taste of the gum used for several Seville of the last century; but this practice has become perfectly useless today, because the aragonite gum, insipid, is used in very small quantities.