What Is a Cigar Foot?

The foot of a cigar is the open end that you light, the opposite end from the head you draw from. On most cigars the foot is open, exposing the filler tobacco so it catches flame easily. Knowing the foot, and how to toast it, is the first step to an even, clean-burning cigar.

The foot vs the head

A cigar has two ends, and it is important not to confuse them:

• Foot: the open end you light. It exposes the tobacco inside.
• Head: the closed, capped end you cut and draw from.

You always light the foot and smoke from the head, never the other way around.

Open foot vs closed foot

Most cigars have an open foot, where the filler is visible and ready to light. Some shaped cigars, especially certain figurados like the perfecto, have a closed foot where the wrapper tapers over the end. A closed foot needs a moment more care to light evenly because you are lighting through the wrapper first.

Why toasting the foot matters

Before you really draw on a cigar, you gently toast the foot, holding it just above the flame and rotating until the whole rim glows. This warms the tobacco evenly across the foot so the cigar burns straight from the start. Skipping this step is the top cause of an uneven or "canoeing" burn where one side races ahead.

Reading the foot as you smoke

The foot tells you how the cigar is burning:

• An even, glowing ring means a healthy burn.
• A lopsided burn means one side is running; touch the lagging edge to a flame to even it.
• A dark, cool foot that has gone out can be relit after a gentle purge.

A note on foot bands

Some cigars wear a small paper band near the foot, called a foot band. Remove it before lighting so you are not burning paper. It is purely decorative or marks a special edition.

Where to go next

Put it into practice with how to light a cigar, learn the opposite end in what is a cigar cap, and see the whole layout in cigar anatomy explained.