Cigar Toy Feature:  Cigar Reserve Cedar Spills

It used to be that if a cigar smoker enjoyed using wood spills to light up, he needed a steady supply of cedar sheets like the kind manufacturers place in cigar boxes. The idea is to tear a thin strip off the cedar sheet and use a match or lighter to spark the strip. The smoker then slowly toasts the cigar by rotating the foot of it over the orange triangle of flame that reaches up from the spill.

Compared to a torch lighter, it's a slow process. But it's the deliberate action of the spill that makes it a truly elegant method to light a premium cigar. And, for a long time, cedar sheets from cigar boxes were the only source for spills. Now the smoker who prefers lighting up with a cedar spill has not one, but two commercial products to choose from on the market. One comes from Commonwealth Cedar Spills, which we highlighted a couple years back, and the other is produced by a company called Cigar Reserve.

Cigar Reserve uses Spanish cedar grown in Portugal to create its spills. The cedar is first shipped to North Carolina where it is cut into very thin strips that resemble veneer. These strips are then sent to Portland, Oregon, where they are then shaped further into cedar spills.

The Cigar Reserve spills are nearly nine inches long, with one end resembling the handle of a rapier sword, and the other, a bent knife-tip. Compared to a spill that is torn from a cedar sheet, the Cigar Reserve spill burns slower and much more consistent, giving you ample time to toast your cigar.

Cigar Reserve sells its spills in boxes of 25 for $14.95, or in 50-count boxes that cost $19.95. For $15 more, the company will engrave a custom message on the spill, too.

For more information, visit http://cigarreserve.com/

For tips on how to use cedar spills, check out Cigar and Cedar Spills.

About the Author:

Andrew Nagy:  Associate Editor I Manager, Cigar Aficionado Online.  Andrew oversees the daily operations of the website and writes about smoking regulations, cigar taxation, lifestyle products and the world of beer.    

Read this article and more at:  http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/Cigar-Reserve-Cedar-Spills-17737