The cedar strips is the "old school" gentlemanly way to light a cigar. If you use a match, just make sure all the sulfur has burned off before you apply flame to stick, or you'll get a nasty aroma/taste. And don't use a zippo type lighter. The fuel used in zippos will also impart an odd taste.

I use a cheap single flame colibri torch, or a disposable bic, and toast the foot before lighting. You don't want to char the cigar by lighting it too fast or you'll get a really nasty taste for the first few puffs.

When buying fuel for your lighter, try and get the really good stuff. Bad fuel will gunk up your lighter and render it useless. Do a search on the board and you'll find plenty of advice about fuel and re-filling lighters.

spiffy