well ted, its because you lit the cigar like a moron.

I can say from personal experience in decades of cigar smoking, even if its a cheap cigar itll smoke just fine if you treat it right. The problem is that probably sat in the bottom of some assholes humidor for a few years, and isnt in the best shape - two things need to happen; it needs to be acclimated, and it needs to be warmed. theres a reason you warm the cigar before attempting to light it. it helps the leaves separate, and improves the airflow. acclimating gives it time to breathe and also improves the quality of the burn.

other big problems:

• You only lit half of the cigar
• you applied the flame directly to the cigar (which is a nono)
• you dont use a ghetto ass bic lighter (seriously get a torch, or a table top lighter-which is the best option, or at the very least a good zippo)
• you most certianly dont ever want to inhale the flame into the cigar like you did. it will absolutely ruin the evenness of the burn.