Cutting your cigar has to be one of the most asked questions in the cigar world. What is the best type of cut, how far into the cigar do you cut, etc... I decided to give you guys those answers, this is mostly for our members that are new to cigars and want to make it the best experience possible! So here we go... there are 3 types of cuts when it comes to cigars; you have the classic straight cut which can be achieved with a variety of tools, including your fingernail. Then we have the punch, and lastly, the “V” Shaped cut.
The Straight Cut:
There are three basic types of straight cutters. The single-bladed guillotine, the double-bladed, and cigar scissors. The straight cut is hands down the most common and honestly my favorite.
This cut comes with great responsibility, despite being the most common, it is easily the cut that can ruin the smoke if you cut too much!
When cutting a cigar with a straight cut, you want to cut off only the cap of the cigar. The cap is a little extra piece of tobacco that the roller uses to cover the crown of the cigar. In a perfect world, you should try and remove just the tip..(yes, that’s what she said). If you cut off too much of the cap, you run a strong chance of cutting into the delicate wrapper which will then start to unravel while you are smoking your cigar. Let me warn you, that experience it’s AWFUL. It’s a fast way to look inexperienced but also it completely destroys the experience. So remember just the tip!
The best practice for getting the straight cut right is, once you have positioned the blade appropriately, be bold and cut quickly! A quick snip will do the trick; don’t overthink it because if you are too cautious you could end up crushing it instead of cutting. When you crush the cap, you will most certainly crack the wrapper. Then the smoking experience will be like drinking a soda with a broken straw, a constant reminder of your failure. It just won’t work!
The Punch
The punch is an easy and cool method to cut into your stogie. The blade is a razor-sharp circle and is used like you would a three-hole punch from grade school. Hold the cigar firmly and place the punch cutter on the center of the cap. Give a firm and even push and twist! That’s it! It’s a great way to ensure you’re not getting little pieces of tobacco in your mouth while you’re smoking your cigar. So what’s the downside to that you may be asking? As different cigars have different ring gauges, so must the set of the punch cutter you are using. It’s a tad annoying and not to say, the least un-cool to carry a handful of different-sized punches with you, almost feels like you’re getting ready for a quick grocery store trip with a 2-year-old child. I honestly tend to carry only one size of punch and typically only like using it on thicker ring gauge cigars.
The V Shape
The V-shaped cutter, has come a long way, remember that single-blade cutters have a higher risk of damaging your cigars but let me tell you that this in a way doesn’t apply to modern V-shape cutters.
Xixar carries a really good one. In my humble opinion, the V shape is more for looks than it is functional but many can argue that there is more flow to your draw. I personally only like to use this on Figurado-shaped cigars. The V shape cutters typically have a stop to them so you can’t over-cut your cigar, it's a really simple cut.
Well, that concludes the quick crash course on cutting cigars, I really would recommend you to try them all and see what you enjoy best, at the end of the day, there is no right or wrong method, it’s all about what you enjoy best. The only no-no in cutting cigars is cutting too much which again will create a nightmare experience and you will end up wasting a cigar unless you decide to suffer through till the end!
