Cigar Beat Blog

I wanted to get back to basics with this post for the new cigar smokers that join this hobby every day. Cutting is an important part of cigar smoking that if done incorrectly can result in a pain in the ass cigar. There are many ways to cut your cigar. You will have to decide which one works for you and different cigars will work/smoke better cut one way or another. You will find what works best (for you) the more different cigars you try. If you keep a cigar journal make sure to note how you cut it and how it smoked. If you don’t have a cigar journal you might want to check out the Cigar Beat Journal. Premium hand made cigars will have a small piece of tobacco (the cap) to close the end of the cigar.

Guillotine cutter: Start by looking at the head of the cigar (the side that has the closed end to be cut). Inspect the cigar to determine how far down the length of the cigar the cap goes. This will very on each cigar but around 1/4-3/8 inch. You want to cut as little as possible but enough to get a good draw. So you want to cut about 75% of the cap off. You do not want to cut beyond the cap. If you cut past the cap or even too close to the end of it your cigar could start to unravel. Line up your cigar at eye level and clip it quickly. You should get a nice even cut.

Punch: If the cutter gives you panic attack you can use a punch. This method is very easy and you do not need to worry about how much to cut. It makes a perfect hole, same size hole every time. Put the cigar in your mouth and get a little taste. Then press the punch against the head of your cigar and twist. Your punch should cut through the head and pull out a small plug.

V-Cut clipper: Cap length isn’t a concern here, as the smoker rests the cigar against the clipper while it takes out a v-notched shaped bit of tobacco of the same size every time.

Scissors: These can be a little tricky. Start off by holding the cigar eye level picking your point of cut. Once you have the scissors in the correct spot and level snip quickly. This might take a little practice to get a good even cut.

Now for the not so desirable ways of getting the job done:

Razor: Put cigar flat on table. Cut about 75% of the cap off. I would only use a razor if it was the only thing available.

Teeth: Well you want that smoke and have nothing to cut it with so you resort to the Boss Hog way of things and just bite the head of the cigar off. I would not recommend this at all especially on a premium cigar.

What ever you choose you want to be comfortable with it. There is no better reason to light up and practice. You will probably find over time you like certain cigars cut a certain way. So grab some cigars and cut away, before you know it, it will be second nature to you and you will not even think about it much.

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