Smoking
How to cut a cigar
Cut the cap at the head of the cigar, about 2 mm deep, in one fast stroke with a sharp blade. Stay above the shoulder and the wrapper stays put.
Why the cap has to come off
A hand-rolled cigar is sealed at the head by a cap of wrapper leaf, and smoke can't reach you until you open it. Cut too little and the draw is tight, like sucking a thick shake through a coffee stirrer. Cut too much and the wrapper loses its anchor.
There's a window. It's small. Find the cap line first: the faint seam, or the slight change in texture, where the cap leaf overlaps the wrapper. On most cigars it sits a few millimeters from the tip. The cut goes inside that line.
Straight-cut steps that work every time
A straight cut, made with a guillotine, slices the cap off flat and is the default for most cigars. Here's the drill.
- Find the shoulder. Look at where the rounded head meets the straight body. Everything you cut sits above that curve.
- Open the cutter fully. Slide the head in until the blade lines up about 2 mm down from the tip. Close your eye on one side and sight along it.
- Rest, then commit. Let the blades touch the cigar. Then snap them shut in one quick, firm move. Slow pressure crushes. Speed slices.
- Check the face. You want a clean circle of filler with the wrapper intact all round. Ragged edge? Trim a sliver, never a chunk.
- Test the draw cold. Pull air through before you light. It should feel like a light resistance, not a fight and not nothing.
Tight draw after the test? Take another millimeter. You can always cut more. You can't glue it back.
Which cutter should you use?
The right cutter depends on the shape of the head and how much smoke you want: guillotines open the whole tip, V-cutters notch it, and punches bore a small hole.
| Cutter | What it does | Good on | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-blade guillotine | One blade slices across the cap | Most parejos up to mid ring gauges | Pushes the cigar against the frame; can pinch if dull |
| Double-blade guillotine | Two blades meet in the middle | Almost anything, including fat ring gauges | Needs a cutter wide enough for the ring |
| V-cutter | Cuts a wedge notch into the cap | Rounded heads, torpedoes, mid-sized parejos | Can cut deep; tar can collect in the notch on wet smokers |
| Punch | Bores a small round hole in the cap | Rounded heads with a solid cap | Small opening can clog; useless on a pointed head |
| Cigar scissors | Straight cut with two curved blades | Precise cuts on any size | Takes practice to keep the cut square |
Pointed heads, like torpedoes and belicosos, get a straight cut across the taper. Snip lower on the cone for more smoke, higher for less. Punches don't work there. Nothing to punch.
How to use a V-cutter and a punch
A V-cutter is pressed straight down onto the head so its blade notches a wedge through the cap, and a punch is twisted into the cap to lift out a plug. Both leave most of the cap in place. That's their whole appeal: the head keeps its shape and the wrapper stays locked down.
With a V-cutter, center the head in the cradle and press firmly once. Don't rock it. With a punch, push in until the shoulder of the punch meets the cap, give it a half turn, then pull straight out. Tap out the plug.
Smaller openings mean a denser stream of smoke and more chance of bitter tar building up near the end. Some smokers punch twice, side by side, to open the draw. Your call.
Mistakes that ruin a good cigar
Most bad cuts come from three causes: going below the shoulder, using a dull blade, or cutting a cigar that's too dry. Each one shows up as a cracked or unraveling head.
- Too deep. The wrapper unwinds and the head goes soft and wet. Once it starts, pinching won't fix it. Smoke it short.
- Dull blade. It tears leaf instead of cutting it. Cheap cutters go dull fast. Replace them.
- Dry cigar. A cigar stored below its humidity cracks under even a sharp blade. Check how you've been keeping it. The humidity pack calculator helps size your setup.
- Teeth. Biting looks tough in films. It crushes the head. Skip it.
If you're not sure which end is which, look for the band: it sits near the head. The parts of a cigar diagram labels both ends.
Questions about cutting a cigar
How much of a cigar should you cut off?
Cut about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch, roughly 2 to 3 mm, off the cap. Stay above the line where the rounded head meets the straight body.
Can you cut a cigar with a knife?
Yes, if the blade is very sharp. Roll the cigar under the edge on a hard surface so the blade slices through the cap instead of crushing it.
Why does my cigar unravel after I cut it?
The cut went below the cap, so nothing holds the wrapper at the head. A dull blade that tears instead of slicing does the same damage.
Is it bad to bite the end off a cigar?
Biting crushes the head and leaves a ragged, wet opening that draws unevenly and tends to unravel. Any sharp cutter does a cleaner job.
Where the cutter details come from
- Cigar cutter: guillotine, V-cut, punch and scissors, Wikipedia
- Cigar: the cap must be cut or pierced, Wikipedia