How to cut a cigar

Do you know how to cut a cigar?

Smoking a cigar may seem simple. However, there are many elements that come into play. Without knowing how to properly carry out the process of smoking a cigar, the smoker can spoil the cigar.
How can this happen? Well, for example, with a bad cut of the cigar. Therefore, we are going to give you some tips on how to cut a cigar.

The first and most advisable thing is to make a good choice for the cutter. There are different types of cutters, such as knife, guillotine or V cutter. The most recommended are the cutters that allow making the cuts more open. This type of cut allows you to breathe in the smoke better and experience the notes of the cigars more.

The second most important aspect when cutting a cigar is locating the head. The cigar is made up of a set of tobaccos that form what is known as filler. These tobaccos are collected in another tobacco called binder. And all this is wrapped by a tobacco leaf known as a wrapper. To close all this, a kind of head is made from a piece of tobacco leaf. This kind of closure is called a cap.

Once that cap is located, a cut must be made in it. This should be neither too high up nor too low down the cigar. If the cigar is cut too little, it is possible that the puffs cannot be taken well. In this way, the aromas, flavors and notes of the cigar will not be appreciated. On the contrary, if there is an excess in the cut, the cigar could fall apart. In other words, there is a danger that the wrapper will unwind.

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The next point to take into account when cutting a cigar is to make the cut quickly and accurately. In order for the cut to come out straight and clean, make sure you have a good cutter with sharp blades. It is advisable to make the cut above the edge of the head, so that the cigar does not crumble, about 2 mm from the head.

As we said at the beginning, there are several types of cutters. Each smoker has his own tastes, so he may prefer one type of cut or another. Therefore, it is important to choose the type of cutter according to the tastes of each one. In general terms, we can speak of three types of cutters:

• Guillotine: Guillotine-type cutters are those that cut the head of the cigar in a straight and open way. There are one or two blades, and of different qualities and prices. It is always preferable to bet on the best quality, even if they are somewhat more expensive, since a poor quality blade can cause a bad cut and, therefore, ruin the cigar. These types of cutters are suitable for cigars with rounded heads and for those with pointed, figured heads (straight or diagonal cut).
• Awl or perforator: in this mode are the cutters that do not cut the head, but pierce it. They usually make a kind of tunnel in cigars. This type of cutter only works for even cigars. In addition, it is a type of utensil that creates more problems for smokers, because this type of “cut” can cause an accumulation of tobacco where the perforator is inserted, making it difficult to pull. It is also common for smoke, tar and oils from the cigarette to concentrate in the tunnel made with this cutter.
• V-cutter: these are cutters that make a V-shaped cut in the head of the cigar, which allows the smoke to be extracted more easily. However, just like the piercer, it can also have some negative effects on the cigar. For example, if it is cut too deep, the wrapper can unravel. Also, it can let in too much smoke, which overheats the cigar. Finally, it is a more complicated cut to make. It can only be used on smooth cigars.

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