You bought your cigar. Let's not mess it up from the jump. Cutting a cigar seems simple, and it is, but you can really screw it up. The main thing to exercise when cutting your beloved $10 stick, is PATIENCE.
Remember: Smoking a cigar is a ritual, and is intended to be relaxing.
Types of Cutters
You can cut a cigar with anything from a guillotine cutter to a broken bottle, but let us focus on the 3 main kinds.
1.Guillotine Cutter: Think Louis XVI and heads falling into a basket. Yeah, that kind of cutter. By far the most common I see, and my favorite to use. This cutter will word for any cigar.
2. Punch Cutter: A circular blade made to cookie-cut a portion of the cap away. I think of granny and making biscuits. She would take a can and cut biscuits in perfect circles. Punch cutters come in different diameters and are effective on PAREJO or BOX PRESSED vitolas. With skill, you can use a punch cutter on a Figurado shape, but I highly discourage it.
3. V-Cutter: A V-cutter is just that, a blade in the shape of a V. The cutting mechanism works much like a Guillotine Cutter, but instead of lopping off a straight portion, it cuts a notch in the cigar. I highly recommend a V-Cutter for Figurado shapes.
Principles of Cutting a Cigar
Cutting the cap of a cigar is a precision process. Remember, an artisan rolled this with care. Respect the artisan and cut with the same loving care and precision. Also, your $10 stick will become a dog turd if you don't learn this correctly.
GOAL: Remove a portion of the cap large enough to allow airflow but small enough to keep the cap from unraveling.
How to Cut a Cigar
with Guillotine:
1. Put cigar in your non-dominant hand. Cutter in dominant hand.
2. Inspect the cigar and find the cap.
3. Put the cap end of the cigar lightly against the closed blade of the cutter.
4. Open the cutter enough to insert the cap end of the cigar to just shy of the shoulder
portion.
5. Gently close the cutter around the cap to grip the cigar where you would like to
make your cut. DO NOT CUT YET!
Remember the old carpenter adage, "Measure twice, cut once."
6. Once you've decided WHERE to make the cut. MAKE SURE your blade is
perpendicular to the cigar. In other words, in a position to make a straight-across cut.
7. Making sure all appendages are out of the way (yes it's sharp), complete your cut
with one motion.
with Punch:
1. Put cigar in your non-dominant hand. Cutter in dominant hand.
2. Center the circular blade of the Punch Cutter in the center of the cap-end, end of
the cigar.
3. Holding the cigar firmly, press the Punch Cutter into the cap, and twist it in a
corkscrew motion to help the blade cut the cap.
4. Remove the Punch Cutter blade from the cigar and inspect.
with V-Cutter:
1. Put cigar in your non-dominant hand. Cutter in dominant hand.
2. Insert the cap-end of the cigar into the cutter with the blade open.
3. Most V-Cutters have a guide so you can't cut too deep, but err on the side of
caution. Cutting too much of the cap will result in unraveling and you will feel shame.
4. Determine the depth of your cut, remove appendages from the cutting area, and
just as you did with a Guillotine cutter, make one continual cut in one continual
motion.
Take your time, cut less than you think, watch your fingers. You're going to make mistakes, but remember, you can always cut a little more if you cut too little the first time.
Happy Smoking.
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