Cutting a Cigar

There are four ways in which you can open up the head of the cigar for smoking.

The Guillotine, which simply slices across the head removing the cap.

The Punch cut, in which a sharpened round blade is inserted in to the head, a kind of cigar corer.

The "V" (a.k.a. a "cat's eye cut" or "wedge cutter"). which notches a wedge out of the center of the head.

The Drill, which pierces into the head opening very small holes in the cap.

Each of these methods has its own aficionados, and each affects the smoking of your cigar in its own particular way:

The Guillotine is by far the most common method. Your teeth work as a free guillotine in a pinch, although the skill required to perfectly cut your cigar with your teeth is enormous. The other drawback to teeth is the uncouth appearance of tobacco bits in your mouth. Not exactly a sophisticated look to say the least.

Within the guillotine market one can find two major variations: The single blade and the double blade. While the single blade is fine, it tends to dull quickly over the course of several cigars and often will pinch and tear the head off rather than a smooth quick cut one expects from a guillotine. A good quality double blade works in such a fashion as to be self sharpening, and since it cuts from both sides the amount of tearage is kept to the absolute minimum.

When making the cut don't remove too much, which might unravel your wrapper.

The best guideline is to cut right above the shoulder of the cigar. This is where the cap has been folded over the body and you will see a small line ringing the cigar. Cut quickly and cleanly.

A side note to the guillotine category is the cigar scissors. These devices are a simple pair of scissors which snap across the head like a double guillotine. However, they are unwieldy and require some practice and a modicum of skill to prefect. You might want to rotate the cigar against the blades to create a small incision before cutting.

The Punch cut bores a small hole in the head which allows you to remove a central core through the wrapper and binder into the filler. The drawback to the punch is that it is inadequate for many of today's figurados (Pyramids, and Torpedoes especially..).

It is important to remember that the smaller the hole, the stronger the flavor of the cigar. This is due to the fact that as you draw a large amount of smoke through any opening tars will be trapped around the edges. The Guillotine, with its large opening allows for little tar buildup. The punch allows for more buildup which in turn makes a fuller flavor for your cigar.

The "V" has been a preferred method by many aficionados who claim it is the only way to cut a cigar. Indeed, the smaller Zinos come precut with a "V" . The exposed filler is angled away from the tongue, which allows a little tar buildup to affect the flavor.

However, the "V" is often too small a cut for many of today's larger cigars. Also, there are few cutters able to make the clean slice required. The "V" is a difficult tool to have sharpened and it's life is unfortunately rather short.

The Drill is one of the oldest cutters, and isn't really a cutter at all. It simply pierces a small hole or several small holes into the cap. The head isn't removed in this method.

However, remember that the smaller the hole the stronger the flavor will be. The drill style cutters can even turn the mildest, sweetest cigars into a strong and bitter experience.

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