Different ways to enjoy a cigar

Cigar lovers will agree with me that smoking a stogie is a bit of a liturgy. It has its routines and rituals that make the experience wholesome. It all starts with selecting the perfect cigar and then comes the cutting. A poorly cut cigar can ruin your smoking experience and the general feel of the cigar. If the cut is too large, it affects the draw and the rate of the burn. You may also end up with tons of tobacco debris in your mouth with every draw. If the cut is too small, the draw is snug and labored which affects the quality of your smoke. Therefore, it is imperative to learn the right way to cut a cigar and just as important, find the right type of cut for you.

Different Ways to Cut a Cigar

First, consider the type of cap on your stogie. There are two types of caps; the Pajero and the Figurado. The Pajero cap is the most common type of cap on cigars. It is rounded with gentle shoulders. The Pajero cap is found on the Churchill, Toro, Robusto, Lonsdale, and Corona. The Figurado cap is long and pointy. It is found on Torpedos, Pyramids, Diadema, and Belicosos.

There are three different ways to cut a cigar correctly; the straight cut, the v-cut, and the hole punch.

1.The Straight Cut

The Straight Cut is arguably the most popular type of cut. In fact, for the longest time, I had no idea that there were other ways to cut a cigar. It is easy, fast, and effective. The straight cut involves making a clean cut across the cap. If your stogie has a rounded cap, you want your cut to be right at the shoulders so that you take off about 2mm. If you are dealing with a Figurado, then the math gets a little fuzzy. The idea is to expose a diameter close to the one you get on a rounded cap.

2.The V-Cut

A particular kind of cutter delivers the V-Cut. It essentially removes a wedge off the cap of the cigar. Perhaps the best attribute about a V-cut is that the cap remains relatively intact which means little tobacco debris get into your mouth. If you find the draw a tad labored after the first V-cut, you can do the second one across the first so that you get a star-shaped cut on your cap. V-cuts are, however, only applicable on Pajero caps. Also, if you are a biter or the kind of smoker who chews on their stogie, the V-cut may end up closing mid smoke.

3.The Hole Punch

As the name suggests, the hole punch bores a hole in the cap of the cigar. This type of cut is quite neat and keeps most of the cap intact. Needless to say, the hole punch will only work on the Pajero cap and incidentally, also a Chisel. You should be careful to punch the hole right at the middle of the cap to balance the draw. Once you have done so, blow out any loose tobacco debris from the hole and enjoy a debris-free smoke.

Types of Cutters

If you are looking to be a certified aficionado, you have got to try the different kinds of cuts at least once; otherwise, how else will you know which is the best? Also, having an array of different cutters is rather cool, don’t you think? There are quite a few cigar cutters on the market. Some of them you may receive as a gift when you sign up on some cigar websites or when you buy cigars. Here are the most common cutters.

1.The Guillotine

Guillotine cutters are the most common cigar cutters among stogie lovers. There are single blade and double blade guillotine cutters. Single blade guillotines cutters are the less popular of the two. This is because they require the blade to be super sharp and they are more likely to ruin your cap as the cigar is pushed against a dull surface. Double-bladed guillotine cutters are better and easier to use. They have blades coming from both directions which increases the chance of an efficient cut and an undamaged cap. The trick to using any guillotine cutter to cut a cigar efficiently is correct positioning and a clean, swift cut. Make sure the cigar is straight to avoid an angled cut and if you are cutting a Pajero cap, ensure the blades cut precisely at the shoulders. Also, ensure your blades are always clean and sharp. The best guillotine cutters feature a barrier that serves to restrict the length of the cap that you can cut off. The best attribute about guillotine cutters is they can cut any cap on cigars of up to 54 ring-size. The worst trait is that bits of tobacco will be flying into our mouth with every draw.

2.The Punch Cutter

The punch cutter features a round trajectory that punches a hole in the middle of the cap. The punch cutter is somewhat easier to use since all you have to do is ensure you punch the center of the cap. If the draw feels a bit snug, do a series of additional punches along the edge of the hole to increase the diameter until you achieve your desired draw. The advantage of the punch cut that the cap stays in place and there is little to no tobacco debris when you draw. The downside of the punch cut is that it does not work on Figurado caps and Box Press cigars although, to my surprise, you can use a punch cut on a Chisel.

3.The V-Cutter

The V-Cut is also known as the wedge cut, English cut, cat’s eye or the notch cut. It cuts a wedge off the cap. The best cigars to use the V-Cut on are long and thin cigars. However, you can do a cross V-Cut which results in a star-shaped cut on larger gauge cigars. This ensures a clear draw without damaging the cap. The upside to a V-Cut cutter is a unique, classy cut with tons of airy draw. The downside is that the blade is usually not removable and therefore tricky to sharpen. So once the blade goes blunt, the cutter becomes useless.

4.The Cigar Scissors

The cigar scissors are elegant-looking collapsible cutters that can easily hang with your keys on your keychain. The cigar scissors usually do a straight cut and are easy to clean and maintain. Most of these cutters have additional accessories for cleaning and refilling your lighter. Although these scissor cutters are handy, they don’t beat the double-bladed guillotinecutters in efficiency.

So, What is the Right Way to Cut a Cigar?

Perfection is relative. Therefore, the perfect way to cut a cigar is a matter of preference. A perfect cut should allow a comfortable draw, keep the cap of the cigar intact, and prevent tobacco pieces from flying into your mouth when you inhale. Also, an ideal cut falls at the right depth and angle to avoid your wrapper from falling apart as you smoke. Experiment with different kinds of cuts and cutters to find the one that works for you. Also, from the information above, ensure you match the type of cut to the stogie at hand.

The Right Way to Light a Cigar

Properly lighting a cigar is the last step in the cigar-smoking chronology of rituals. A cigar should maintain an even burn-line for an ideal smoking experience. Below is my breakdown on how to properly light a cigar.

Get your source of fire going.

Toast your cigar. This is done by placing the flame below the cigar to char the foot of the cigar (the end that is eventually lit) but not ignite it. Hold the cigar at an angle so that the heat travels up and gently rotate the cigar to toast it all around. The purpose of toasting is to heat up the tobacco and prepare the cigar for lighting. Toast the cigar until the foot begins to smolder.

Place the cigar in your mouth and inhale while you keep the flame close to the foot. Don’t place the fire directly on the stogie, just a little below it. Take short shallow draws then turn the cigar around and blow on the lit end to see if it is evenly lit. Repeat this while gently rotating the cigar until you are satisfied with the burn line.

If you get an uneven burn, turn the slow-burning area to the bottom and draw. The base area tends to burn faster.

If you have an area with a quick burn, apply moisture to the running area to slow down the burn.

In cases where the burn difference is too large or is proving difficult to correct, do a touch up with your lighter on the area that has been left behind.

Which are the Best Cigar Lighters?

As far as lighters go, the best lighters are those that don’t add any essence to your stogie. Cigar aficionados will swear by the Cedar Strip. If you cannot find a cedar strip, you can use a torch lighter. Sometimes, I use a gas lighter even though some cigar enthusiasts would never be caught dead using a gas lighter. Admittedly some gas lighters will alter the taste of a cigar, especially the isobutane ones. You can use matchsticks as long as they are long-stemmed without any coating on the wood. Most matchsticks, however, have sulfur as an ingredient on the match-tip which may contribute to an unpleasant flavor in your cigar. Never use candles to light a cigar, your stogie will not recover from the violation of the candle wax flavors.

Ultimately, smoking a cigar is just one of those things you get better at with time. Relax, take your time and enjoy experimenting with different accessories. After all, it is dope to have a few stogie-gone-wrong stories under your belt.