Cutters 101

The cut only opens the head. The cap, the little piece of wrapper that closes it, has to stay on the cigar. Cut past the cap and the wrapper unravels while you smoke. A dull blade tears instead of slicing. Cut just before you light, not the night before.

Find the line where the cap ends. On a rounded head, cut on the cap side of that line. On a pointed head, take off only the tip until you can see a little filler and air comes through. Then draw once. If it is plugged, open it a little more. Do not bite it.

Five tools do this job. They are not the same cut.

Straight cut

One blade

A guillotine, one straight blade, slices the cap off. It is the common inexpensive cutter. Most of them open wide enough for a cigar up to about a 54 ring gauge. The cut has to be one quick motion. A slow squeeze crushes the head. Line the blade up, then close it.

Two blades

A double blade does the same straight cut from both sides at once, so the slice is usually cleaner and the cigar is less likely to squash. It will also open a tapered head, such as a torpedo, if you only take the tip. Some have a spring that finishes the cut once you start it. The rule is the same: do not cut below the cap.

A straight cut gives the most open draw, because the whole top of the cap is gone.

V cut

A V cutter, also called a wedge, takes a notch out of the cap instead of slicing the cap off. The notch has more open leaf than a punch and less than a straight cut, so the draw is concentrated. It suits a small or medium ring well. A cheap blade that is not sharp will split the cap. Set the cutter on the center of the head and close it in one motion. Do not bury it down into the shoulder.

X cut

An X cut is two shallow slices that cross on the cap, like an X, without taking the cap off. It is less common than a straight cut or a punch. The opening is larger than a punch and smaller than a guillotine, so the draw sits between those two. Keep both slices on the cap, above the shoulder. A deep X splits the head the way a dull V cutter does, especially if the cigar is dry. If you have not used one, a straight cut or a punch is the easier start.

Punch

A punch cuts a round hole in the cap and leaves the rest of the cap in place. Press it into the center of a flat head and twist it back out. Empty the little plug of tobacco before the next cigar. If you want more smoke, punch a second hole beside the first, not deeper through the same one.

A punch is small, often on a key ring, and hard to get wrong on a rounded head. It does not belong on a pointed or tapered head. There is no flat cap to punch, and the hole ends up on the side.

Scissors

Cigar scissors cut the cap off the way a double blade does. They are a different tool from household scissors. The blades need to be cigar steel, sharp, and meeting cleanly. Kitchen scissors crush the head and stain the leaf. If you use scissors, cut at the cap line in one close, the same place a guillotine would cut.

Which cut

Use a straight cut, one blade or two, when you want an open draw on a rounded head. Use a V cut when you want a deeper notch and a tighter draw. Use a punch when the head is flat and you want the smallest opening, or when you are carrying almost nothing. An X cut is the uncommon middle, two shallow crosses on the cap. Use scissors only if they were made to cut a cigar.

None of these repair a head that is already split. A dry cigar cracks when you cut it. Put that one back in the humidor and cut a different one.

Looking after the blade

Wipe the blade after you cut. Leaf sap dulls it, and a blade put away damp rusts. A cutter that mashes the cap instead of slicing it needs a new blade, or replacing. Twist a punch out. Do not yank it. A V cutter and a guillotine both stay sharper if you do not use them on anything except a cigar.