Cutting a Cuban cigar

We are sure that almost all of you know (especially if you are a long-time customer of my-cuban-cigars.com) that the closed end of a cigar should never be bitten off. Though it was a customary practice back in the old days when there were no cutting devices, you can find a whole variety of cutter these days. There are scissor cutters, guillotine cutters, cigar-punch cutters and even "V" cigar cutters.

Before the cutter was invented, people used their teeth and nails instead of it. For instance, the cigar punch cutter was probably invented by a person who used his nails to cut the cigar.

Despite the technical evolution, the process of cutting the cigar is not that simple. If you cut the cigar the wrong way, you can accidentally make it unwrap. Not only the cigar's look but also its burning and flavor characteristics are influenced by how you cut the cigar. The cigar will burn much faster and the draw will be too hot, if you take too much of the cap, and the flavor and taste will be worse too. That said, if you don't cut enough, the draw will be too tight.

You can find cutter models of different appearances, sizes and quality, and, depending on that, the price can vary from extremely low to very high. Cheap cutters are usually made of plastic and feature a steel blade and can be found in almost every cigar shop while expensive cutters that are introduced as exclusive, limited edition products by such brands as Dunhill, Dupont and Davidoff. These cutters are usually made out of high-quality metals (steel, silver, gold or platinum).

Whatever other characteristics of the cutter are, the main characteristic is its cutting ability. The sharper the blade the cutter is, the better. Even if the cutter is very sophisticated and made of precious metal, it will not bring much use if its blade is blunt. The cutter with a blunt blade will just ruin the cigar's wrapper, damaging its taste, draw and looks.

Of course, you can have your own considerations regarding good or bad cutters. But here is some helpful information that might help you. The "V" cigar cutter cuts slim cigars with a ring gauge of less than 40 especially well, and the cigar punch cutter is especially good for Robustos or Double Coronas. Not only the size of the cigar but the place where you cut it also matters. A beautiful scissor cigar cutter might be suitable for a restaurant setting, and a guillotine cigar cutter will fit better in an office.

By Sonya Rendall