Most Frequently Asked Questions
About Cigar Cutting

Take a moment to go over our FAQ section on cigar cutting, which have been submitted by our readers.

Why do many of the cigars I cut start to unravel?

You are most likely cutting them too low. Examine your cigar carefully and you will see it has a cap. Never cut below the cap and you should be fine. Other than the cap, a cigar has one long piece of tobacco leaf as it's wrapper, and if you cut into that, it will just start to unravel. Also make sure your cutter is sharp and it is not tearing away at the leaf.

A punch will cut a small round hole about a 1/4 inch deep into the center of the head of your cigar. This provides a more concentrated smoke because of the narrow hole you will be drawing through. The more traditional guillotine cutter provides a cut across the entire head of your cigar, giving you a less concentrated draw than the cigar punch. Personal preference rules here, although you will not be able to use a cigar punch on a pyramid or torpedo shaped cigar.

It sounds like you have inferior cigar cutters. Don't skimp on your cutter. You don't need to spend a fortune, but investing in a quality one, with surgical stainless at minimum, would be well worth it. Some are even self sharpening. No cutter will last forever, but a good one will go a long way and make one heck of a difference.

You should get yourself a double blade cutter. The single blade places pressure on the bottom half of the cigar and can make for a bad cut, especially if the blade is dull. A double blade will provide even pressure on both sides of your cigar and allow for a clean cut.

A cigar scissor can work fine, provided it is a quality one and extremely sharp. The design of the scissor causes a lot of pressure at the apex, which is no problem if they are sharp. Dull scissors will tear your stogie apart.

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