How to · Cut
How to cut
The aim is an airway and a remaining ring of cap that holds the wrapper. Cut the whole head off and the leaf flowers in your mouth. That is a failure, not a style.
- Guillotine — the general tool. Aim just beyond the shoulder of the cap and cut cleanly.
- Punch — a round hole; smoke is tighter and hotter; clean the gunk often.
- V-cut — a wedge. Some people find the aroma more focused. Line it up on a torpedo.
A dull blade tears. Scissors work on the same idea as a guillotine. A fingernail pinch is an emergency, not a habit.
Related chapters
How to light
Toast the foot, avoid petrol lighters, and when a torch is useful.
Cigar anatomy
Wrapper, binder, filler, cap, foot, band, and ash: the structure of a cigar from the outside in.
Shapes, vitolas, and ring gauge
What a vitola is, how ring gauge is measured, and typical sizes for Corona, Robusto, Churchill, Torpedo, and Perfecto.