Short answer: a straight cut works on almost every cigar and is the hardest to get wrong. V-cuts concentrate the draw. Punches are neat and travel well but do not suit tapered heads. Whichever you use, cut above the cap line.
Where to cut
The cap is the small piece of wrapper glued over the head to hold the cigar together. Cut just above where it ends, usually 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch in. Cut below it and the wrapper unravels.
How to cut a cigar, step by step
These steps follow Cigar Aficionado's cutting guides and Boveda's cutting guide, and apply to a straight cut with a double-blade guillotine, the cutter Cigar Aficionado suggests for beginners because it is the simplest to operate.
- Find the head. You cut the capped end that goes in your mouth. The open end is the foot, and that is the end you light.
- Find the shoulder. Cigar Aficionado describes it as the place where the curved end of the cigar starts to straighten out. On most cigars that works out to about one-sixteenth of an inch from the end. The aim is to take off part of the cap and leave the rest of it in place to hold the cigar together.
- Seat the cigar. Put the head into the opening and close the blades until they just touch the wrapper. That sets your line before you commit.
- Cut once. Use swift, even pressure. Boveda's guide makes the same point from the other side: pausing part-way through leaves a rough, jagged edge.
- Check your work. Look for a clean, open face, brush away loose tobacco, and take a draw before you light.
Two variations are worth knowing. Cigar Aficionado also describes a tabletop method: open the cutter, lay it flat on a table, stand the head of the cigar between the blades so it rests on the surface, and clip. The table sets the depth for you. With a single-blade cutter, the magazine's advice is to rest the cigar against the far side of the opening, away from the blade.
If you are borrowing a cutter, keep the cigar out of your mouth until after the cut. Tobacconist University lists that as basic courtesy with a shop cutter, and Boveda lists wetting the head before using someone else's cutter among the mistakes to avoid.
Every cutter style covered below is in our cigar cutters collection, with lighters for the next step.
Straight cut
A guillotine, single or double blade. Opens the widest draw and works on parejos, torpedos and figurados alike. If you own one cutter, own this one. Sharp blades matter more than brand: a dull cutter tears the wrapper instead of slicing it.
V-cut
Cuts a wedge into the head rather than removing the top. Boveda describes the draw as more concentrated and intense, and says a V-cutter works on most shapes and ring gauges, though thicker cigars can be harder to wedge cut. Cigar Aficionado notes that the wedge exposes a lot of surface area, so the draw can be open enough for the cigar to smoke hot. It is less suited to tapered heads, where the wedge can run deep.
Punch
Bores a small hole in the cap. Tidy, pocketable, and it keeps the head intact so the cigar sits well in the mouth. Not for torpedos, piramides or perfectos, and it can plug on an already tight cigar.
Special cases
- Torpedo or piramide: straight cut, taking a little at a time. You can always cut more.
- Perfecto (like an Arturo Fuente Hemingway): cut at the point where the head starts to widen.
- Chisel (La Flor Dominicana): bite it gently open, or take a shallow straight cut.
Common mistakes
- Cutting too deep, which unravels the wrapper.
- Using a dull blade, which crushes rather than cuts.
- Cutting a tight cigar wider hoping to fix the draw. Usually it is the roll, not the cut.
Cutters we carry
See the cigar accessories collection, including Prometheus and Opus X pieces. Ask a tobacconist at 928-276-3500 if you want a recommendation for the sizes you smoke.
Frequently asked questions
Which end of a cigar do you cut?
The head: the closed, capped end that goes in your mouth. The open end is the foot, and that is the end you light.
How much of a cigar do you cut off?
Only a thin portion of the cap. Cigar Aficionado puts the cut at about one-sixteenth of an inch from the end on most cigars, at the shoulder where the curve of the head starts to straighten.
Can you cut a cigar without a cutter?
On a round-capped cigar, Boveda describes using a fingernail to pierce the thin piece of tobacco that forms the cap in a small circle, then lifting the top layer away, much like a punch. It is not a method for torpedos or other figurados. A proper cutter from the cutters collection is the tidier option.
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