How to cut a cigar

The three common cuts, where the cap line is, and how to avoid unravelling the wrapper.

A cigar is closed at one end with a cap — a small piece of wrapper leaf glued over the head to hold the wrapper down. Cutting means opening that cap enough to draw through, without cutting past it.

Find the cap line

Look at the closed end. There is a faint seam where the cap sits on the body. That line is the limit: cut on the tip side of it and the wrapper stays anchored, cut past it and the wrapper has nothing holding it, so it starts to peel while you smoke. Mike's Cigars puts it plainly — line the blade up just above the lowest visible cap line.

How much you actually remove is small. Famous Smoke Shop puts the average good cut at about 1/16 of an inch; Mike's Cigars gives 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch, which is roughly 1.5 to 3 mm. When in doubt, take less. You can always cut again.

The three cuts

Straight cut

A guillotine cutter takes a flat slice off the head. A double-blade guillotine cuts from both sides at once and crushes the cigar less than a single blade.

Best for: most cigars, and any first cigar.
Gives: the widest opening and the most air.
Watch for: cutting too deep, which is the one mistake that ruins the wrapper.

Rest the cutter against the head and make one quick, decisive cut. Slow or hesitant pressure pinches the cigar and tears the wrapper instead of slicing it.

Punch cut

A punch bores a small circular hole in the middle of the cap and leaves the rest of it in place.

Best for: parejos — cigars with a straight, rounded head. Sources do not agree on a minimum ring gauge, so we do not print one; the constraint is the one below.
Gives: a tighter draw and a more concentrated smoke.
Watch for: it does not work on a pointed head, though you can punch the shoulder of a torpedo instead. On a small ring gauge the punch takes almost the whole cap.

V-cut

A V-cut, or cat's eye, presses a wedge into the cap.

Best for: people who find a straight cut too loose.
Gives: a wedge-shaped channel; the rest of the cap stays on.
Watch for: a badly aligned V-cut can crack the cap. A blunt V-cutter is worse than a blunt guillotine.

Pointed and closed heads

A torpedo or belicoso has a tapered head. Cut it straight across, and the further down you cut the wider the opening gets — so start small and open it further if the draw is tight.

A perfecto is closed at both ends. The head is cut like any other cigar.

Shapes and their names: cigar sizes and shapes.

What not to use

Scissors made for paper, a pocket knife, a fingernail, or your teeth will all tear the cap instead of slicing it. Cigar scissors are a real tool and work well; kitchen scissors are not the same thing. A blunt blade of any kind crushes the head and tightens the draw.

If it unravels

If the wrapper starts to lift after the cut, a dab of pectin glue along the seam will usually hold it long enough to smoke. Do not use spit: repair guides are explicit that it does not work. If the cap has come off entirely the cigar will keep unwrapping as it burns, and a patched wrapper is the best you will get.