Preparing to smoke a cigar is a wonderful experience in itself. You will have a great time with a quality product, reflecting on its creation to your advantage before lighting up. Unlike a cigarette, you don't simply pull out the cigar, light the tip and start smoking. Firstly, almost every quality cigar has a closed head, which must be cut off before you start smoking. It is also best if you use something other than a paper match as a source of ignition. There are several ways of cutting cigars, the best being the one that suits the individual. However, there is only one way to effectively light a cigar.
Watch actors in old films and you will see that there are many ways to open the closed end of a cigar before you smoke it. Some characters use a knife to cut a neat V-shaped notch. Others used horseshoe nails as piercers. Certain film stars playing tough characters bit off the end and spat it out. Some still use these methods today, but in most cases cutting cigars has become less colourful and more elegant.
The better the cigar you smoke, the more care you need to take with the cut. A bad cut can ruin a cigar.
The aim of cutting is to create an ample, smooth opening for smoking without damaging the structure of the cigar. For most cigars, this means cutting off the part of the cap or flag leaf that closes the cigar, while gluing some of it around the end to keep the filler leaf together. If you are making a wedge cut or a bullseye cut, this means not going deeper into the cigar. You want to create a large, bare, clean cut filler leaf surface which will allow for an equal draw from the core and edges of the cigar.
On most cigars, you will need to cut approximately one-sixteenth of an inch (about two millimetres) from the end. When you don't have precision measuring equipment with you, you can simply look for the shoulder - where the curved end of the cigar begins to straighten - and make your cut there.
Another option is to make a cigar cutter at the end of the cigar. This cut exposes a lot of surface area and makes it easy to draw smoke from the cigar. Unfortunately, sometimes the draw is too good and the cigar gets too hot. The cigar punch is a particularly bad idea for people who like to chew their cigars. If they chew hard enough while the wedge is horizontal, the opening can collapse and tear the structure of the cigar, closing the draw.
Many devices are available to help you cut your cigars quickly and in one go, thus minimising the chance of tearing the wrapper. Many enthusiasts have several types of cutters, ranging from compact, thin knives in their pockets, to larger knives that are unlikely to be misplaced.
Cutting a cigar correctly with a knife requires great skill and a very steady eye and hand. If you do choose this method, you will want to avoid cleaning your knife with oil, which can contaminate your cigars.
Special cigar cutters make a very clean cut and are an elegant accessory, but they must be used with care. The fit and balance of a cigar cutter is important and is as unique to the individual as the golf club. Try them out before investing in them. One hand should be easy to balance so that you can keep them steady through the cutting action while holding the cigar in the other hand. If the handle and blade are unbalanced against each other when held, the cutter is not for you.
It is worth investing in a good V-Cut cigar cutter. Remember that a bad cut can ruin a good cigar and even a very elegant cutter will not cost much in terms of ruined cigars to add to the cost.
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