Chop its head off!

[stephan]

I also like to cut as little as possible and certainly within the cap.

I have several cutters and to me the most important thing seems to be that the blades are really sharp. So, I prefer to use my new plastic cutter over a lovely vintage gold one which isn't as sharp.

I've never used a punch and I've heard good and bad things about them.

Ultimately I would like to be able to skilfully bite the end off. I like to keep things simple and you can't get simpler than that!

Does anyone here bite? Does anyone use scissors?

[kingcohiba]

hi stephan, welcome to the forum btw. i used to use cutters but i always had the problem of losing them. started biting them up until i came here and bought a few cheapo punches. i have not bit the end off a cigar since. love the punch now. im a convert is what tj says!

[TJCoro]

Don't look a gift house in the ass!

I had a lovely old piece that had Bolivar engraved on it. Solingen made, but despite having a seemingly keen edge, did not cut like you'd expect. I gifted it and forgot to mention its deficiency to a member's shock as it tore the end off his stogie.

My God Man!!!

What did the poor bloke do????

I hope you apologized for you indiscretion with a fine puro or two.....I would have.

Hello! My name is BJ, BJCoro, and I'm just sayin'


Give the Man a Puro!

[TJCoro]

Full Disclosure and Stuff!

I was always a cutter until someone gave me a free punch. For years I swore by the punch until old TJ brought the Cuban Crafters cutter to my attention....best cutter ever. Utterly, perfectly planar cut...makes a great job of torps too....

Actually, it was senor rocketman (I believe) who first introduced the Cuban Crafter Cutter to this (ahem) fine forum. I simply promoted the bugger in many of my finer posts after learning how excellent they are....and a great value, to boot!

But for the record, I am first and foremost a dyed-in-the-wool punch man. But only quality punches with sharp edges. The cheaper ones tend to dull quickly and can be quite disappointing .

But Hey! That's just me, BJ, BJCoro, and I've been smokin' fine puros since 1923!

and playin' with me balls since 1969!

[Paulie]

I had to bite on Monday as I never had cutters with me, have to say it was a pretty neat cut but not really intending to try again unless I have to.

[TJCoro]

Interesting point!

Well i must say even i have cut it but not so much .May be it is done so that it looks more neat

Where are you from, mate?

Ray Jay

[Mark3142]

Anyone care to explain how much to take off? I am new to proper cigars and don't want to make an arse of myself.
Is it a pers thing how much to cut off? Anyone care to take a pic of an uncut cigar and a cigar they have cut ready to smoke. To help a newbie properly enjoy his investment

[Simon-JG-hr]

I shall use an illustration:


(From the wonderful people at Cigar Bunch - thought I should cite that, as they added the arrows. Originally an illustration of what a 'triple cap' is).

Anyway, the cap is the bit of tobacco leaf at the head of the cigar which, essentially, holds the wrapper together. Removing the whole cap doesn't always lead ot the wrapper unravelling, but it's often enough to be annoying (happened to me once when I buggered up the chop).

The cap goes all the way down to the visible line which is indicated by arrow three. Essentially, the key is not to cut below that line, and ideally a reasonable distance above it. I tend to aim for a cut around the line indicated by arrow one (or roughly that distance from the very head of the cigar at anyrate).

That's how I do it, and it tends to do the trick quite nicely. Hope that helps.

[Mark3142]

Many thanks. That was exactly what I was after

[TJCoro]

Just a Little Off the Top, Por Favor!

Senor knewbee

Just cut off enough to open up the stick, but not so much that will unravel the wrapper. In other words, cut below the edge of the cap, which keeps the wrapper in place.

Now, if you look closely at the head of the stick, you should be able to see the edge of the cap - DON'T CUT ABOVE IT!

Umm! But if you want to play it safe, get yourself a CubanCrafter cutter - cuts the exact amount off every time! A UKCF Favorite!



Even senor steviethesad can't fck up with one of these...but maybe senor CohibaIV.





Hey BB! Perhaps the lad should settle for a punch! It's what don TJ, TJCoro prefers.

[Mark3142]

I like the idea of that cutter, makes it so simple not even I could mess it up.

Looking at the punch thing how does that work? Does it cut a plug out the end of the cigar?

[TJCoro]

Punch Preference!

Looking at the punch thing how does that work? Does it cut a plug out the end of the cigar?

Umm. Sorta'...more like a round sliver out of the cap. Perfect for the man who prefers the feel of a nice, clean puro against his lips.

According to Catalina Joy, it's simple to use. You just push it in slowly, but firmly, while twisting until you penetrate the head/cap, then withdraw.

[Simon Bolivar]

1/ The punched result looks like this Mark. Sorry it's a wee bit out of focus but I think it'll be clear enough to show you what we mean.
2/ The Cohiba Esplendosis has been punched, you can see the triple cap still present.
3/ The Boli Tubos No2 was cut.
4/ The Cuaba shows my Palio (a dble bladed cutter is essentail for a clean cut, which ever brand you chose).
5/ The cigars with a tapered end, like this Monte No 2 have to be cut, here you have more choice how much to cut. My advice try cutting the minimum off, trying a draw & if it's too tight for you, clip a little bit more off. If you cut too much off you can't rectify it, just remember to cut less next time.
Hope this helps, it is a tricky skill you have too learn & what's right for someone else might not be best for you.

[Mark3142]

Simon

Thanks for the pics. As they say pic paints a thousand words. I'm liking the look of a punched stick. Just looks a lot neater. Less chance of messing it up.

[Simon-JG-hr]

Another good thing about punched sticks (imo) is that if you're a bit of a 'wet' smoker, as I can be a little bit sometimes, it does seem to help protect the draw a bit from the mouth's moisture.