Cigar cutters

The cigar cutters can make the difference between a pleasurable smoke and a bad one.

The Zino Davidoff is a very good cutter. It has a double blade that is very useful, as single blades tend to damage the cigar. Look for cut-holes that fit your personal use of cigars, because people that like Torpedoes or Churchills need a much larger one than the smokers who only smoke Panatelas. Xikar is also a very good cutter, these two are guillotines. Look for guillotines that have double blades, they make the least damage to the cigar.

The punches are very good, these devices punch a hole in the cigar cap (the top of the cigar, where you are going to smoke) and let plenty of air through. They are my personal favorite and can produce enjoyable smoking moments.

Some people tend to apply a lot of pressure to the cap while smoking, they chew it and hold the cigar with it, others smoke with almost no pressure on the cap, this must also be taken into account when doing the cut, you can open 70% of the cap or even more if you are not gonna moisten the cap of the cigar too much. A narrower cut will be suggested if you tend to chew on the cap, there is nothing more disappointing than a delicious cigar that unwraps in the middle of the smoke. Some people then blame the cigar, but it's the way you cut the cigar and the tool you use to cut it with the responsible.

Good cutters will open up as much of the cap as possible, without weakening it. Take some time analyzing the cap of your cigar to decide the way you want your cut made.

Cigars that are over humidified will produce an acid taste, not at all peasant. Also, these cigars will tend to unwrap as the gum in the cap loosens with the excess humidity. You can't smoke an over humidified cigar anyway, and if you don't solve the problem all your other cigars with eventually loose their flavor. So, lower the humidity in your humidor and let the cigar rest for a couple of months.

Other cigar cutters are scissors, sharp blades can make the scissors very handy and allows a cut just the way you want. The v cut for example, usually done by scissors is a good cut, but a cut too long could make your cigar burn unevenly.

Price does not always mean quality, but make sure the cigar cutters you choose have very sharp blades that do not wear out.