What to Do if You Don’t Have a Cigar Cutter

January 7, 2020

What to Do if You Don’t Have a Cigar Cutter

We’ve all been in this situation, especially new cigar smokers. You arrive at a lounge or a hangout and you have brought several nice cigars with you. Just as you are about to enjoy your fine smokes, however, you realize you have forgotten your cigar cutter. How to cut cigar without cutter?

While it seems like all is lost, have no fear, there are several options when you need to cut a cigar without a cutter. However, before we begin, let me just state the 100% best way to cut your cigar is with a proper cigar cutter.  These are just some options for those few times a cigar cutter is unavailable.

How to cut the cigar with a knife

This is the most common tool to use to cut your cigars and is probably the best outside of a cigar cutter.  Using a sharp knife, such as a pocketknife, you can smoke a cigar without a cutter by cutting it in a few different ways. First, you can gently slice off just underneath the cap, the same spot you would cut with a cutter.  However, if your knife isn’t super sharp, you might risk damaging the cigar.

If I have a knife, I prefer to do a cross-cut.  I will cut two deep cuts into the head of the cigar, basically making an X marks the spot.  Make sure you cut deep enough to cut past the cap.  This will offer you a pretty decent draw without risking too much damage to the cigar.

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How to poke a hole in a cigar head

While this is usually reserved for a cigar punch, there are other ways to poke a hole in the head of your cigar.  Simply using a thumbtack, paperclip or pin should do the trick.  Slowly insert the pin into the center of the cigar head.

If you go too fast or far, you risk mangling the head of the cigar.  Poke about a half-inch or so into the head of the cigar to create a nice, central draw. If you find yourself on the golf course, I have always found a fresh golf T to be a great alternative in this process.

How to cut a cigar through biting

While this is an old fashioned and popular technique for cutting your cigar, I will say it is the least effective and the most likely to ruin your cigar.  However, if you are in an absolute bind you should be able to use your teeth to bite off the cap of the cigar.

This was much more common with older generations when cigars were cheaper, more durable, and easily disposable. With the handcrafted, boutique products we now have, this would definitely not be my first choice for cutting your cigar.

How to cut a cigar with scissors

It goes without saying that cutting our cigar with scissors is not ideal, in fact, we barely recommend it at all. But as a last resort (outside of biting), it is something that we have all done on occasion to cut cigar without cutter.

You need to do this very carefully, as scissors apply pressure from two sides of a cigar, and they don’t do it evenly.

Ensuring you have the sharpest scissors around, carefully make a decisive and firm cut.

Don’t do so too deeply into the head, however, as you just want to take off the tip.

If you can, we recommend that you absolutely invest in a cigar cutter, especially if you’re enjoying one of our premium, hand-made smokes.

 

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