Cutting and Lighting a Cigar:

There are many ways to cut a cigar.

The most popular and arguably the best way is using a double blade guillotine style cutter, it provides dual sharp edges and will ensure the cleanest cut.

Place your cigar at the head or closed end in the middle of the cutter and lop the end off at the precise spot where the cap line begins, it is usually marked with a noticeable line around the head of the cigar where a small part of the wrapper leaf has been affixed.

Cutting the cap off will ensure the wrapper leaf will not peal away from the cigar when it is moistened from smoking. This style of cut is best for a smooth even draw when smoking.

A single blade cutter works on the same principal but will often damage the wrapper leaf and cause the cigar to unravel while smoking.

A cigar punch is also a popular way to cut a cigar it is designed to pierce a hole in the head of a cigar.

However, this style of cutter does not work on any of the Figurado shapes with tapered ends. The draw from a punch cutter can often create a harsh draw that has a smaller opening concentrating the smoke to a single small circular area that will tend to cause accumulation of tar from the smoke.

Scissor cutters are also used to cut a cigar for smoking but even the highest quality of scissor cutters, if not sharp enough, can be difficult to get an even cut and are not as convenient for carrying.

A V-cutter is also popular amongst some cigar aficionados. It creates a v shaped deep cut that will often cause the cigar cut to fold on itself and cause a build up of tar creating a harsh smoke.

The cap of the cigar is easily removed from the cigar and if need be, and no other form of removing the cap is available, it can be removed with your teeth by biting sharply on the head removing the cap leaf.

Lighting a cigar: When lighting a cigar it is important to keep the flame ½ of an inch away from the cigar allowing the heat, not the flame to ignite the foot or open end of the cigar.

First burn the foot with your lighting implement for a couple of seconds. This will allow you to look at the end as you are lighting making sure it is lit even and it will also burn off any unwanted flavors of ammonia from the storage and fermentation of your cigar.

Once the cigar has been toasted and evenly lit, place it in your mouth and continue to light it with the heat being careful not to draw any of the flavors from the match or lighter of choice.

Once the cigar is lit check the end once again to ensure an even burn and blow out through the cigar to eliminate any odors from the light.

The best implements available for lighting your cigar are the heat torch lighter. These are usually windproof lighters that burn the hottest by using the purest form of butane and are handy to light your cigar when outdoors or wherever you find yourself ready to smoke.

Cigar tasters will judge the quality of a cigar at first light or also known a ‘on the light’ this is not always the best judge of a cigar for the inexperienced smoker.

A cigars taste complexity will improve when it has been given a chance for the oils to warm up and its true flavor is allowed to come out usually around the ¾ or ½ way of its burn.

Give your good handrolled cigars a chance to warm up before judging the taste.

- Cuban Cigar Monthly

Common Cigar Jargon Explained:

Manufacturing terms:

Hecho a Mano
Made by hand. These cigars are machine bunched and finished by hand.

Totalmente a Mano
Totally made by hand. These cigars are made completely by hand from start to finish.

Envuelto a Mano
Wrapped by hand. Typically use on boxes of machine-made cigars that were only packaged ( sorted,cello’d, and placed in the box) by hand.

Hecho en Cuba
Made in Cuba. Describes only the orgin of manufacture and not the method of construction.

Handrolled
Typically machine bunched, but the wrapper was applied by hand. Same as Hecho a Mano.

Hand Finished
Same as Handrolled.

Handmade
Means 100% handmade. Same as Totalmente a Mano.

Handpacked
Machine made cigars which were color sorted and packed by hand. Same as Envuelto a Mano.

Machine Made
Completely machine made from start to finish.

Cigar Sizes and Shapes:

Churchill
This size of cigar takes its name from one of the most notable cigar smokers in history Winston Churchill and was his cigar choice of size to smoke. The dimension is 7 inches by a 48mm ring gauge.

Double Corona
One of the largest sized cigars mass produced for the marketplace. The traditional dimension is 71/2 to 8 inches by a 49mm to 52mm ring gauge.

Corona Gordo
This cigar is a long robousto that is typically a 5 5/8 inches by a 46 ring gauge.

Corona
One of the most popular sizes on the market, traditionally sized at 5 ½ to 6 inches and a ring gauge of 42mm to 44mm.

Robusto
For consistency of draw this shape is one of the most popular. It can be called a short Churchill format and measures 5 to 5 ½ inches by a 50mm ring gauge.

Lonsdale
This was Fidel Castro’s size of choice and is a slim 6 ¼ inches by a 42mm to 44mm ring gauge.

Petit Corona
This cigar is a short Corona which measures typically 4 ½ inches by a 40mm to 42mm ring gauge.

Panatela
This cigar is a short smoke that varies widely in length and ring gauge from 5 to 7 ½ inches and a 34mm to 38mm ring gauge.

Belicoso
This cigar is tapered at one end and is a short pyramid ranging in size from 5 to 5 ½ inches in length to 48mm to 50mm ring gauge.

Pyramid
This cigar is tapered at the head and has an open foot (the part you light) and is widely becoming one of the most popular varieties amongst cigar aficionados. Designed to draw well and burn slow this cigar will take on average around two hours to smoke. It ranges in size between 6 to 7 inches and has a ring gauge of 52mm to 54mm which is wider and the end.

Perfecto
This cigar is tapered at both ends and has a large variety in length ranging from 4 ½ to 9 inches and a ring gauge between 38 to 48 mm.

Accessories:

Humidor
A box or room that is sealed and humidified to create an ideal environment for the storage of cigars.

Cutter
The tool or device used for cutting a cigar being prepared to be smoked.

Hygrometer
The device used to measure the humidity of a box or room and comes in analog or digital varieties.

Humidifier
The device used to provide humidity for the proper storage of cigars.

Other Terms:

Head
The head is the closed end of the cigar that is cut to smoke.

Foot
The foot is the open end of the cigar that is lit for smoking.

Wrapper
The wrapper is the outside leaf that is the highest quality tobacco used in cigar production and is wrapped around the binder leaf.

Binder
The binder is the leaf that is used to bind the filler leaves and is one of the three main leaves used in cigar production.

Filler
The filler can be between two and four different types of leaf. The binder makes up the body of the cigar and is bunched together by the binder leaf.

Cap
This is the small part of the wrapper leaf that is put on last and is placed on the head of the cigar to be cut off for smoking.

Band
The band is the paper ring wrapped around the head of the cigar baring the brand name and country of origin.

Cigar Box
A cigar box can be dressed or Cabinet. The dressed boxes are wooden covered with colorful paper baring the brands make, country of origin and variety. The cigars are stacked with 13 on top and 12 on the bottom with a paper spacer. The Cabinet is made entirely out of wood and has the brand name and variety carved into the box. Cabinet serious boxes usually hold 50 cigars.

Humidor Solution
This solution is a mixture of Polypropylene Glycol and distilled water. It can be bought at any reputable tobacconist and is used to charge your humidifier to help it regulate the humidity. Used only once every six months, it is very helpful with the ongoing care of your cigar collection.

- Cuban Cigar Monthly