The main question many smokers ask is, can you cut a cigar in half? Yes, you can cut a cigar in half.
You can cut your cigar how you want, doubling your smoking experience. However, just because you can cut a cigar in half, doesn’t always mean you should.
Why cut a cigar in half?
When it comes to lighting up a tasty stogie, there are a few reasons why some smokers cut theirs in half, which may not always be why you would think.
- Save Money
Some smokers will cut their longer cigars in half to save money. Longer cigars, like Churchills or double coronas, are usually the kind that gets cut in half. Chopping cigars into two means you can smoke one half straight away and save the other for later.
- Sharing the cigar
Some smokers cut cigars in half to share with someone else. However, we’d advise against this. We instead recommend waiting to enjoy the smoke when you each have a cigar of your own instead of attempting to smoke it after it’s been cut.
Why we don’t recommend it
You want to enjoy the whole experience of smoking a cigar with no interruptions. While cutting a cigar is usually fine to do, there are some potential problems you may face.
- The cigar will unravel
When constructing a cigar, the product is carefully blended and hand-made to guarantee an even burn.
Cut a cigar in half and you risk the cigar unraveling. The binder and filler tobacco can be destroyed when this happens, which makes lighting up and smoking it an unpleasant experience.
- Tobacco is different on both ends of the cigar
It can take years to master the art of perfecting cigar rolling. Cut a cigar into pieces, and it no longer reflects the brand’s intention behind the smoke, as the wrapper and filler aren’t burning continuously from the beginning to the end.
Why you should avoid cutting a cigar in half
When you feel cutting a cigar in half may be appropriate, consider some of its impacts on the cigar and the favors you may experience. Here are some things you could do instead of cutting your cigar in half.
- Smoke a smaller sized cigar
It’s always best to finish a cigar in one sitting instead of saving a half-smoked cigar for later. We recommend this as best practice to ensure you enjoy the whole smoking experience. If you don’t think you can smoke the entirety of a large cigar, try smoking a smaller one, like a robusto, instead of cutting your longer cigar in half.
- Smoke a milder cigar
If you are new to smoking and afraid of a cigar’s strength being too strong, consider opting for a milder cigar. The smoke of the best mild cigars can provide a fantastic taste without overwhelming your tolerance.
How to cut a cigar in half
Suppose you still want to cut your cigar in half after learning some of the issues you may have experienced. In that case, you should follow our tips and recommendations before cutting up your cigar and changing your smoking experience.
- Choose a cheap cigar
When it comes to cutting a cigar and running the risk of tarnishing your smoking experience, you always want to ensure the cigar is a cheap choice. That way, it doesn’t haunt your bank account too heavily. and depending on your preferences, you can opt for a Besides, once you know how to find a cheaper smoke, you might want to make it a permanent resident in your humidor.
- Remove the cellophane
Some cigars can be wrapped in a cellophane layer. Before you cut the cigar in half, ensure you remove the cellophane, as it could cause the blades of your cutter to jam and prevent a clean cut.
- Use a sharp cutter
It’s important to use a sharp cigar cutter and ensure it is wide enough to fit around the whole cigar without damaging the wrapper. Opting for a big ring cutter is the best. Cut the cigar in one quick motion. If you do it too slowly, you can shred the tobacco and create messy pieces, impacting the quality of your smoke and making it difficult to enjoy.
Machine-made cigars
Premium cigars are usually hand-rolled and created with the utmost quality and attention to detail. However, as the industry has grown, some cigars are now machine-made. Machine-made cigars use short-filler tobacco, which is easy to cut as you’re already smoking a smaller and inexpensive cigar.
To summarize, you can cut a cigar should you choose and follow the above guidance. However, we’d always recommend choosing a shorter cigar instead.