i have a newbie question....and dont kill me i searched the archieves...
why do cigars have caps if you just cut them off
also what do ISOM and PAM stand for...thanks lots guys

Or this one ... but it's probably just duplicates of the first one I posted ...

http://www.cigarbid.com/auction/forum/forum.cfm?action=list&forumID=1&messageDisplay=0000000007155 

Very good chance of it duplicating it, Slim. You put down the exact same link in both posts.

thanks but im not following, remember im new here

Jim, copy the url listed above and review that thread. It may answer some of your qstns.

ISOM= Island South of Miami ( Cuba)

PAM= Padron Anniv. Maduro

DOH !!!

Oh well ... it was just another thread, with basically the same info anyway ... LOL!

The capa's (cap) purpose is to hold the wrapper together. It is cut as a circular section from the same leaf as is used in the wrapper to maintain uniformity of color.

Care should be taken when clipping the cigar so as not to remove the cap in its entirety otherwise the wrapper will unravel. I take as little as posible off the cap, just enough to open the end to about the same diameter as the cigar.

Most of the time with a normal shape (not torpedo,etc.) cigar, I try to cut as little as possible, but always below the cap line (I like a larger whole than a lot of punches give -but punch is a good way to keep your cap in tact). About 75% of the time when I accidentally or by necessity cut the whole cap off, the wrapper unravels on me at least a little - enought to piss me off (and as I've already mentioned - it is unacceptable for a cigar to piss you off). Some cigars (often larger ones) will have a double or triple cap and it's hard to cut the whole thing off. These are good if you need to open it up for a better draw or if you want to chomp on it without it unraveling.