For a while now, most of the cigars I smoke - irrespective of the brand - have this same experience.

After I cut it, a tear in the top wrapper is made. That causes for an awkward feel when smoking. In many cases, that tear eventually expands until the wrapper comes off the cigar. Which again makes for an awkward smoke.

I'm wondering if the cutter is the culprit, and I need a razor-sharp cutter.

If that's the case, what is the best and sharpest cutter you know of? I'll buy it today.

If there is another reason why this keeps happening, I'd love to hear it.

Some of the cigars have been in the humidor for a while. Others I smoke within a few days or a week after I get them from CigarBid.com

Any help is appreciated. I'm not an expert in cigars, hence the question.

Oh, I think both cutters aren't terribly sharp. So whatever the cause, I think a sharp cutter will help either way.

Thanks!

What cigars are you cutting?

You do probably need a new, sharper cutter (or a punch) but to be sure your old cutter isn't doing you a favor, please tell us what you are cutting.

A couple of thoughts. Maybe you are cutting too deep into the shoulder of the cigar which would start to unravel. The other thing is your cigars may be too wet and expanding in the dry air as you smoke.

good advice: get sharp quality cutters, or use a punch or V cutter on cigars with flat heads...if using a guillotine, try to cut as thin a slice as possible, about the thickness of the wrapper, and avoid taking the entire cap(s) off

This time of year I put my stogie in my mouth for a few minutes. Wouldn’t say I slobber it all up but maybe a lil. Then I clip the cap Sometimes mine bust the cap just enough for the wrapper to start getting screwed up. Saw a lee Mack video of him doing it a good while back. For me this seems to be a winter thing. It’s working for me. Yeah I guess it’s kinda gross if you think about it. But it’s my dam cigar. And my dam cutter. So I do what I want.

I think my cutters are reasonably sharp. Some aren’t but I never figured out how to keep one super sharp. Also not sure if I trust myself with one super sharp

[quote=Jakethesnake86]I think my cutters are reasonably sharp. Some aren’t but I never figured out how to keep one super sharp. Also not sure if I trust myself with one super sharp [/quote]

If have Xikar cutters and you feel they’ve lost their edges, you can return them for sharpening or replacement.

Or at least you could with the old ownership.

The more I think about it. I’m not sure I’ve ever bought a cutter. I don’t remember ever buying one. Maybe a 99 cent one ???

[quote=deadeyedick]A couple of thoughts. Maybe you are cutting too deep into the shoulder of the cigar which would start to unravel. The other thing is your cigars may be too wet and expanding in the dry air as you smoke.[/quote]

^This was my initial thought.

I was having similar issues and burst wrapper problems a month or two ago.

I analyzed the situation, applied my deductive reasoning skills, read literature, consulted experts, and came to the conclusion that it could be that the cigar is too moist or too dry. Or that my humidor is too moist or too dry. Or that the ambient air outside the humidor is too moist or too dry.

My conclusion was the the wrappers were brittle because they were too dry, so they would putz up when I tried to cut or punch them. Even if they didn't mess up on cutting, the cigar would expand and bust the wrapper during smoking because the wrapper is too dry and not supple. I added more humidity, and the problem has been mostly solved. I think I've only had one screw up on opening, and that was last night, and I think it was because I let the humidity drop.

Or maybe the humidor is too moist. 😕

Also, be like Jake and lick the head before you cut it and suck on it.

(Couldn't help it.)

(Actually, I moisten the tip with my mouth too.)

Don’t ignore the balls.

^. Agreed to both of the above!

Thanks everyone. This is very helpful. In addition, I've done two things:

1. watched some videos on how to cut a cigar. That helped.

2. Just bought a Xikar cutter. So thanks for the tip on that.

Bones, next time you use a double guillotine, open it and lay it flat on the table. Put the cap end of the cigar into the opening (with the cutter still laying on the table) and then squeeze to cut. This is a sure fire way to make sure you only take off only about a nickel's width of cap and dont encroach beyond the cap into the wrapper.

Having said that, some cigars only have a single cap (looking at you Sancho Panza dbl maduro) so no matter what you do, you will likely end up with the entire cap coming off either during cutting or sometime during smoking. Never impedes the smoking experience for this particular cigar, but it happens 80+% of the time I smoke one of these. I even used a punch on these and the cap came off about half way into smoking it...

know a guy that always cuts the cap off... try to warn him but he doesn't listen... 🤐

Unless it's dull as ****, cut FASTER.

[quote=DrafterX]know a guy that always cuts the cap off... try to warn him but he doesn't listen... 🤐 [/quote]

my heart goes out to his future widow.

he'll be comin round the mountain...when he comes...

[quote=Stogie1020]Bones, next time you use a double guillotine, open it and lay it flat on the table. Put the cap end of the cigar into the opening (with the cutter still laying on the table) and then squeeze to cut. This is a sure fire way to make sure you only take off only about a nickel's width of cap and dont encroach beyond the cap into the wrapper.

Having said that, some cigars only have a single cap (looking at you Sancho Panza dbl maduro) so no matter what you do, you will likely end up with the entire cap coming off either during cutting or sometime during smoking. Never impedes the smoking experience for this particular cigar, but it happens 80+% of the time I smoke one of these. I even used a punch on these and the cap came off about half way into smoking it... [/quote]

They do have cutters that will only cut a minimal amount off the cap - one end is closed.

Yup cutting too deep and dull cutter are the most common culprit.

I've been using the Cuban Crafters Perfect Cigar Cutter Dos Chabetas for years. It catches your clippings and will cut 99% of cigars perfectly. It's also lifetime warranted. 🇨🇮