Monthly Archives: January 2020

Cutting A Cigar

Regardless of who you are, or what cigar your smoking enjoying a premium hand made cigar always begins with cutting and lighting the cigar. Every individual has his or her own routine when it comes to doing this. However generally it begins with making some type of cut to the cigar in an effort  to remove part of the cap or flag leaf that closes the cigar, while leaving some of it glued around the end to keep the filler leaves together. In my experience it's always better to make a more shallow initial cut, then test the pre-light draw. If the initial cut is too deep the cigar can run the risk of unravelling.  Traditionally three types of cuts are used; a straight cut, punch cut or v-cut. For myself personally, and in my experience the majority of smokers select a straight cut, also known as a guillotine cut. Having a quality and sharp cutter makes this cut much easier and reduces the risk of damaging the cigar. Both Xikar and Colibri make some great tools t

I'm guessing if you're reading this article you most likely enjoy smoking premium cigars, but do you know what the process of making one looks like? Many of us enjoy the luxury that comes along with smoking a premium hand made cigar; however very few know the effort that goes into making the cigars. Making premium cigars like Padron, Davidoff, and Ashton can be  an extremely labor intensive process that can take several years, to go from seed to shelf. The purpose of this article will be to better acquaint ourselves with the process, and hopefully provide a new appreciation for the product we love.

Every cigar begins with a seed. The seed itself is extremely small, its equivalent to roughly the size of a candy sprinkle.Just a bottle cap full of seeds is capable of planting an entire row of crops. The seeds are first transformed into seedlings, this takes about 60 days. Once they become seedlings they can be planted in the fields; where they are fully grown in only 90 days.