The Setup: Clip three of the same cigars with different cuts, set them on fire, and eliminate the losers. Once a cigar becomes less than enjoyable it goes to the trash bin until there’s a clear winner.  I’ll be using a straight cut, punch cut, and shallow V cut.

Expectations: I expect the straight cut to have the most open draw, and the punch cut to become the least enjoyable towards the end. I also expect to enjoy the shallow V cut the most considering how well it fits this flat box-press. If I were to guess, I’d say that I should know the victor by the first ten minutes or so, but am prepared to drag this out to the nub if they’re all contenders.

Issues: Surely there are better ways to go about conducting this anecdotal experiment. But, given a lack of time and wanting to keep as many of the variables constant as possible, I’ve opted to burn all three at the same time.  There’s a decent chance that an otherwise enjoyable cigar will be less impressive since I’ll be getting a triple dose of Papa Nicotine. 

First Elimination: Straight Cut

In a strange deviation from my expectations, the straight cut was put out of the race almost immediately. I thought I might have problems with it when the cold draw was fairly snug, but hoped the flavors would remain true to the Inktome Exception that I remember.

Turns out, pleasant flavors were steamrolled by the tight draw. Two more cuts proved to be futile as well, and I was drawing musky earth, oak, and white pepper out of the cigar.  I cut my losses after a total of three and a half minutes with this stick because it was dragging me down entirely too much.

Second Elimination: Punch Cut

I lit these cigars with a two minute lead time each, giving the first and second a few moments to show me what they’re working with before becoming a full-blown triple smoker. The contrast between the punch cut and the straight cut was so much that I almost tossed the first one in the trash instantly. 

Aromatic cedar, traditional pepper, and something like Chex hit me so hard that I really didn’t think I’d be getting much more out of tonight’s experience. The overall experience was dry, and the draw was very open – again a polar opposite from the straight cut.

The draw was ultimately what eliminated this cut. I was surprised that the punch had the loosest draw with the smallest amount of exposure, but after the first inch and a half it became too loose as a tunnel developed.  Sometimes the cookie crumbles in the most unfortunate ways.

The Victor: Shallow V Cut

I started the V cut two minutes after the punch was lit and just seconds after I tossed the first cigar. Given that I liked the punch so much, I really wasn’t prepared to give the V cut a chance in this scenario - even after listing my expectations. 

And then there was cream, soft cedar, leather, cinnamon, and Cap’n Crunch cereal. Whereas the punch was a dry experience, this cut was creamy, fuller in body, and held just the right amount of resistance in the draw.  The punch cut’s tunnel turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I knew this was the only cigar I wanted to smoke tonight after the first puff. 

Real Talk

This was an anecdotal experiment with three handmade items in one evening. It’s entirely possible that the first cigar was too tight, the second too loose, and the third was juuuuussssstttttt right as Goldilocks would say.  Unless each cigar would’ve held exactly the same evening for me except for the choice of cut, it’s really impossible to crown a champion conclusively.

Also, every cigar demands more than a one-size-fits-all approach if we’re to extract every ounce of enjoyment out of it. Whereas the V cut might very well be one’s cut of choice with this cigar, it pays dividends to listen to other cigars and find the right cut for them.

If you haven’t tried a V cut yet, I highly suggest that you do! They’re affordable, very approachable, and make the most inexperienced of us look like veterans by ensuring that the cut can’t bite too deep.  My personal favorite is the shallow V cut, but many cigar enthusiasts swear by the deeper V cut.  Keep an eye out for both for your toolkit just in case you want to experiment like we did tonight.

Tell Us! How do you cut your favorite cigar?