So here you are, feet in the sand, in the shade on the coast of your favorite Central American country on the Caribbean Ocean. You brought your fresh coconuts, some cut up pineapple, and your gorgeous spouse who is laying next to you tanning in the golden hot sun rays. You open the stash of your favorite cigars only to discover that you forgot your cutter.
With no cigar stores nearby, and only a gang of iguanas relaxing and basking by the shore, you suddenly have a huge problem.
Nothing like Armageddon, but the exact feeling in incompleteness, robbing your senses of the detailed wonder around you. When you feel the strong urge to light up and chill in paradise, there should be nothing stopping you from ultimate pristine relaxation.
Do not let this feeling of lack overcome you so suddenly! You have come too far, and spent too much time working. It is time to seize the day. If you find yourself in this exact scenario, all is not lost. Although you may not be able to cut your cigar in the traditional way, there are other ways of slicing your cigar when you are left without a cutter to do the job.
How to smoke a cigar without a cutter
Pocket Knife
If you have already been through the ringer, then you know that any set of keys is incomplete without a pocket knife. If you are one of these survivor man types, you can use your small blade to cut your cigar. To cut your cigar, hold the head firmly in hand. Holding the knife with the other hand, place the blade of the knife about 1/16th of an inch from the top of the cap. Rotate the cigar slowly, following the direction of the wrapper until the cap begins to come off at about ¾ of the way around. You can also cut the cap off like you cut your Portuguese sausage at breakfast if your blade is sharp enough.
Your Thumbnail
Cutting the cigar using your thumbnail is a lot cleaner than biting it off, but not as tasty! You definitely won’t get any tobacco oils in your mouth during the process. Take the cigar and use your thumbnail to trace a line along the cap. Once you have established a groove around the cigar, keep on spinning it until it cuts away from the rest of the cigar. Easy as that, and didn’t even need to pinch.
Use Your Teeth
This option should be avoided, as doing this is not pleasant, and if you lack experience, you could ruin your cap end. Although it would not be an arrow to the heart, it will make you cringe while trying to puff your favorite Cohiba with the cap unevenly oily.
If you don’t have a knife or a sharp, pointed object available, you may be left with no choice but to simply bite the head off of your cigar. Just bite hard at the spot where you normally put your cigar cutter and pull away. If you haven’t done this before, be ready to have slivers of tobacco in your mouth after removing the cap.
If you are very eager to smoke your cigar and you remember how to smoke a cigar without a cutter, you have to be resourceful and creative enough to find a way to light up. With a little bit of ingenuity and an everyday object or two, you can cut your cigar and have it ready for a relaxing smoking experience no matter your circumstance. Remember to be delicate, and using your front teeth, evenly bite down about 1/16th of an inch down on the cap, just like a pair of pliers. Top and bottom teeth should not be overlapping when you bite. This should help get that perfect even cut cigar. Not to mention you will look even more like an aficionado in the game. It never fails to impress.
If you’re looking for the perfect cigar cutter, check out our post on the exploring world of cigar cutters
