Explore the Best Cigar Accessories
Cigar enthusiasts worldwide are discovering how the right cigar accessories can boost the savory gratification of a good cigar and all the privileges that come with it. From enjoying the subtle complexities of taste and aroma to the simple joy of relaxation and contemplation, the best cigar accessories will take your smoking pleasure to a new level.
Cigar accessories greatly enhance the ritualistic joys of cigars for a more engaging and satisfying smoking journey. The following cigar learning guide will walk you through the best cigar accessories and the benefits each will bring to your cigar smoking experience, from cigar cutters to cigar storage and everywhere in between.
How to Choose a Cigar Cutter
Handmade cigars have a small section of tobacco leaf placed over the head, called the cap. This needs to be cut before smoking. So, a good cigar cutter is one of the best cigar accessories you can add to your arsenal. There are numerous cutter types, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a look at some top cigar cutter options, how they work, and what they bring to your cigar smoking experience.
Straight Cutter
A straight cut is a popular cigar-cutting choice that slices off a portion of the cigar’s head using a flat, sharp blade. Since a straight cut removes most of the cigar’s cap, it creates a larger surface to draw through. You get more of the smoke flowing freely through the aperture, delivering more taste and body to your taste buds and palate.
There are many straight cutter styles for home, office, lounge, or travel, ranging from cigar scissors to cigar knives and guillotines. Double guillotines are a favorite option, as they are quick and easy to use. Double-blade cutters are preferred because they cut from opposing sides, minimizing potential damage caused by a blade pinching or tearing the leaf.
How to Use a Straight Cutter
The trick to using the straight-cut method is to cut only enough of the cap to create a wide aperture to draw through. Cut the cigar too far down, and the wrapper can unravel, among other issues. So, line up the blade just above the edge of the cap. This cut will give you maximum surface area while limiting complications. In addition, cutting too slowly can squeeze or pinch the cigar. Ensure your fingers are safely out of the way and make the cut decisively.
Punch Cutter
The punch cutter is a popular choice among cigar smokers on the go due to its versatility, value, and portability. This cutter features a small circular blade that cuts or “punches” into the head of the cigar. So, instead of slicing off a part of the head like a straight cut, the punch cut only removes a small part of the cap. The cut creates a smaller diameter to draw through. For better or worse, this funnels body and taste to a more focused point on your palate.
Punch cutters often feature keyrings, making them perfect for traveling or as a backup to other cigar cutter types. In addition, punch cutters are often built into cigar lighters. The punch cut can be used on any cigar size, from a Lancero to a Gordo and beyond. However, a punch cutter can be difficult to use with Figurado cigars, such as a Montecristo No. 2 Torpedo.
How to Use a Punch Cutter
The punch cut works like a cookie cutter, and is easy to use. Line up the punch cutter at the center of the cigar’s head. Firmly push the cutter into the cigar, twisting until it pierces the cap. Then, gently remove the blade from the cigar and any debris remaining in the cutter. Fans of larger cigars can make two or three overlapping punch cuts for a larger drawing surface.
V-Cutter
The V-cut or wedge-cut is a classic cutting method that removes a V-shaped section of a cigar’s head. The idea behind this unique cut is to provide more surface area, allowing more of the smoke’s character to meet your palate. V-cutters are perhaps the trickiest to use of all cigar cutters, yet once mastered, they offer a deeply gratifying way to cut your favorite cigars.
Classic V-cutters have a hinged, wedge-shaped blade attached to a handle. These larger and often bulky traditional cutters are best suited for home, office, or lounge settings. However, a new wave of modern V-cutter designs allows cigar enthusiasts to enjoy a V-cut almost anywhere. From pocket V-cutters to hybrids based on popular cigar guillotines, you have greater flexibility and ease of use with a quality V-cutter.
How to Use a V-Cutter
The key to using a V-cutter is ensuring your cigar fits the sizes the cutter allows. If the cigar is too big or small, the V-shaped blade won’t deliver an optimal cut and can cause damage. With the cigar facing up, carefully insert the cigar’s head into the V-cutter so the blade will cut downward. Press down on the blade with a smooth, decisive motion. Be sure to keep the cigar still during the action and remove it from the cutter only after the blade has returned to its open position.
Finding the right cutter might take some time, but finding the cigar cutter that gives you the best smoking experience is well worth the effort. So, as you experiment with different cigar cutter types, note how the cutter feels in your hand, its ease of use, and how it affects your overall impressions of your smoke.
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Best Cigar Lighters
A good flame is a must to light and enjoy your favorite cigars properly. Investing in a high-quality cigar lighter is a surefire way to take your cigar smoking to another level. Cigar lighter types for every conceivable lifestyle or occasion are available, ranging from soft flame classics to multi-tool torch lighters.
The lighter type you choose will affect the cigar’s taste, your lighting ritual, and the overall enjoyment your cigar smoking brings. Butane or gas lighters are the preferred choice for cigar smoking, as the gas is odorless and tasteless. Butane allows the character of the tobacco to shine unaltered.
Fluid or petrol lighters, like the iconic Zippo, offer wind resistance and reliability. However, petrol alters the taste of tobacco, which can make for a very unhappy cigar-smoking experience. While petrol lighters work in a pinch, butane gas lighters should always be the first choice when lighting cigars.
Size, style, and ease of use are other things to consider. For example, a heavy tabletop lighter might be a perfect symbol of prestige for a lounge or office, but it will be inconvenient for traveling. Selecting a cigar lighter that best suits your cigar smoking needs helps make for a more satisfying smoke. While many variations exist, we can simplify cigar lighter types to soft flame and torch flame.
Soft Flame Cigar Lighters
Soft flame is your traditional flame lighter, providing the familiar yellow flame you see after striking a classic cigar match. Soft flame lighters score points for style, ritual, and nostalgia. They also provide an elegant yet simple and effective way to prepare cigars for smoking. Soft flame butane lighters perform the best when out of the elements, as the flame is often easily snuffed out by the wind. Yet soft flame lighters are ideal when a touch of sophistication and classic style is in order.
Torch Flame Cigar Lighters
The torch flame is the gold standard for many cigar aficionados worldwide. The hot blue flame of butane torch lighters is ideal for active cigar smokers wanting versatility, pinpoint accuracy, wind resistance, and speed. The focused flame makes it easy to toast the cigar’s foot and light it evenly and quickly. Torch lighters often feature multi-tool designs, including cigar cutters, golf divot tools, bottle openers, and more. So, torch lighters are great options for outdoor lovers wanting the flexibility to enjoy cigars anywhere.
Cigar Matches and Cedar Spills
Many cigar purists consider using cedar to be a more elegant cigar lighting technique. Matches have long been seen as the ideal way to light cigars, provided the matches are made of cedar and are sulfur-free. By contrast, paper matches should be avoided due to the impurities in the paper and match head that can negatively change the taste of a cigar.
Cigar matches are a favorite lighter alternative, as the matches are made of cedar and add a touch of woodiness to the smoke. Cigar matches are also sulfur-free, minimizing contaminants and unwanted alterations in taste. In addition, cigar matches are longer than standard matches, allowing plenty of time to light the cigar without burning your fingers.
Cedar spills can add another level of taste, complexity, and showmanship to your favorite premium cigars. Cedar “spills” are simply cedar strips repurposed from cigar boxes, cigar tubes, cigar factory scraps, or other sources. Just light the cedar spill and use it as you would a cigar match to light your cigar.
Cigar matches and cedar spills may not offer the convenience of cigar lighters, but they bring a timeless flair to lighting cigars. So, keep these alternatives handy as cigar lighter backups and whenever you want to make your cigar lighting ritual a more dramatic affair.
Learn more about Cigar Lighting Options.
Cigar Humidifiers
A cigar humidifier works by enhancing an enclosed space with moisture to ensure consistent relative humidity levels at or near 70%. Without humidifiers, cigars will dry out, losing their flavor, cracking, and ending your cigar smoking experience before it even begins. Too much humidity can also damage cigars, so humidifiers are cigar storage accessories you don’t want to be without.
With the addition of a humidifier, anything with an airtight seal can become a cigar humidor, whether a Ziploc bag, wooden box, or luxurious cabinet. So, from budget-friendly travel sizes to electronic room-size systems, humidifier types are available to fit all situations.
Cigar humidifiers are either passive or active. Passive humidifiers add moisture to a space to help maintain humidity levels. A sponge-type humidifier would be an example of a passive humidifier. In comparison, active humidifiers are programmed to automatically adjust humidity levels as needed and circulate air to ensure equal humidification throughout the container, as we see in modern electronic humidification systems.
So, when deciding which humidifier is best for you, consider the humidor’s size and how many cigars you intend to store. Also, consider the level of maintenance the humidifier requires, whether weekly, monthly, or yearly. No matter the size or budget, you will find the perfect cigar humidifier type for your cigars.
Sponge or Foam Cigar Humidifiers
The most common cigar humidifiers use a sponge-like material that gradually releases humidity into the humidor. Many material types are used for these humidifiers, with green floral foam a long-time favorite. While these humidifiers need water added regularly to perform well, they offer good overall results and value. Newer polymer materials that provide greater longevity, consistency, and mold prevention are now on the market, expanding your options further.
Humidification Packs
Humidification packs deliver a convenient yet highly effective way to humidify cigars. Just toss a pack or two into your humidor, and the packs will do the rest maintenance-free. Humidification packs, such as Boveda’s popular options, let you choose the humidity level, whether 65%, 69%, 72%, etc. So, you’ll have peace of mind that your cigars are kept at optimal humidity levels. However, humidification packs are single-use and must be replaced every few months.
Gel and Bead Humidifiers
Crystal gel polymers and silica beads provide good humidity control with relatively low maintenance. Both materials absorb many times their weight in water, so water only needs to be added every few weeks. Unlike sponge, foam, or humidification packs, gel and beads can last years. So, you only need to replace the material occasionally, making for a cost-effective and reliable humidification choice.
Electric Humidifiers
Electric humidifiers are high-tech climate solutions that give you more flexibility in storing your cigars, with onboard sensors, alarms, and hygrometers. Most electric humidifiers have a built-in fan triggered by sensors to circulate air throughout the humidor, ensuring that your cigars are evenly humidified. Electric humidifiers can go a month or more before needing a water refill. These pricier precision units are typically for larger humidors that require a wall outlet connection or rechargeable batteries.
Learn more about Cigar Humidifiers
Additional Accessories for Cigar Aficionados
The best cigar accessories enhance cigar smoking through both form and function. Your choice of accessories is not limited to simply cutting, lighting, and storing cigars. Other helpful accessories can help you streamline and elevate your cigar experience to new, immensely satisfying heights.
Cigar Ashtrays
A good cigar can be wonderfully relaxing, yet wayward cigar ash can ruin the moment, especially when hosting fellow cigar enthusiasts. A cigar ashtray keeps your cigar ash safely contained and off your clothes, furniture, and floor. Also, ashtrays offer an opportunity to upgrade your décor. From deep bowls to cigar rests, a myriad of cigar ashtray designs help you customize and enhance your cigar-smoking experience.
Cigar Cases
Cigar cases elevate your cigar-smoking game with greater style and peace of mind while on the go. Cigar cases are available in a broad range of styles and sizes. Functional hard resin cases are great for keeping cigars safe while on the move, while wood and leather cases offer a more sophisticated, luxurious touch when out on the town. In addition, some cigar cases have space for small humidifiers to keep your cigars fresh on overnight or weekend excursions.
Hygrometers
Hygrometers measure and display an atmosphere’s relative humidity, so these handy devices are perfect additions to your humidor. You can track humidity levels at a glance to ensure your cigars are in optimal condition. Digital hygrometers often give temperature and other climate information to help keep your cigars in an ideal climate, so they always deliver the best possible smoking experience.
Learn more about Must-Have Cigar Accessories for Aficionados
Accessorize for a Better Cigar Smoking Experience
The best cigar accessories greatly enhance your cigar lifestyle, adding layers of satisfaction and joy that even the best cigars cannot deliver alone. Adding the right cigar accessories to your collection opens up new possibilities. You’ll enjoy your cigar escapes with greater ease, dependability, pleasure, and peace of mind. So, take your cigar smoking to the next level with some of the best cigar accessories. While you’re busy, why not expand your cigar collection, too? Swiss Cuban Cigars is proud to offer one of the widest selections and the highest quality cigars you’ll find online, so treat yourself today.