Moistening the cap prevents the wrapping from cracking so your cigar doesn’t come undone.

Avoid placing the blade below the cap line since you will cut through the wrapping and your cigar may unravel as you smoke it. If you don’t have a knife with you, you can also use your thumbnail to cut through the cap.

If you’re using a dull knife, you may need to rotate the cigar a few more times to cut through the cap. Place the cigar on a table when you cut it if you have trouble rotating it by hand. This works best if you’re using a really sharp knife so you don’t crush or crack the cigar.

If you have trouble peeling the cap off, you may need to cut around it again with your knife. Be careful if you see a vein running from the cap to the main body of the cigar since you could tear the wrapping and make it come undone.

This style of cut works best on cigars that have rounded or blunt ends. Do not apply a lot of pressure to the knife since it could easily slip and you may cut yourself.

You can light and smoke your cigar after making the second cut if you want.

Cutting additional lines into the cap allows more air to flow through the cigar so it’s easier to draw from. You do not have to peel off the cap to smoke your cigar since air will pass through the lines you cut.

Avoid trying to punch a hole in your cigar when it’s dry since you’re more likely to damage it.

You can use a flathead screwdriver if you need to, but it won’t make as large of a hole. If you don’t have a screwdriver, you can use any sharp or pointed object, such as a pencil, pen, or golf tee.

If the draw feels too tight, punch 1–2 more holes next to the first one and test it again. [11] X Research source If you used a pen or golf tee to punch your holes, you may need 4–5 holes total through the cigar’s cap to get an even draw.

Don’t put the cigar any further in your mouth since you could damage it if you bite past the cap line.

Biting the cap will make an inconsistent cut, so it’s not recommended unless you don’t have any other way to remove the cap.

Avoid swallowing the cap since it could make you sick. [15] X Trustworthy Source U. S. National Capital Poison Center Independent poison control center providing resources to prevent poisonings and save lives Go to source