Rate the Bullet

What are the pros and cons of using a bullet, or punch, cutter?

Posted: September 24, 2012

There are certainly more cons when it comes to a quality cut.

The most obvious con is that a bullet, also called a punch, cutter is virtually impossible to use on a belicoso, torpedo or pyramid. Unlike a guillotine, bullet cutters make small, circular openings in the cap of a cigar, typically about half the diameter of a dime. This small cut can cause problems, especially in the latter stages of smoking a cigar.

Small openings exacerbate the accumulation of moisture and tars near the head of the cigar, so a cigar cut with a bullet or a piercer is more likely to grow bitter early in the smoke than a cigar cut by a guillotine. And since bullet cutters work by tunneling into the body of the cigar, you have to be careful not to press too hard. If you apply too much pressure, you may split the cap of the cigar.

On the pro side, bullet cutters are fine if you tend to smoke only parejos. They're also a good choice if you dislike the sensation of tasting the cut head of a cigar in your mouth, and prefer the feel of the smoother cigar cap.

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