What is a Figure 8 cigar punch?

Tuesday, June 21 2011

Q: One of your recent newsletters mentioned a "Figure 8" cigar punch. I don't know what a figure 8 cigar punch is. Can you please show me a picture in one of your articles?
- Robert McKasson in San Juan Capistrano, CA

A: Sure thing Robert. The Figure 8 cigar punch is clearly illustrated in the photo above. It's easy to do, too. Simply take a good, sharp punch cutter, like the one shown here, and instead of twisting the blade in the center of the head, do it closer to one of the shoulders. Then, make a second punch on the other side, positioning the blade at the edge of the first punch. Voila! A perfect figure 8. It's a marked improvement over the single, center punch in terms of draw and flavor, too.

However, I would only recommend this technique be used on cigars that are no less than a 48 ring, or you could wind up cutting into the shoulders, which could cause the cap to unravel.