ANY TRUTH IN THIS

[TonyN]

Been reading up on some posts that are a few months old now and came across this .

I have always cut but bought a Xikar punch just to try. The hole created is quite small and I found that it did not suit large ring gauge cigars, the tar buildup was too much.
For small ring gauges, particularly tres petit corona size cigars, the punch hole was adequate and it actually helped keep the shape of the head during smoking.


For the smokers that punch their cigars is there any truth in the above.

[PeeJay]

I've never experienced it Tony but I'm sure someone on here did recently

[TonyN]

Thanks peejay be intresting to hear from the punchers what they say about the build up of tar.

[Rob Royston]

Don't think I've ever let it get that bad. I'll use a punch at first, nearly always. If I feel the hole isn't big enough then out comes the cutter.
Use the cutter about 25% of times but don't think ring gauge matters for me.

[PeeJay]

Stick with the punching though Tony, your initial perceptions were accurate and if you ever tackle a 70 or 80 gauge you might find two or three punched holes is the best way to tackle them.

[rascal]

Thanks peejay be intresting to hear from the punchers what they say about the build up of tar.

None if you use the right of punch. A punch is not a one size fits all thing

[smokey joe]

i get the point about smaller cigars, especially the short filler type, getting messy at the head if cut.

Really need to invest in a punch!

[Sgt_Banter]

I use a punch for my small to medium ring gauge cigars and a cutter for the larger ones. However, for me personally it has nothing to do with tar build up but more to do with a more restrictive draw from a punch

[TJCoro]

Tar Tar Sauce!

Been reading up on some posts that are a few months old now and came across this .

I have always cut but bought a Xikar punch just to try. The hole created is quite small and I found that it did not suit large ring gauge cigars, the tar buildup was too much.
For small ring gauges, particularly tres petit corona size cigars, the punch hole was adequate and it actually helped keep the shape of the head during smoking.


For the smokers that punch their cigars is there any truth in the above.

Which part? Several claims in the above, but if your concern is the tar, I've been using a punch for many, many years and never had this problem.

Boy, Bag Boy

[TJCoro]

Double Punched!

I use a punch for my small to medium ring gauge cigars and a cutter for the larger ones. However, for me personally it has nothing to do with tar build up but more to do with a more restrictive draw from a punch

Haha! You know....you can punch a larger puro more that once. Try offsetting the punch holes to form a figure eight. Good for opening up larger sticks, like a Punch-Punch (get it?).

That's what I do, anywaz!


Jay, Ray Jay

[butternutsquashpie]

Tar builds up due to numerous reasons:
1. Too humid
2. Too dry
3. Lack of normal oxygen supply
4. Inherent issue with the cigar.

I didn't include the 'too small of a hole' reason because that only happens if you're smoking a bloody 60-70 ring gauge cigar with a 5 mm punch. Even then, frequent purging really helps to stop that.


What I do with my Trinidads, Lanceros, etc, is I twist the pigtail after wetting it a bit. That gives me a perfect draw. I smoke it as so until around the halfway point where there is build up of noticeable tar on the inside of the pigtail. That's when I punch it off and purge and the cigar is like new again.

I also use a cigar holder occasionally and you won't believe the amount of tar that accumulates in the stem of the holder sometimes. Non-Cubans actually sometimes crust up the cigar holder if I don't clean it out right after smoking.

[butternutsquashpie]

May I also recommend changing the title of the thread to reflect what it's actually about? Just a thought to help make the forum a tad easier to browse

[ValeTudoGuy]

I'm another person here who's never had a problem with that.

[wolfie]

no problems here

[tommy]

I use a punch for all my cigars except BHK and Siglo VI which I like to cut the traditional guillotine way. I've never had tar build up but occasionally I either re punch with a larger hole or clip the end off with a guillotine if the draw is too tight. I use the thinking that if you start with a small hole you can always make it bigger but once that thing is stretched out there's no going back [emoji12]