Split head

 So you've just nipped the cap off your cigar that you've had in the humidor for a while, and instead of a clean slice, the unthinkable happens. It splits. No problem right? Just light the end you cut and smoke it backwards. What could go wrong?

Everything.

Cigars are rolled from the foot to the head and the glue that keeps the wrapper on tight is only applied to the head of the cigar. If you light the head, as soon as you burn through that glue, the cigar will unwrap itself and you're left with a bigger mess than you started with. So what do you do?

Ideally, if the split is very small, you can clip it off, and carry on as normal. Second to that, you can wrap a small piece of wrapper leaf around the head and seal the split. But most of us don't carry cigar leaves. The solution, aside from tossing the cigar and lighting a new one, is a bit if rolling paper. Now before you get started, you want to make sure the cigar isn't overly dried out. It shouldn't split if it's properly humidified, but occasionally it can happen even to a good smoke. Give the cigar a gentle squeeze at the foot. If it's in good shape, it'll give a little and bounce back. If the foot also cracks, you've got a dry stick that won't smoke very nice even if you repair it. You can try to rehydrate it slowly in a secondary small humidifier, but it might be too far gone at this point. I'll leave that discussion for another day. 

Assuming the cigar isn't too dry, you can go ahead with the repair. Of course, it won't be pretty, and many die hard smokers will tell you to just toss it, but you want that cigar! So let's get to it, and trust me, it's easy.

First, remove the label. It'll get in the way if you leave it on. Of course you can leave it there if you like, it just means you need to work around it, and you'll take it off as you smoke anyhow. Next, you'll need a little bit of cigar glue. If you don't have any, mix some warm water with pectin to make some. You'll also need, obviously, rolling paper. You'll want larger papers so that they can wrap around the cigar. Take one, and trim it so that it'll cover from the clipped end to just past the split. Make sure it'll overlap. Now, you want to spread the glue thinly over the entire paper. Wrap the paper over the end of the cigar trying not to leave any overhang. Repeat with a second and if you like, third paper to make a good solid seal. Now give it a very VERY light brazing with a torch just enough to dry it without burning the papers. That's it! Light up and enjoy your sightly less attractive, but hopefully still delicious cigar.