Dedicated to David: The Cigar Cutter for Tuscan Cigars

By Ann Binlot April 9, 2016

dedicated to david the cigar cutter for tuscan cigars coltellerie berti desktop 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Smoking cigars can be a great bonding experience. After all, they are pulled out to celebrate the birth of a baby. You can bond with your friends over cigars, or even with your father and grandfather. If you venture out to far off places, cigars can be the perfect souvenir. Have you ever tried a Cuban cigar? There’s just something about them — could it be that Cuban tobacco? — that sets them apart from the rest. But sometimes, cigar cutters just don’t cut it. If they’re not sharp enough, you lose the composition of the cigar, and the tobacco doesn’t stay put. But in Italy in the late 1800s, there was a man who knew how to cut cigars.

David Berti loved Tuscan cigars, but back in the late 19th century, times were tough. Cigar smokers had to cut their cigars in two because buying an entire cigar was simply too expensive. When people went to the tobacco shop, they had to buy half a cigar at a time. So Berti, who had his own cutlery company, would have to use his table cigar cutter to cut cigars in half. Berti would meticulously sharpen the blade, so that the cut would be smooth.

The modern-day version of Berti’s original cigar cutter has a knife and a wooden block for to rest. The inscription even reads “Dedicato a Davide.” It combines the craftsmanship of the Berti knives with one of Berti’s passions. Now, when you pull out the humidor at home, you’ll have a cutter that all your friends will wonder about and you can tell them the story about Berti while you puff away at cigars.

For more information, visit emporioberti.com.

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Ann Binlot is a New York-based freelance writer who contributes to publications like The Economist, Wallpaper*, Monocle…

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