How To Handle a Tight F&*$%# Band

[rcarlson]

I have just torn the wrapper on my Saturday morning smoke.  Another tight band that I couldn't remove without tearing the wrapper.  As long as I've been at this, I still have not figured out a trick to remove a tight/heavily glued band without damaging my stick.  I am close to taking a hostage.  Does anyone have a trick for removing a stubborn band? 

[Danimalia]

Hmmm... Smoke figurados and slide them off 

My usual MO is to smoke the cigar for a while before removing the band. I've read the warmth can soften the glue. I don't know, but I have noticed sometimes they'll slide a bit easier when I'm well into my smoke. I am maybe a bit weird because I like the band on for a bit, as I consider it a part of the aesthetics of the cigar. But I also like to "feel" the wrapper, so I generally only keep it on for the first 3rd or so. Frequently with Habanos, it won't come completely unglued, so I end up peeling off the band in layers, like 2 ply toilet paper. 

 

[JR Kipling]

I smoke ‘em till very close to the band. Usually the glue is warmed enough for removal. If that doesn’t work I use a very sharp, thin bladed pocket knife to lift the end of the band away from the cigar. I am careful not to cut the wrapper. So, the condition of the band is a secondary consideration. 

[luv2fly]

I never touch the band until it is ready to be easily removed.  Most of mine are since I keep a low humidity and they are almost all loose at the start.  

[earthson]

One thought is aging your cigars for years - most will shrink a bit, which loosens the band. Not completely practical advice, so...

Figurados are a good recommendation. Even out of a fresh box, the bands on Partagas Presidentes slide off like panties after prom. They don't make enough figurados, so...

What I usually do is just try to peel it off with my fingernail. Doesn't always work, but usually does. While I hate wrapper damage as much as the next guy, a well-constructed cigar won't suffer from a small chunk of wrapper being torn off - as long as the binder is intact.

Avoid Fuentes! (Although it does seem like they've scaled back the amount of glue they use over the last couple of years).

[Akela3rd]

"panties after prom"
Phrase of the day! ???

Thunder & Lightening '75 - '15

[BellevilleMXZ]

I usually leave them on at least for half the first of the smoke if tight. If still stubborn, I pick the seam with my modus.

[TBird55]

I try and wait to smoke a cigar until the band slides easily. I know it's not scientific,  but for me when the bands slides easily, the cigar is usually ready to smoke. 

[dvickery]

My absolute pet peeve is rings removing a piece of wrapper .

personal favourite for avoiding this is to smoke cigars with no ring .

I also try to avoid cigars with two or three rings .

i have no tricks for if you must smoke a cigar with a band ... just try to be gentle .

derrek

 

[cmbarton]

I smoke the band with the cigar ... has a nice hint of Elmer’s glue with a card stock paper under tone.

Joking/Not joking, I take the band off just as it’s about to singe. It’ll peel right off usually. I live dangerously.


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[Leopolis Semper Fidelis]

This is the bane of my cigar smoking experience!

13 hours ago, earthson said:

What I usually do is just try to peel it off with my fingernail. Doesn't always work, but usually does.

Ditto.

 

13 hours ago, earthson said:

Even out of a fresh box, the bands on Partagas Presidentes slide off like panties after prom

That has been my experience too, but not the panties after prom bit...

[prodigy]

If the band had excess glue on it when it was made, no amount of aging is going to solve that problem. You find the seam, pick and peel. I also like to pinch and roll the band, this helps seperate the band from the wrapper if too much glue was used. Unfortunately there are just some cigars that split and crack because the band is so well glued to the wrapper.

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[Islandboy]

All good advice so far, I usually employ the fingernail on the seam method to carefully disband. But it helps is the band can rotate on the cigar first. To accomplish this, I often have to wet the tips of my fingers slightly, giving me a delicate kung-fu grip on the band so I can gently twist the band loose from the cigar. Then either slide it off, or peel.

[Squarehead]

One of my friends in Toronto is a master in removing bands from cigars.What he does?He applies a soft flame lighter(Bic) to the spot where the band is overlapping,This softens the glue and the bands come off rather easy.Just be careful not to char the leaf and hold the lighter on the same spot.Move it slightly.

[rcarlson]

4 minutes ago, Squarehead said:

One of my friends in Toronto is a master in removing bands from cigars.What he does?He applies a soft flame lighter(Bic) to the spot where the band is overlapping,This softens the glue and the bands come off rather easy.Just be careful not to char the leaf and hold the lighter on the same spot.Move it slightly.

Okay.  That's a hell of a suggestion. That's my next move.  

[JoeyGunz]

Wait 'til the burn line is close enough to the band that any damage onto the wrapper from the removal does not hinder your enjoyment of the cigar.

[garbandz]

try sliding the band off over the foot quickly.

I like the suggestion to age them until the band will slide............