Plugged Cigars

[Joker]

Hi All

Have been smoking cigars for the last 10 years or so, in the last 12 months have been enjoyning purchasing boxes.

I have come across the occassional plugged cigar, and was just wondering what experiences other FOH have encoutnered.

Have found a higher occurance of plugged cigars in the smaller gauge (minuto / PC) rather than larger gauge cigars.

Apart from ditching the cigar, are there ways of opening them up ?

I have found that 'massaging' the cigar helps if it is not too plugged.

Looking forward to your comments.

Cheers

Joker

[mbrody]

Joker,

I'm not an ol' timer, but when I have a plugged cigar, I pitch it and grab another. Life is too short to bother with a crappy cigar!

Just my 2 cents.

[ChanceSchmerr]

Joker,

I'm not an ol' timer, but when I have a plugged cigar, I pitch it and grab another. Life is too short to bother with a crappy cigar!

Just my 2 cents.

Exactly my opinion. More so because the ones i tend to find plugged are gran Coronas like the Sancho Panza Sanchos, and i'm not about to waste 2 hours trying to get a plugged one of those to burn! I've come across plugged tiny ones too though - a SP Bachilleres comes to mind.

You could get a draw poker - basically a long knurled poker that you run through the cigar to attempt to open up the draw. Not always the best way to go, though.

Best of Luck!

[CIGARHead]

There's a plethora of tools to try and "un"plug a cigar. I'll usually try to use a paper clip if the hard spot is closer to the head. But this really will only work on a tight cigar. A truely plugged cigar isn't worth foolin with and I won't mess around - throw that sum'***** in the yard and fire up a new one.

[anacostiakat]

Well I might add that I do pitch them if they are unsmokeable.

However, while this has not happened to me in recent memory, if I get a lot of them out of the first few I smoke from a box I put the box away and try sometime later.

[Bartolomeo]

Of the hundreds of thousands of cigars I have purchased since August, I have only had one box of plugged cigars. I sent the box back to the vendor for a replacement box, no questions asked.

1 or 2 plugs in a box sucks but it happens, 4+ plugs then it really sucks

Like others say above, ditch them and move on

Bart

[Buch0]

A lot of people who have plugged cigars like to chop them up and smoke them in a pipe, as to not waste an otherwise nice habanos.

[Wil]

Of the hundreds of thousands of cigars I have purchased since August

[Freddy]

As was pointed out already, life's too short to worry about or work on a plugged cigar. I personally just ditch it and move on to another. Besides, it happens so rarely (to me, at any rate) that's it's not even worth discussing

[Guest rob]

Of the hundreds of thousands of cigars I have purchased since August,

Serious?

[Bartolomeo]

Serious?

C'mon now

I was joking and making fun of myself

Bart

[KWG116]

I went through a period of pluged cigars. My suggestion is to clip it and check the draw before leaving the house. If it is plugged let the cigar sit out for a few days. Test the draw after about three days and you will see a difference. I have saved a lot of cigars by doing this.

[El Presidente]

C'mon now

I was joking and making fun of myself

Bart™

More like Tens of Thousands !LOL!

With a plugged cigar if possible find the section plugged (normally foot or under band). Cut section away.

[Habanos2000]

I feel lucky, it's been ages since I've had a plugged cigar!

[Kangaroo495]

Depends on what's plugged. If I've got an abundance of the particular cigar which is plugged, I may just ditch it.

If it's just a single, then I'll try and save it by sticking a needle up the foot to try and loosen the plugged section. In my experience, the plug is usually under the band. But you can easily find it by pinching the cigar.

Having said that, if I'm buying singles at my local, I'll have a pinch and squeeze of everything before I buy.

[El Presidente]

Having said that, if I'm buying singles at my local, I'll have a pinch and squeeze of everything before I buy.

..we are still talking about cigars ....aren't we

[Kangaroo495]

..we are still talking about cigars ....aren't we

Depends who's on shift at the shop.

[Stalebread]

I went through a period of pluged cigars. My suggestion is to clip it and check the draw before leaving the house. If it is plugged let the cigar sit out for a few days. Test the draw after about three days and you will see a difference. I have saved a lot of cigars by doing this.

Sometimes I remmber to do this. But I put the clipped cigar back into the singles drawer so it usually takes longer than three days to make any difference, if any difference is going to be made.

[thechenman]

I will usually just massage the cigar. If it is a cigar I only have a single of and massaging does not work, I will use a draw poker; however, if it is just one from a box, I will chuck it. If the draw poker does not work, I will toss the cigar. As said before...life is just to short to waste time on a bad cigar.

[cohiba]

I have been a hard time with this for the last month especially. And of course it happens with a wonderful cigar, and breaks my heart.............then pisses me off! We dont have time to waste on this ****. I recently went through my entire stock and checked them all. they are monte 4 (2005 box) RA Estupendo ( 2006 Box) and some Siglo 3's (2005 box), H Upmann Mag 46 ( 2004 box). All of them are WONDERFUL cigars. I have even gone to the effort of storing some of them with the poker in the cigar. I have even used a week or two to make MANY holes with the poker....................still tossed the cigar! Nothing sucks more then to store a box for a few years then find it plugged. A waste of money, and humi space! I have decided to hit the dry box hard and sift my way through them. Several evenings each week i take them light them, test the draw, if in the first 1/2inch to 1 inch they dont come around, they are trashed. Three night ago i went through 3 cigars before i got one to smoke. I wouldnt even spend the time doing this if i didnt think about the money going in the trash.

Now keep in mind i have been going through this for a month or so, i then pulled a Monte Sublime and it was so UNDERFILLED i threw it also. If i was a complete newbe..... i would be second guessing this hobby and adding up the waste of money! WTF?

[LeafLover]

When I know that past experiences of cigars from a box are plugged, I cut the cap as normal then dry-box the cigar (just leaving it open to air) for a day or a day and a half prior to smoking it. My logic is that the tobacco will lose moisture, shrinking the tobacco leaves alleviating some of the tightness.

I dry-box anyway for a day before smoking. I find it helps the flavor and the burn of the cigar. My humi is consistent at 61-64 rh, but dry boxing appears to improve the experience.