NC's Harder Than CC's?


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Hmmm . . . not sure I'm gonna get any serious answers with that subject line . . .

I don't smoke a lot of NC's but when I do I notice that the damn things are nearly always hard as a rock. They don't show any signs of being too dry, but they feel like they've been rolled with leaves dipped in plaster of paris.

If a CC felt like that it would most likely be overfilled and unsmokeable, but the NC's end up having a fine-to-light draw.

Is there something different in the rolling/drying/curing technique for NC's? I've yet to find one with that gentle, slightly spongy feeling of a properly filled Cuban.

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Hmmm . . . not sure I'm gonna get any serious answers with that subject line . . .

I don't smoke a lot of NC's but when I do I notice that the damn things are nearly always hard as a rock. They don't show any signs of being too dry, but they feel like they've been rolled with leaves dipped in plaster of paris.

If a CC felt like that it would most likely be overfilled and unsmokeable, but the NC's end up having a fine-to-light draw.

Is there something different in the rolling/drying/curing technique for NC's? I've yet to find one with that gentle, slightly spongy feeling of a properly filled Cuban.

Noticed this too. Don't know why.

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Well, IIRC, Fuentes are rolled entubar and they are hard as rocks. In call that style allowing for a firm barrel without compromising draw.

In any case, I have noticed that as well. In particular, the Padron cigars, especially maduros are very firm to the squeeze but not hard in the sense of being tightly filled. It is either the leaf itself that is stiff or the rolling structure.

Wilkey

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Is there something different in the rolling/drying/curing technique for NC's? I've yet to find one with that gentle, slightly spongy feeling of a properly filled Cuban.

Yes, definitely; NCs are not only harder but they often weigh less than habanos of the same size, which results in a much easier draw (which to me is unacceptable).

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I have re-rolled quite a few plugged cuban cigars,and have noticed that the tobacco is remarkably thin compared to the NC tobacco I get to roll with.

Possibly this is because Non Cuban leaf gets better fertilizer and amendments to the soil,forming thicker,more solid

leaf,which is less likely to collapse and plug a cigar,as well as feel harder.

Also it could involve the variety of seed used outside of Cuba,bred for thickness and ease of handling.......

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Some excellent points here. Also, I recall a few members mentioning in other threads that Non-Cuban cigars aren't as adaptable to smoking at 60% to 65% rh as Cuban cigars are. Non-Cuban cigars tend to smoke better at slightly higher humidity, around 70% rh.

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Some excellent points here. Also, I recall a few members mentioning in other threads that Non-Cuban cigars aren't as adaptable to smoking at 60% to 65% rh as Cuban cigars are. Non-Cuban cigars tend to smoke better at slightly higher humidity, around 70% rh.

That is true in general and there are exceptions to this and the "personal" factor.

Non-Cuban cigars are typically better smoked at higher %RH but for storage and ageing, the same %RH as you would for Cubans will be ok.

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I've found NC to almost invariably have thicker wrappers and filler leaf (and loads of more leaf stems).

One exception seems to be Fuentes - thin leaf, few (if any) stems, and a good, tight roll.

It's funny this topic came up: I'm smoking a Swisher Privada right now and as I pulled it from the bottom of my NC humi, I was surprised at how firm it was.

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I have re-rolled quite a few plugged cuban cigars,and have noticed that the tobacco is remarkably thin compared to the NC tobacco I get to roll with.

Possibly this is because Non Cuban leaf gets better fertilizer and amendments to the soil,forming thicker,more solid

leaf,which is less likely to collapse and plug a cigar,as well as feel harder.

Also it could involve the variety of seed used outside of Cuba,bred for thickness and ease of handling.......

Re-Rolled please explain?

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I have heard someone mention that the old-style of CCs (which I guess means prior to somewhere around '99-'00)

were very hard. Then after they recovered from their terrible over production/low quality years, they went to a "spongier"

style, as they believed it was more appealing to cigar smokers. What that means as far as logistics, I have no idea, and I wish I can remember where I read or heard that. I do know that I came accross it because I had the same thoughts as you all. NCs seem significantly harder.

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I have to say one of the things I enjoy about my Cuban cigars is the 'sponginess' I get when I pinch test the feet of them. The other thing is the 'barnyard' aroma from opening my humidor. Do you get that aroma from Non-Cuban cigars? I'm down to 4 sticks so I can't comment on differences in aroma.

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