Your plugged cigar technique/tolerance level

[Smoker]

You think your RH might be a tad high or something? Or maybe try dry boxing? Surely your luck can't be that bad.

I thought exactly the same. But my boxes are fine - that's because I order them from Rob, and they are quality checked. I am storing them at 65% RH max. I have tried dry boxing. I can only attribute it to severe bad luck. Nothing more frustrating than throwing money away on plugged cigars. I'm bloody furious today!

By the way, the cigars I had to trash today were:

Bolivar Petit Corona (really looking forward to that one)

Por Larranaga Petit Corona

Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas

Not that there is any pattern to it.

[TheMonk]

Gentle massaging, followed by the draw poker, followed by cutting above the plug if possible, followed by the trash bin.

If the flavors are just incredible I'll try to work through pretty much anything but most of the time the poor draw is negatively affecting the flavors so out it goes without too much worry.

Exactly what I do as well.

[jimsta10]

I must say that my cigars have benefited greatly since I began to store my 'go to' stock at 62rh. Similarly, I've had no significant plugging or draw issues for a while.

I totally agree this process works for me. My dry box is set at 60rh...

[JoeyW]

I usually suffer on it hopeing it turns ok .

[joeruby]

I use a long wooden skewer to free the plug and plod through for as long as I can. Usually i get through them.

Luckily, haven't had too many that require this technique but I figure I pay enough for them so it's worth me persevering.

[canadianbeaver]

Will give it a poke with the skewer for satays, you know? But if not fixed quickly, forget it. More impatient about taste that does please or not enough smoke. Life is too short to not have a perfect cigar every time.

[Ralphanator]

If its one of my cigars 95% of the time i will pitch it. I might give one clip but thats about it!

If it was given to me in a herf I'll try to work with it a whole lot longer I wouldn't want to embarrass someone gift by taking one puff and pitching it!

[Merovius]

edit - just realized I already replied to this...I must be getting old, CRS is starting to set in.

[lipher]

Clever. I like it

Lies!

[Ptowncigar]

Nowadays I just don't have the time to enjoy a smoke. So when I get a hour or two for myself and I have plugged cigar, depending on the cigar I'll squeeze it cut it. Or try to throw it over my neighbors house.

[Ptowncigar]

Nowadays I just don't have the time to enjoy a smoke. So when I get a hour or two for myself and I have plugged cigar, depending on the cigar I'll squeeze it cut it. Or try to throw it over my neighbors house.

[Ptowncigar]

Message then cut. And if all fails, I try to throw it over my neighbors house.

[Ptowncigar]

Jesus. Sorry don't know what's wrong with computer.

[anacostiakat]

A plugged cigar, one that does not draw, I pitch.

Tight draws I work with.

[FHFinster]

Zero tolerance.

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[joeruby]

Smoked a great monty 2 last night, everything going great until just under half way. Skewer down the guts fixed it, and finished it off to the nub. Where there is a will, there is a way .

[avaldes]

Hutch, I could see that, but then you get cabinet cigars that are dented all to hell by the ribbon and they smoke great. I tend to think it is more like poor technique when they add a little too much to the head to get a straight cigar.

[TheGipper]

1. I test the draw before lighting. Anything with a marginal or no draw goes into the penalty box (a couple of singles drawers in one of my humidors).

2. Try it again in 6 months. If still tight, back into the penalty box.

3. Repeat step 2 until it's smokeable.

I find about 75% of the tight ones eventually come around. Usually takes 1-2 years at least. Sometimes much longer. I have a box of 2001 Upmann Monarchs that are only just now starting to open up. The nice thing is, they have turned out to be mind blowingly good after all that time in the penalty box.

I'm having fewer tight draws than I did about 2-3 years ago. It was awful a few years ago, seemed like at least 20-30% of everything was too tight. Now it seems more like 5%. Maybe HSA brought back the draw testing machines.

[Akela3rd]

When my mother was visiting us back in the summer I was struggling my way through a RyJ No.2 and complaining that half the box (10) had been hard work. After a bit of gentle complaining about this terrible habit I'd picked up she produced a darning needle from her knitting bag and announced that her grandfather (himself, a knitter) swore by this solution. And yes, it worked.

I now have my own darning needle and have not touched a RyJ No.2 since.

[stigmata]

Life is to short to struggle with a plugged cigar. I just toss it and reach for another one.

You don't live in Australia and pay our tobacco taxes I hav take it. You'll learn to not be so wasteful...

[FalseCast]

Message then cut. And if all fails, I try to throw it over my neighbors house.

Well said. My process, too.

[LukeC]

I use a small sized drill bit and drill into the head for a couple inches. I do this 2 or 3 times, testing the draw. By the 3rd time, it's usually good to go. Light it up and go.

[scap99]

I use a small sized drill bit and drill into the head for a couple inches. I do this 2 or 3 times, testing the draw. By the 3rd time, it's usually good to go. Light it up and go.

Do you use an electric or battery drill?

Just kidding.

Seeing as most of us likely have drill bits lying about, snagging one of the small one would work perfectly.

[Anthonyjoseph89]

If its plugged I'll stick a drill bit through it. If that doesn't work I move on. I also hate loosely tolled cigars equally as much.

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[Mattygukas]

I call Bryan from Cigar Obsession and he will cut it up for me and tell me how it won't have any transitions

Too soon?

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