Why does my Mag 46 have short filler?

[Corylax18]

I received a box of H Upmann Mag 46's in early December. LUB ABR 14 Beautiful looking box of cigars, nice wrappers, caps, and feet. Smell was OK,a little more wet hay than barnyard.

Fast forward to this weekend. I peak in the wineador looking for a smoke and decide its time to try one of these babies. I feel the first few and construction is a little spotty. I noticed some soft spots along the length of the cigars. I picked one that had a few soft spots but otherwise looked very nice.

I punched the Cap with my Xikar 007 and gave it a pull cold. Uuugghhh, very green. I got hay and....... green.

I also saw a nice little green something poking out from where I punched the cigar. I was starting to get a bit nervous at this point. I tried a few more cold puffs, same.

Once I got I got it lit and rolling things did not get any better. Bitter, flat, grassy, acrid, dry. That was all I could write down during the first third.

I started to get a hint of sweetness into the second third, but it was fleeting, maybe just my imagination.

Final third adds tar and a bit of spice to the above mentioned "flavors". Its at this point the cigar goes out briefly. Upon drawing cold before I get it relit the flavor is of burnt two stroke. Exactly like burnt two stroke. Delightful.

I start into the final thrid, the relight actually helped, a bit of that burnt sweetness returns, but quickly fades into bitter, spicy, and acrid again. I gave it up at this point with a little over 2" remaining. My disappointment started building to anger, so I decided I would go deconstruct what I had left.

Im glad I did, guess what? SHORT FILLER.

[Ginseng]

Pictures? Dissect another.

I'll leave you with this: Magnum 46 are Habanos long filler cigars.

Wilkey

[Corylax18]

More photos of the box to come. Here are a few of the cigar pre and post deconstruction:

[Corylax18]

Pictures? Dissect another.

I'll leave you with this: Magnum 46 are Habanos long filler cigars.

Wilkey

Just got some up. I know, that's why I'm concerned.

[HarveyBoulevard]

I see the green but I don't see short filler. Looks like half smoked long filler. Crumpled up long filler in places albeit.

[archosaur]

Sorry you had a bad experience. The cigar certainly didn't seem to burn very well. It happens.

As mentioned above, I don't think you can smoke a cigar down to 2" and then deduce that it was rolled with short filler. I guess you could dissect another if you really thought you uncovered some kind of conspiracy...

In any case, if the box is plagued with construction issues you should reach out to your vendor, see if they will make it right.

[Ginseng]

Well, at least it's not chopped filler

Wilkey

[earthson]

I do know that rollers add some scraps to even out the body and avoid lumps, but that looks like a lot of scraps.

In my experience, the Mag 46 need a few years to get over an ugly phase, which the Mag 50 somehow seem to avoid.

[Habanos2000]

I received a box of H Upmann Mag 46's in early December. LUB ABR 14 Beautiful looking box of cigars, nice wrappers, caps, and feet. Smell was OK,a little more wet hay than barnyard.

Fast forward to this weekend. I peak in the wineador looking for a smoke a decide its time to try one of these babies. I feel the first few and construction is a little spotty. I noticed some soft spots along the length of the cigar.

I punched the Cap with my Xikar 007 and gave it a pull cold. Uuugghhh, very green. I got hay and....... green.

I also saw a nice little green something poking out from where I punched the cigar. I was starting to get a bit nervous at this point. I tried a few more cold puffs, same.

Once I got I got it lit and rolling things did not get any better. Bitter, flat, grassy, acrid, dry. That was all I could write down during the first third.

I started to get a hint of sweetness into the second third, but it was fleeting, maybe just my imagination.

Final third adds tar and a bit of spice to the above mentioned "flavors". Its at this point the cigar goes out briefly. Upon drawing cold before I get it relit the flavor is of burnt two stroke. Exactly like burnt two stroke. Delightful.

I start into the first thrid, the relit actually helped, a bit of that burnt sweetness return, but quickly fades into bitter, spicy, and acrid again. I gave it up at this point with a little over 2" remaining. My disappointment started building to anger, so I decided I would go deconstruct what I had left.

Im glad I did, guess what? SHORT FILLER.

I'm not too sure about it being short filler.

Couple questions:

How's your humidity?

Have you tried a second cigar from that box?

2014 is still fairly young. If you trust your source, I'd try a second cigar and see if it's the same. If it is, try to arrange an exchange; if it's good/better maybe let them rest for 6 months and see how they are.

Good luck!

[soutso]

Green spot is common and occasionally you see it on wrappers too. Its just a water stain.

The uneven burn can happen if the cigar isn't filled right, perhaps too lightly on one of the sides.

It can also happen due to uneven moisture levels. Are you storing between 60-65RH at even temps? Have they rested long enough to acclimatise?

No way they're short filler unless they're fake etc

[Corylax18]

I'll post a few more photos this evening against a lighter background. The pile on the right is the wrapper and binder, both full, but shorter leaves. The pile on the left is the majority of the filler. Again, much shorter, but full leaves. The center pile is not long filler, in anyway. Shorter, borderline chop pieces and what appears to be some of the long thin pieces that get removed as the roller is selecting and trimming leaves for a cigar. I've only watched someone roll cigars in front of me a dozen or so times, but I've never seen any of them put those pieces into the cigar.

I have a wineador that stays pretty steady at 66% - 67% RH and 64 to 66 F. I received the cigars December 7th and smoked this example February 13th so I think they have had plenty of time to acclimatize. I don't "dry box" my cigars, but I do typically take them out a couple hours before I smoke them to let them dry out a bit. I took this one out around 7am, ate breakfast, drove to work, then lit it up a bit after I got there, just before 9am. This method has worked well for me, other than the odd plugged cigar here and there.

I've never been so disappointed in a cigar, and I'm still surprised that this one tasted and burned so poorly. The taste was like a macanudo that had dried out Even if the short/medium pieces are include to some degree, it seems like the ratio here was exorbitant, more along the lines of a "Cuban sandwich" then all long filler.

I'm not trying to claim fake, conspiracy, or anything else at this point. I'm really not sure. What I am sure of is that the smoking experience I had Saturday was vastly different from my typical smoking experience, CC or NC. The look of the deconstructed cigar is also not what I have come to expect from a long filler cigar. Hence my questions and the post.

[Colt45]

I do know that rollers add some scraps to even out the body and avoid lumps,

I don't think I've ever heard that before - very interesting, thanks. I guess it would not surprise me, as I suppose it might not surprise me if trimmings were used so as not to go to waste. Acceptable - perhaps not, but not really surprising were it the case.

[JY0]

That doesn't look like short filler to me. It all comes down to trusting your vendor.

It might be worth sacrificing a whole cigar, slice it open and see what's inside. These look authentic to me from the pictures.

[Corylax18]

From Habanos SA:

Tripa Larga
Long filler. Filler that is made from full-length tobacco leaves.

The pieces in the middle pile are not and were not during rolling full length Tobacco leaves, that's what long filler is. Everything else should go into JLPs, Guantanameras, Vuegeros, etc. I have no problem with those, I smoke JLP Consevas regularly, everyone of those I've had has been leaps and bounds better than this cigar was in flavor, smokeablility and burn. The pile in the middle looks like the stuff under the rollers right arm in this picture, trimmings.

I have since switched vendors for other reasons (I wasn't savy to the benefits of FOH when these were ordered) but I am not trying to call the vendor out or question their integrity. It seems from some of the comments that inclusion of this mixed filler may just be "Cuba being Cuba" maybe this was just a crabby batch of sticks, maybe after three straight years of bad harvest they are starting to use all the tobacco they can, wherever they can. I don't know. I'm sure they wont be able to maintain the same quality and output on the back end with greatly reduced inputs on the front end.

Bottom line, I search out and pay a premium for "the best cigars in the world."(Supposedly Cubans) I would have been disappointed with this stick if it had come out of a glass cabinet at a liquor store.

[RijkdeGooier]

There's marketing and there's the reality of cigar production.

To even out the blend of the cigar rollers anywhere use cutoff tabacco.

This is normal and not a crime.

[Corylax18]

I do know that rollers add some scraps to even out the body and avoid lumps, but that looks like a lot of scraps.

In my experience, the Mag 46 need a few years to get over an ugly phase, which the Mag 50 somehow seem to avoid.

There's marketing and there's the reality of cigar production.

To even out the blend of the cigar rollers anywhere use cutoff tabacco.

This is normal and not a crime.

I was not aware of this, but it does make sense. I wonder what the acceptable ratio is? And if that ratio has been changing lately? 2014 is young, most positive reviews I've seen for these are for sticks with more age on them.

I don't have enough reason to slice another one open straight away, but it will be a while before I reach for one again. I'll still get some more photos up tonight showing the different pieces against a lighter background, the box and the rest of the cigars. The burn issues unfortunately don't seem to be something that corrects with age. I will feel out a few more cigars and check for more soft spots.

I think most people would be surprised to know that scraps are included "Long Filler" cigars. I was certainly not aware that it was common practice.

[RijkdeGooier]

Regarding the normal rolling practices there are great videos of both Cuban and non- Cuban cigars.

Re your box of Mag46, i personally would let them rest until they reach 5 years of age.

Draw is also very much affected by Rh. Check if you store at the correct Rh with better draw usually found at the lower end of the scale.

Good luck!

[Dijit]

While I cannot say I have made a cigar career out of Cuban cigars it has been my experience that they take longer to get really good. Very few if any CC's I have found use pre aged tobacco or age the final product before sending to market. When I get a box I will typically not venture to try any any for at least 3 months and usually 2 to 3 years. I have some in the 10 year range that have been better every time I try one and I have had some in the 2 year range that are very good. I almost always kick myself when I try one before the 1 year mark but what can I say. When I am sure something will be good I want it right then not in 2 years! The construction that I saw doesnt seem out of place or short filler. Some of the leaf seems short but they do on occasion use some filler to even out soft or low spots. I would say set them in the back of the humidor and forget they are there till at least this time next year.

[Fugu]

I don't think I've ever heard that before - very interesting, thanks. I guess it would not surprise me, as I suppose it might not surprise me if trimmings were used so as not to go to waste. Acceptable - perhaps not, but not really surprising were it the case.

Never heard of that either. What can be seen quite regularly is rollers tearing off an end of a bunch and mingling it into the bunch near the foot or head to even out a bit of the tapering. Scraps and trimmings shouldn't go into long filler cigars, perhaps 'common' practise (?), who knows, but not supposed to be. They are usually meant to be used up in other products (short fillers, Minis, cigarettes etc.), but not in premium long fillers.

[Fugu]

The pieces in the middle pile are not and were not during rolling full length Tobacco leaves, that's what long filler is. Everything else should go into JLPs, Guantanameras, Vuegeros, etc.

Don't lump these three marcas together:

Vegueros is a premium handmade longfiller, made of Vuelta Abajo leaf.

JLPiedra is Totalmente a Mano, Tripa Corta (Remedios/V. Arriba),

and Guants are machine made TC cheapos (V. Arriba leaf).

I'll never understand the lack of appreciation for (the old) Vegueros....

[Corylax18]

Never heard of that either. What can be seen quite regularly is rollers tearing off an end of a bunch and mingling it into the bunch near the foot or head to even out a bit of the tapering. Scraps and trimmings shouldn't go into long filler cigars, perhaps 'common' practise (?), who knows, but not supposed to be. They are usually meant to be used up in other products (short fillers, Minis, cigarettes etc.), but not in premium long fillers.

More photos in the next post. The smaller pieces I had were definitely not the ends pulled of the bundle. They were trim pieces, and while not "chopped" some were VERY small. Weather it happens regularly or not, I cant speak to. I do think its unacceptable for the ratio to be as high as it was in this cigar though. There is A LOT of much smaller pieces in the center of this cigar.

Don't lump these three marcas together:

Vegueros is a premium handmade longfiller, made of Vuelta Abajo leaf.

JLPiedra is Totalmente a Mano, Tripa Corta (Remedios/V. Arriba),

and Guants are machine made TC cheapos (V. Arriba leaf).

I'll never understand the lack of appreciation for (the old) Vegueros....

I lumped them into the "Cheapie" or C&C category. You are correct though, different construction and sources for the leaf on all three. I wasn't tying to knock them. Ive never had a Vegueros, but I'd rather pay under 2 bucks for a JLP (I have about 60 in the humi right now) than the $8 or $9 that I wasted this piece of garbage. So disappointing.

[Corylax18]

The top row from left to right is The wrapper, the binder, and the long filler pieces. The pieces below that are what was buried in the center of the cigar. Scraps at best, and on a generally under filled cigar. What a ripoff. The cigar was still moist when I deconstructed it so very few pieces ripped or broke into smaller ones as I took it apart.