Draw differences between Cubans and Non Cubans

[Isaac]

Why do Cuban cigars often have a much tighter draw than Non Cubans?  When and why did NC’s move away from the traditional tighter draw?  Today I was smoking a partagas that had a typical Cuban Draw. After I smoked that I went to a Fuente Añejo and it felt like using a McDonalds straw. It was rather nice to have such a loose draw. 

[prodigy]

My theory is that it isn't so much NC moving towards a lighter draw, but CC moving towards plugs. My Christmas sampler cohiba lanceros was unsmokeable. I battle it for 45 minutes and anything I did only managed to keep it from going out. Then, a kind member offered to send me another one to try, as it is his favorite cigar and he felt bad. That one is also plugged, but a little better. I hope when I light that one up it is smokeable. Lesson learned, I will never buy cohiba lanceros. The risk/reward ratio is just to great considering their price.

 

I did a lot of searching on this matter a few weeks back. Some guys were saying they've been smoking Cubans for XX years and can count on one hand how many plugs they've had. Well, I've had more than that from a single box, and I'm less than a year in to the CC game. I guess luck plays a big factor in getting a good box.

 

So many people rave about the Upman Half corona, I find it is the most consistently plugged cigar I've tried. If only Cuba would start using the draw testing machine and reject all the plugs, think of how happy the world would be!!

 

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[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, prodigy said:

My theory is that it isn't so much NC moving towards a lighter draw, but CC moving towards plugs. My Christmas sampler cohiba lanceros was unsmokeable. I battle it for 45 minutes and anything I did only managed to keep it from going out. Then, a kind member offered to send me another one to try, as it is his favorite cigar and he felt bad. That one is also plugged, but a little better. I hope when I light that one up it is smokeable. Lesson learned, I will never buy cohiba lanceros. The risk/reward ratio is just to great considering their price.

 

I did a lot of searching on this matter a few weeks back. Some guys were saying they've been smoking Cubans for XX years and can count on one hand how many plugs they've had. Well, I've had more than that from a single box, and I'm less than a year in to the CC game. I guess luck plays a big factor in getting a good box.

 

So many people rave about the Upman Half corona, I find it is the most consistently plugged cigar I've tried. If only Cuba would start using the draw testing machine and reject all the plugs, think of how happy the world would be!!

 

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Before chucking in the towel, let's get a bit more info. What are your storage conditions like? What are the typical ambient temp/Rh of your area where you smoke? Have you tried dry boxing? Have you tried the fridge trick?

[Smallclub]

1 hour ago, prodigy said:

So many people rave about the Upman Half corona, I find it is the most consistently plugged cigar I've tried. If only Cuba would start using the draw testing machine and reject all the plugs, think of how happy the world would be!!

I'm smoking my 7th or 8th box of Half Corona and so far I have encountered a few tight but acceptable draws and 1 (one) plugged that I had to pitch.

As for the Lanceros I'm with you, I won't buy it again, rolled at El Laguito or not, this cigar seems to be doomed…

[fastkiller13]

4 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Before chucking in the towel, let's get a bit more info. What are your storage conditions like? What are the typical ambient temp/Rh of your area where you smoke? Have you tried dry boxing? Have you tried the fridge trick?

Whats the fridge tip? I have a handful of H Upmann petite coronas and they are a terror to smoke. conditions are 68F 69RH, with a few stored at 68F/65RH to see if that makes a difference. I've had them since the end of Sept. 

[Isaac]

i personally am sitting at 68F/65% and had that issue.  Im hoping that its just one stick out of the box.  Im debating giving another one a go tomorrow, vs a later time.  

[prodigy]

Before chucking in the towel, let's get a bit more info. What are your storage conditions like? What are the typical ambient temp/Rh of your area where you smoke? Have you tried dry boxing? Have you tried the fridge trick?

Storage in my cabinet is roughly 65F 62%rH. My desktop is roughly 70F 62%rH. I've tried the fridge trick once or twice and found it to have little affect. A plugged cigar is a plugged cigar. Some of them come around with the perfect draw, but many don't. I've carved out craters on both ends of some badly plugged cigars, and still no draw. Not sure on the ambient of where I've been smoking, but usually room temp around 70F and probably something like 40%rH since it's winter time.

I realize I have not purchased nor smoked enough cigars to have an opinion that means much, but the fact remains I've never had a plugged NC. It's not an issue of storage conditions, it's an issue of construction.

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[Fuzz]

9 minutes ago, fastkiller13 said:

Whats the fridge tip? I have a handful of H Upmann petite coronas and they are a terror to smoke. conditions are 68F 69RH, with a few stored at 68F/65RH to see if that makes a difference. I've had them since the end of Sept. 

Cut the cap, if it is tight on a cold draw, chuck it in your fridge for an hour or two. You can also try dry boxing 24-48 hrs before smoking.

[fastkiller13]

Thanks @Fuzz I will definitely try that next time I get that feeling I'd need a Dyson vacuum to get a good draw.

[Fuzz]

2 minutes ago, prodigy said:

Storage in my cabinet is roughly 65F 62%rH. My desktop is roughly 70F 62%rH. I've tried the fridge trick once or twice and found it to have little affect. A plugged cigar is a plugged cigar. Some of them come around with the perfect draw, but many don't. I've carved out craters on both ends of some badly plugged cigars, and still no draw. Not sure on the ambient of where I've been smoking, but usually room temp around 70F and probably something like 40%rH since it's winter time.

I realize I have not purchased nor smoked enough cigars to have an opinion that means much, but the fact remains I've never had a plugged NC. It's not an issue of storage conditions, it's an issue of construction.

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You're definitely on the low end of the bell curve, whereas I'm on the other end. I can count on one hand the number of plugged cigars I've had over the last 5 years.

[prodigy]

You're definitely on the low end of the bell curve, whereas I'm on the other end. I can count on one hand the number of plugged cigars I've had over the last 5 years.

Yea, I guess luck is as big a factor as anything else. 2 cohiba lanceros back to back, dang near a whole box of HU #2 (clearance), a box of huhc I was lucky enough to be able to return, many from the huhc 5 pack tins, some coro tubos, quite a few psp fonsecas 1.

I'm not complaining by any means, I chuck it up to being the nature of the beast. I prefer CC and I'm willing to face having plugs. I envy you for not encountering many, and would never wish my luck on anyone else. I can't be the only one though, I think most just don't admit it.

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[prodigy]

I will also add, when a cigar is soft/spongy the entire length with no hard spots that don't compress, they are never plugs. Ones that are hard and have no spongy feel, are not guaranteed to be plugged. I've had some that were so tight to the touch, I thought for sure there would be no airflow, then they were perfect. I wonder if long term aging would help, or if it would just delay the disappointment of finding out haha

 

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[Fuzz]

On the flipside, the Don Alejandro I reviwed with @JohnS had a very easy draw (relatively speaking) and tunneled like a South African miner (they have 8 of the 10 deepest mines in the world! ).

[GrouchoMarx]

There's a thread around here someplace about plugged cigars - damd if I can find it.... anyone?

[Wilzc]

I was under the impression that drier cigars have slightly less chance of being plugged compared to more humid ones

[prodigy]

I was under the impression that drier cigars have slightly less chance of being plugged compared to more humid ones

A plugged cigar is a plugged cigar. It is either improperly bunched and or rolled too tightly. No airflow. A tight draw can open up from drying out. That's why many people use the dry boxing and refrigerator technique to try and open the airflow.

 

I might try and do some investigative work on this when I get settled in my new house next month. I have a plethora of plugged cigars, so I can do some testing. Dry boxing, refrigerating, etc to see if they ever actually open up. I'll even put together a mixed box of plugs for long term aging to see if that has any effect.

 

One technique I have found that does help is massaging the cigar to open it up. The problem with dry boxing and other methods that dry out the cigar is that the wrapper becomes very brittle. This makes massaging the cigar an almost impossible task. Maybe dry boxing in combination with wetting the wrapper would be a good combination to test out as well.

 

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[Wilzc]

I've a box of RYJ Churchills, all 25 of them are plugged LMAO (or at least 100% of the ones that I've smoked)

They all feel plugged and stiff past bandpoint.

They're at 70rh/29degC

I'll take a bunch and put them at 62rh/29degC

 

And I've also gotten a perfecdraw poke tool. Will experiment

[garbandz]

A poker has saved lots of plugged cigars for me.

I probably get one a month on average.

 

It is rare for me to have to quit on a cigar and toss it.

I made mine from a piece of stiff wire 5 inches long, with a loop at one end to hold on to, and slightly sharpened the end.

It lives in my travel humi,and has been a part of my kit for years.

[JamesKPolkEsq]

Store your cigars at 62% and watch your draw problems disappear... 

Smoke slowly and the decrease will only be noticeable in terms of not having to pitch plugged cigars. 

[TheGipper]

18 hours ago, Fuzz said:

You're definitely on the low end of the bell curve, whereas I'm on the other end. I can count on one hand the number of plugged cigars I've had over the last 5 years.

I'm not saying you're wrong at all or criticizing you in any way, and you definitely aren't the only one here with similar experience, but...

This is just mind boggling to me, how you (and others) have encountered so few problem draws.  I have at least 5 gallon sized ziplock bags full of Habanos with unsmokably tight draws (aka my penalty box).  I would guess at least 200-300 sticks.  Maybe half eventually come around to being smokable after a few years, but at least a third never open up enough.  It's fairly standard for me to get 2-3 sticks per box that are too tight.  And no matter if it's ROTT or stored myself for years.  I'm just come to accept it as a "Cuban inefficiency tax" I have to pay to enjoy this hobby.

I can only conclude that a bunch of y'all here have much stronger lungs (or is it diaphragm muscle?) than I do.

And yes, everything is 62% here and has been for years.

[Fuzz]

5 hours ago, prodigy said:

One technique I have found that does help is massaging the cigar to open it up. The problem with dry boxing and other methods that dry out the cigar is that the wrapper becomes very brittle. This makes massaging the cigar an almost impossible task. Maybe dry boxing in combination with wetting the wrapper would be a good combination to test out as well.

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Try wetting your wrapper before massaging. Some people stick their cigar under a running tap for a few seconds... others lick it from end to end.

[Fuzz]

Just now, TheGipper said:

I'm not saying you're wrong at all or criticizing you in any way, and you definitely aren't the only one here with similar experience, but...

 

I must be part Irish.

[MC4]

 Every time I've had a cigar with draw issues, I've discovered that there is a thicker than usual stem in the cigar.  So IMO, it's not how they roll it, they just need to remove all thick stems.

[Fugu]

Technically, and in particular for those CC novices being accustomed to NCs, usually an open draw 'appears' easier to handle. But a snug draw, in tune with optimal tobacco moisture, is a prerequisite for a Cuban cigar to develop its full array of flavours (or perhaps just my preferred ones...). An overly open draw is a sure kill to any habano (for me). If I had to accept the odd full plug with my preferred snugly drawing sticks, I'd take that any day over a wind tunnel. The latter might be technically smokeable, but isn't doing much for me. In practice, however, way more than too tight a draw, if at all, then a loose or uneven bunching and burn issues are spoiling the experience for me, by far.

And, yes, count me in the camp of those who - following 2002ish - happen to come across a plugged stick in the rarest of events, and that including the Lanceros.

[prodigy]

I'm more than willing to send out my examples of unsmokeable cigars to those that claim they never get them. Let them sit in your humidor for the amount of time necessary to "become smokeable" under your conditions, and let me know if you still stand behind your response. How can it be storage conditions when most of the box smokes fine? If the entire box seemed tight, then by changing the conditions, the entire box should then become smokeable, according to the logic explained. But that's not the case. I had a box of siglo 1, that 75% smoked like a dream, best cigars of the year. The other 25% felt like I was trying to smoke a limb off of a tree. Rock solid and zero airflow.

I am agreeing that ones with "tight draw" can, and usually do, come around using the mentioned methods. The ones that are full on plugged with zero airflow, never come around. Regardless of dry boxing, refrigeration, storage conditions etc.

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