Am I the only one?

[prodigy]

I've been getting more and more cigars that are both plugged and under filled. Thats seems like an oxymoron, but its happening very frequently with me lately. Today was a rass. I couldn't take it anymore so I dissected it to see what was happening. Several very thick stems ran down almost the entire length of the cigar. The bunching seemed very poor, the leaves were kind of folded over on each other instead of being linear. The cap end had a plethora of small pieces added in. Very tight draw when I cut it, but assumed it was good enough and would open up when lit. The opposite happened, it just got tighter as it warmed up. When warmed up it was also very mushy, like 20% or so more mushy than I imagine a perfect cigar being. To top everything off the wrapper was rolled incorrectly and it came unraveled on its own just before the halfway point!

 

Storage conditions are fine. This was a "psp" box resting for almost 90 days. I put a few singles in the desktop which stays pretty constant around 62 humidity and 68 temp.

 

Is anyone else encountering this problem? Just curious...

 

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[SmokyFontaine]

Exceptionally common for me. There is a box of Punch Punch I've had that might as well be wood dowels, and I haven't have more than 1 RASS out of 10 that was the Goldilocks' Baby Bear experience of just right. Under or over on every single one. 

I've started excessively dryboxing for about a week now, and it has substantially improved by experience. ~50% for 5+ days. Things are burning a dream. I store at about 66%. 

[Subcomandante]

I’ve had a quite a lot like that recently. Where they open up after a perfecdraw but get plugged again mid smoke. 2018 boxes. 

[Chas.Alpha]

A PSP box from ‘19? I haven’t had anything from last year that hasn’t been spot-on. I must be leading a charmed life... ?

[El Presidente]

This is the most recent poll. I think it pretty spot on. 

 

 

[prodigy]

A PSP box from ‘19? I haven’t had anything from last year that hasn’t been spot-on. I must be leading a charmed life...

You are very lucky my friend. I'd never wish anyone the luck I've had.

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[prodigy]

This is the most recent poll. I think it pretty spot on. 
 
 

Thats funny, I forgot all about that and I was a contributer haha. But is it common to have a cigar that is both underfilled AND plugged at the same time? I think most people assume an underfilled cigar is a wind tunnel.

It still blows my mind when people say "less than 3%" or "I can count on one hand how many plugged cigars in 20+ years", when I've had entire boxes plugged. Some of them come around and open up, most don't.

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[prodigy]

I should clarify one thing, the stems did have leaf on them. I pulled the leaf off to get a better idea of the size of the stems.

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[TheGipper]

7 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

This is the most recent poll. I think it pretty spot on.

Hmm, that was 2018.

My plugged/tight rate has increased hugely since 2018.  Friends around here noting the same thing to me.  Recently had a Short de Punch box where 8 of 10 were un-smokably tight.  That is 2000-era bad draw rate.

What happened to those draw testing machines?  HSA better get on top of this.

[SansSin]

seems like when it happens it happens in patches, i'll get quarter boxes with every cigar like this but get whole boxes that are perfectly rolled. someone just having an off day or something. never bought a good punch punch or bolivar PC that wasn't plugged and full of stems but plenty of people love them so i'll try again in the future. i think if there is a twist in the filler then it can be plugged but underfilled in spots

[El Presidente]

Happy to run the poll again next week ?

I have certainly  had a plug or two in the last month but no more than that. All 2019/early 20.  I haven't noticed an increase at all.  True Plug? still under 5 in 100 for me. 

[TheGipper]

One of two "penalty box" ziplocks now filled with tight/no draws. 54 cigars in this one, so about 100 or so I'm letting sit. 

Majority of these are probably 2018-19 production. Had only one half full ziplock about this time last year.

 

 

[cigaraholic]

Congratulations.....you hit the trifecta of rolling crap?

[smitte3]

5 minutes ago, TheGipper said:

One of two "penalty box" ziplocks now filled with tight/no draws. 54 cigars in this one, so about 100 or so I'm letting sit. 

Majority of these are probably 2018-19 production. Had only one half full ziplock about this time last year.

 

 

 

Very interesting method, might begin to incorporate the penalty box.  I've gotten better results by lowering humidor to 62-65% and dry-boxing. I don't hesitate to work the perfect draw, but sometimes even when you have the see through/shotgun hole in the middle of the cigar things still might not feel right at cold.  One of the joys of the Cuban leaf.

 

[wineguy]

I am mostly smoking from 17 or earlier but I did have a friend on my deck with a younger PSP2 on Sat that I had bought for him earlier this year work on it with a perfect draw for half and than gave up... but that is also a sample size of 1......

[HDGSN]

I am getting a ton of underfilled cigars lately. All of these last week off the top of my head. So strange its an underfilled issue because I am still using 69% Boveda packs from the winter.

HURR

Cohiba Genios

Nudies N3

Reynaldo Robusto

HUC1

JL1 (from of box that has been all tent poles to date)

Some random Fuente

[TheGipper]

Yeah it kind of works.  I've gotten to the point where I won't even use my PefecDraw right after I've clipped a cigar.  If they draw but are tighter than I like, they go into the penalty dry box.  If they're way too tight or seemingly plugged, into the penalty box ziplock for 6 months.  The ziplock goes into a 62% coolerdor.

A couple times a year I may go through the ziplock and see how many improved.  Not many do in 6 months.  Maybe 25% at best.

If I know a cigar has been in the penalty box for years, and I want to salvage it (i.e., higher end or rare sticks) I get out the PerfecDraw.  But even then, after working the tool on a cigar, I usually put it back into the penalty box for another 6 months at least.

I probably salvage maybe half of all these in the end.  Most aren't good smoking experiences, however.  The other half just never open up.

I am getting to the point where I am wondering why I even bother trying to salvage anything.

The refrigerator method many here have had success with never worked for me, not even once.  I wonder why that is.

 

[TheGipper]

4 minutes ago, HDGSN said:

I am getting a ton of underfilled cigars lately.

Maybe we need a special trading forum where those of us who only get overfilled can swap with those who only get underfilled... 

[El Presidente]

Just now, TheGipper said:

The refrigerator method many here have had success with never worked for me, not even once.  I wonder why that is.

The old fridge method is a go to for me when it comes to "quick dry-boxing" 

Put a tight cigar in the fridge at 2pm on a Friday afternoon deck session and it is ready to go by 5pm. 

[TheGipper]

3 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Put a tight cigar in the fridge at 2pm on a Friday afternoon deck session and it is ready to go by 5pm. 

I know, and every time this gets mentioned, I think "okay I *have* to try it again"!  Maybe I wasn't giving it a full three hours though.

<Heads downstairs to put that Romeo Churchill I clipped last night in the refrigerator>

[DaBoot]

Some bad luck there. Outside a crappy box of RYJ short, and some JL1, I’ve been smoking a dream the last 2 months. Definitely 1 week in the air tight container with cedar.

better days ahead for you I hope ? 

[Ken Gargett]

interesting reading this. i used to see a lot of plugged cigars. was always bitching about it to his highness. i'm sure he thought i was making it up and that it was just an excuse to whinge. but i really did. it was a real problem. wondered if i was doing something wrong. 

last year or two, a few but very much in the minor. has not really been an issue for me. rob says 5 out of 100. i reckon i'm a smidge less than this. and i have not changed what i do. i was thinking that the quality control in havana must have really improved this issue. 

overall, perhaps i'm even with others. way over the odds a while ago, under now.

and you can bet that writing this post has deadset guaranteed that the next cigar i touch will be massively plugged. 

[Burningman]

I have limited experience with cigars from 2016 and newer. I've been very lucky and would say that 5% or so have been plugged. Maybe less but who knows exactly. My issues have been with overfilled cigars. In general it has been tubos that have given me the most problems. A box of RyJ #1 from 2014 with about half a dozen rock hard examples and a handful of 2013 petit coronations. I tend to carry extra tubos now when I'm out and about just in case.

Besides this I will get the occasional cigar that turns off for no apparent reason. Not a big deal but can be rather annoying on breezy afternoons.

[mbflash80]

I have also noticed an uptick in plugged regular production in late 18 and 19 boxes.  BRC, Connie B, Mag 46, Hoyo EE...really frustrating

[PigFish]

I am supposed to be running an experiment with @Habana Mike on some of his plugged cigars, I have just not gotten around to it. I don't have the room currently, but once I finish the humidor, half done, in my shop I will have to get that experiment started.

-the Pig