Weight discrepancies - acceptable variance or inconsistency?

[Lamboinee]

I noticed a weight difference of about +- 2g between these three HUP c majors (7.14g, 8.51g, and 10.34g) .  That seems significant to me (approx. 20%?) and I believe it impacted the flavor, burn, and my enjoyment.

Can anyone tell me if this is a significant variance in weight and/or whether this is something that is common? I've never paid much attention to weight until recently, so I am not sure if this is something to be expected.  I appreciate any info, further details are below. They were not from 24:24 fyi.

These all came from the same dress box of 25 tubos and were stored under the same circumstances (62-65% and 68-70 F.) The box code is DIC-21. As would be expected, the least heavy cigar was less dense upon palpation with a more open draw and shorter smoking time.  None of the three were horrible cigars, but the heavier two were definitely better.  I would venture to guess that the heaviest was my favorite but I didn't think to keep a detailed log from that smoke.  

Hope everyone in Australia is safe from the storm

[ChangBang]

Yea I'd say it's normal to have a spread like that.  Official weight for hupc is 8.46g.  If you're weighing before smoking, I'd say for the lighter ones, give it a small punch cut or something since the draw could be loose.  For heavy cigars have a draw tool ready as I've noticed that my plugged cigars are usually on the heavier side.

[Lamboinee]

3 hours ago, ChangBang said:

If you're weighing before smoking

They seem to weigh even less after I smoke them.

I appreciate the tip, and I like the idea of the smaller punch on the lighter ones!

[BrightonCorgi]

I knew there was another use for that good olde coke scale.

[SCgarman]

There are clearly variations amongst cigars with weights. Many times I can clearly see the size difference in girth without even using a scale. And sure enough, some of the heavier bigger appearing cigars sometimes have tough draws or are even plugged. Cuba should really learn how a company like Padron makes cigars and emulate them. But we all know they will sell every box regardless of how bad the cigars suck. HSA lives in it's own alternate reality.

[Arabian]

not all virgin thighs are equal. 

[MossybackR]

The differences are within 20% of the “accepted” value (the lighter one <10%). Not much to worry about, although the overfilled one *might* need assistance from a PerfecDraw.

[Lamboinee]

2 hours ago, MossybackR said:

The differences are within 20% of the “accepted” value (the lighter one <10%). Not much to worry about, although the overfilled one *might* need assistance from a PerfecDraw.

Thank you. You aren't the only one to mention the 20% variance or the perfecdraw. it seems that perfectdraw tools are much more common amongst those accustomed to CC's. I'll have to get one.

[Ford2112]

The Perfect Draw is a game changer in the world of CC's. I probably use one on 30% of the cigars I smoke.

[cigaraholic]

I love well filled cigars🌈 Any cigar can have a bad draw, for me well filled cigars burn slower, last longer and have plenty of flavor. Under filled cigars are doomed from the start, the suggestion of a little punch for them is an excellent idea. There’s no OCD in my DNA but I got so disgusted with the under filling I pulled out my old coke/weed/🤗🤗🤗 scale and started weighting my cigars. Too many times I grabbed a cigar only to be underwhelmed by a ghost cigar who’s tobacco was missing. The weight swings you see in one box can be ridiculously amazing and also bring a smile. I’me lucky enough to have lived when Cuban cigars were always beautifully rolled and really appreciate when I smoke one that still is. It’s really a tragedy that today the most beautiful tobacco in the world is being rolled at the level it is. I weigh and re-box from lightest to heaviest so I know where the ghosts are and where the heavy  goblins are.....and I’m all for heavy goblins, I don’t have a problem with their draw.💨

[KavalanWhisky]

@Bijan is a real expert on the variance of weighing cigars.

Think he has a lot of data to draw from to discuss the variance.

[BrightonCorgi]

How much does a swing in humidity up or down effect the weight of the cigar?

[Bijan]

On 10/23/2022 at 9:48 PM, Lamboinee said:

Can anyone tell me if this is a significant variance in weight and/or whether this is something that is common?

In my experience there is a huge variation. From the official weights listed by Habanos (which are on the low side):

https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/cigar/factorynames

I found that cigars tend to range from about 10% under to 20% over. So about a 30% variance. I think some of the larger cigars can be even more extreme.

As others have said lighter ones will end up more likely to be wind tunnels. Heavier ones will end up more likely to be plugged. But neither is guaranteed.

1 hour ago, BrightonCorgi said:

How much does a swing in humidity up or down effect the weight of the cigar?

Within the range of 60%-70% relative humidity for storage, I think the percentage moisture content of the cigar will go up/down a few percent from 10-14% (very rough guess). Not sure exactly how much that translates into weight, but I'm pretty sure it's much less than the 30%+ variance due to Habanos production tolerances. @PigFish would be the one with the data on this. He would of course say that temperature plays into this, and there's no use talking about % RH without considering temperature.

[Lamboinee]

11 hours ago, KavalanWhisky said:

 is a real expert

I knew there would be an expert on this topic somewhere on FOH. thanks!

 

5 hours ago, Bijan said:

In my experience there is a huge variation.

Thank you for sharing your experience.  I'm surprised at how common these variances are.  But, I guess I never really took the time to think about or investigate the issue until I got into CC's.  I'm intrigued to see what I find with my non CC's by comparison. With respect to the interplay of RH, temperature, and weight variation...From what I understand, there's obviously a direct relationship  between  temp and RH. For my limited purposes here, however, temp is less important because everything I'm weighing has/is stored in the same environment.  So, the temp variable is a moot issue except for any differences in temp that occur after previously tested cigars have been removed and smoked. That should be negligible I would think. 

[Bijan]

19 minutes ago, Lamboinee said:

With respect to the interplay of RH, temperature, and weight variation..

The effect is slightly more complicated. Temperature affects the amount of moisture the cigar absorbs/holds while stored at any given relative humidity.

That is a cigar stored at 65% at 50F will hold a different amount of moisture than a cigar stored at 65% but at 80F. I think the colder one would absorb more moisture but I tend to always get this wrong 😂

[SCgarman]

12 hours ago, Ford2112 said:

The Perfect Draw is a game changer in the world of CC's. I probably use one on 30% of the cigars I smoke.

Just ordered one today. Last two Sancho Belicosos out of a '20 box have been real tight. First one was plugged, had to toss it. The second one this past weekend had a draw, but too damn tight to get a good flow of smoke. Struggled with the cigar. I will see how the PerfecDraw  "improves" things. 

[MrBirdman]

6 hours ago, Bijan said:

I found that cigars tend to range from about 10% under to 20% over. So about a 30% variance. I think some of the larger cigars can be even more extreme.

Same experience as Bijan - makes sense as HSA would probably go with a "lighter" estimate to minimize taxes. 

What I wonder is how much this variance contributes to the variations in overall quality of experience. Draw aside, the absolute best flavor seems to usually come from cigars with a classically snug (though not uncomfortable) Cuban draw, although that becomes less and less true as the vitola gets shorter. HUHC tend to be best when they're at the NC draw level.

Someone could win major forum points for logging their weights and scores over, say, one or two boxes of the same cigar.

[Bijan]

2 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

What I wonder is how much this variance contributes to the variations in overall quality of experience. Draw aside, the absolute best flavor seems to usually come from cigars with a classically snug (though not uncomfortable) Cuban draw,

I wonder how much of this is obviously bad Cuba QC, and how much is the rollers just rolling the best they can with the random assortment of leaves they have on hand.

2 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

Someone could win major forum points for logging their weights and scores over, say, one or two boxes of the same cigar.

I smoke each box too randomly/slowly to do this. But I'll just weigh a box or two. (I think I did this once).

[Lamboinee]

2 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

 

Someone could win major forum points for logging their weights and scores over, say, one or two boxes of the same cigar.

I've been taking a pic w/weight of each one I've smoked for a few weeks now. Some of my buddies think I've lost my marbles and turned into a madman. Its good to know that at least foh understands the reasoning behind madness! Maybe I'll try and put something together for a post. 

[MrBirdman]

36 minutes ago, Lamboinee said:

I've been taking a pic w/weight of each one I've smoked for a few weeks now. Some of my buddies think I've lost my marbles and turned into a madman. Its good to know that at least foh understands the reasoning behind madness! Maybe I'll try and put something together for a post. 

Would be very interested to see what you find!

[Ford2112]

6 hours ago, SCgarman said:

Just ordered one today. Last two Sancho Belicosos out of a '20 box have been real tight. First one was plugged, had to toss it. The second one this past weekend had a draw, but too damn tight to get a good flow of smoke. Struggled with the cigar. I will see how the PerfecDraw  "improves" things. 

I get a lot of stem plugs up near the band. 

[MossybackR]

7 hours ago, Lamboinee said:

've been taking a pic w/weight of each one I've smoked for a few weeks now. Some of my buddies think I've lost my marbles and turned into a madman. Its good to know that at least foh understands the reasoning behind madness! Maybe I'll try and put something together for a post. 

Been there. I weighed every single cigar for a month or two and now weigh only occasionally. The initial cold draw on a cut cigar on whether to expect a wind tunnel, a snug roll, or a plugged cigar needing a little work with a PerfecDraw. No other tool does the task as well. I really would like to see Athena weight ranges of a box or two of several vitolas and will try to fit that into my plans.

[Lamboinee]

2 hours ago, MossybackR said:

Been there. I weighed every single cigar for a month or two and now weigh only occasionally. The initial cold draw on a cut cigar on whether to expect a wind tunnel, a snug roll, or a plugged cigar needing a little work with a PerfecDraw. No other tool does the task as well. I really would like to see Athena weight ranges of a box or two of several vitolas and will try to fit that into my plans.

Athena weight ranges?

[Bijan]

A 50 cab of light PLPCs:

[Bijan]

A 50 cab of heavy Party Shorts: