Plugged up cigar construction or storage issue?

[Uwiik]

I like beating a dead horse, so forgive me if this topic has been discussed to death but let’s do this again! 

I just got into cigar last year and like any beginner on CC world I got my fair share of ups and downs, the worst being plugged up cigars. Sometimes I would just get so mad (especially in the morning) and tear apart an expensive cigar upon the first draw whenever it’s plugged and this can be very frustrating. A BIG thanks to @PigFish, just like so many folks here I learned a lot from his posts and learned how to tune my cigar to my liking. I settled on 19.5C on temp and 62-63 on RH, 61 being a tad too dry and 64-65 being straight up too wet. 

Interestingly enough, I often heard that plugged up cigars is mostly due to construction issue, Cuba being Cuba but my experience has told me otherwise. Coincidentally, my number 1 favourite cigar for daily/routine is the Montecristo No.4 which we all know is notorious when it comes to bad roll/plugged up cigar. At 62-63 RH I just never had a single plugged up stick from my multiple batch of Montecristo no.4, all are smoking perfectly down to the last 1/2 inch nub.

About 8 weeks ago my dehumidifier hygrostat malfunctioned, I got lazy and wanting to see the effect of higher humidity so I leave it like at and RH creeped up to 64.5-65, after a couple of weeks I began to get plugged Montecristo no.4 and I ended up throwing away about 4 sticks from a known good box. So I replaced my hygrostat and RH dropped to my usual 62-63, after a few weeks my Montecristo No.4 reverted back to its perfect state, no more plugged M4 and all been smoking wonderful again. Not only on the M4, at 62-63 RH I just do not get plugged up cigar at all, be it Cohiba, Trinidad, Bolivar, Partagas, etc… 

Anecdotal or facts but these were my experiences and I would like to know others.

[Li Bai]

You're right, bad construction and too high an RH play a big part in plugged cigars.

But even with perfect consistent RH and temperature, a day will come when you stumble upon an unsmokable stick, you just have a lot less chances for it to be plugged when your storage is on point 👍

[Uwiik]

I have yet to get a plugged cigar if my setup is on point @62-63, only time will tell if I will get really unlucky but I hope not. Perhaps storage plays a bigger part than construction? 

[maduro69]

Not sure if you have one but, Perfect draw or similar draw tool from Amazon will save those plugged cigars. 

[Li Bai]

41 minutes ago, Uwiik said:

I have yet to get a plugged cigar if my setup is on point @62-63, only time will tell if I will get really unlucky but I hope not. 

Tbh, it's been a while since my last plugged cigars so...Fingers crossed 🤞

 

39 minutes ago, maduro69 said:

Not sure if you have one but, Perfect draw or similar draw tool from Amazon will save those plugged cigars. 

I don't like it a lot myself, it creates "tunnels" in the tripa and yes, it allows you to smoke your cigar but it never comes close to the smoking experience you would get should it be well rolled in the first place.

I'd rather dry box a plugged cigar and wait a few days, I even have a friend who puts it in the fridge for one hour and then lights it up. I've never tried the fridge thing (maybe I will) but if it's still unsmokable after dry boxing it, I don't even light it up.

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, Uwiik said:

 

Anecdotal or facts but these were my experiences and I would like to know others.

 

Correlarion does not equal causation.............

I can't say that I have ever experienced any more plugged M4 than say PLPC/BPC/CSII regardless if at 62% or 68%. I have humidors running at both. 

I prefer the 62-64% in my home humidor but the walk in is at 68% currently with my locker at 66% and 16 Celsius. 

 

[VeguerosMAN]

I have had a few plugged cigars from My Cigars - it's so frustrating smoking plugged big ring gauge cigars. I think it has more to do with the construction of the cigar than the humidity. 

[ubiquito]

6 hours ago, maduro69 said:

Not sure if you have one but, Perfect draw or similar draw tool from Amazon will save those plugged cigars. 

I second the PerfecDraw. A very useful tool.

[BrightonCorgi]

I'd say it's always construction unless the cigar is hydroscopic. If it is then you'll have to sit it out and wait for that phase to change.

[Li Bai]

8 hours ago, ubiquito said:

I second the PerfecDraw. A very useful tool.

That's interesting, a lot of people here seem to be convinced by this tool, but in my cigar community, we are almost all disappointed with it.

Is there a topic dedicated to it ? I've searched but didn't find any 😅

Nevermind, i found it:

https://www.fohcigars.com/forum/topic/135400-perfect-draw/#comment-865562

 

[TacoSauce]

7 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

I'd say it's always construction

Agreed. However, people have an intense psychological unwillingness to accept that something they spent significant $$ on could be flawed in some way. So instead they spend their time making up stories about how the humidity being off by 1% is a problem. My favorite are posts where people talk about how great their cigars are performing when they leave their cigars out of the humidor for extended periods: "Best ever D4!!! The secret is to dry box in a 250 degree oven for at least a month. I was weak and only left it in the oven for a week, but a month is definitely the way to go."

 

7 hours ago, Li Bai said:

That's interesting, a lot of people here seem to be convinced by this tool, but in my cigar community, we are almost all disappointed with it.

I too was disappointed in its performance the first few times I used it. Since then I have come to appreciate it after understanding its (and my) limitations:

1. Perfecdraw will only work well on cigars plugged between the band and the cap. If the knot is somewhere in the middle, you usually end up destroying much of the cigar trying to get to the right spot. (Limitation of the PerfectDraw)
2. Perfecdraw will not help improve the draw for cigars that have a closed foot no matter how much tobacco you ream out of the head. (Limitation of the user's cognitive abilities)

[Li Bai]

Agreed about construction too but RH plays a part when cigars are rolled really tight. For example in France, lots of shops have really high RH so if you try to light something up right off the shelves (like I did in the beginning), you're more likely to have it plugged.

You're right when you're talking about a couple %, it doesn't make any difference but a 75% RH stored cigar that's plugged could have been a 65% RH stored cigar with a firm draw.

[BrightonCorgi]

I tried a perfect draw a couple of times with mixed results. My plugged cigars go into the compost.

[cigaraholic]

Is the cigar plugged or is it just not drawing they way you want? If there’s a blockage from god only knows what, or a roll knot it’s plugged. But trying to get a consistent draw from an inconsistent product will drive you crazier than you already are👻We all have a preference for how we like our cigars to draw. I like a very snug draw, others like their cigars to smoke themselves, and everything in between. Every cigar has a unique draw depending on its fill and roll, and then theirs your draw. In every box there are going to be cigars you really have to pull on, cigars you don’t have to think about, and cigars that I think are so underfilled they should never have left the factory. Playing with your humidity is not going to change that. Cuban cigar construction this century has driven me to weighing my cigars so I know before lighting if I’m smoking a light, middle or heavyweight. We’re always having to adjust our draw depending on the fill and size of cigar we’re smoking these days.

[Li Bai]

3 hours ago, cigaraholic said:

Cuban cigar construction this century has driven me to weighing my cigars so I know before lighting if I’m smoking a light, middle or heavyweight.

I do that too! It's comforting to know I'm not the only one 😅

[NSXCIGAR]

5 hours ago, Li Bai said:

That's interesting, a lot of people here seem to be convinced by this tool, but in my cigar community, we are almost all disappointed with it.

4 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

I tried a perfect draw a couple of times with mixed results.  My plugged cigars go into the compost

I have a 90%+ success rate with the PD. Yes, thin RG cigars can be difficult and very long cigars may be an issue as well but I can count on one hand the cigars that couldn't be saved. 

The key to using the PD is technique. It's not a reamer or a drill. Rod's video on the site is essential but my trick is I pull the tool out as slowly as possible. You want to actually extract leaf when you withdraw it and if you pull too fast the end will tear through the leaf leaving it inside. 

[SCgarman]

1 minute ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I have a 90%+ success rate with the PD. Yes, thin RG cigars can be difficult and very long cigars may be an issue as well but I can count on one hand the cigars that couldn't be saved. 

The key to using the PD is technique. It's not a reamer or a drill. Rod's video on the site is essential but my trick is I pull the tool out as slowly as possible. You want to actually extract leaf when you withdraw it and if you pull too fast the end will tear through the leaf leaving it inside. 

Not me. Perfec Draw maybe works half the time, usually less. Had to toss a BRE19 Connie1, was plugged to no end. No better after using the PD. This is not a storage issue. Simply too much filler when bunching the cigar. Hamlet explains it perfectly in his video. Piss poor construction, period. I have a 2020 box of Sancho Belicosos. Almost half so far have been either plugged or rolled too tight for any decent smoke output. Makes me not miss paying ridiculous prices for Cubans. I have never had a plugged Padron 1964, EVER. And they are now cheaper than Cubans. 

[NSXCIGAR]

16 minutes ago, SCgarman said:

Simply too much filler when bunching the cigar.

Absolutely, this can be the issue. If the cigar is like a rock there's little that can be done. My 10% fail rate for the PD is usually in those cases. The filler is packed so tight the barbs on the PD can't even pull anything out through. 

In fact, IIRC I also had a few 19-20 Connie 1s that were unsalvageable tent pegs.

[SCgarman]

Just now, NSXCIGAR said:

Absolutely, this can be the issue. If the cigar is like a rock there's little that can be done. My 10% fail rate for the PD is usually in those cases. In fact, IIRC I also had a few 19-20 Connie 1s that were unsalvageable tent pegs.

The BRE17 Connie1 box was sublime. All rolled great, lighter wrappers. Classic Upmann taste. This BRE19 box sucks plain and simple.

[Li Bai]

2 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I have a 90%+ success rate with the PD. Yes, thin RG cigars can be difficult and very long cigars may be an issue as well but I can count on one hand the cigars that couldn't be saved. 

The key to using the PD is technique. It's not a reamer or a drill. Rod's video on the site is essential but my trick is I pull the tool out as slowly as possible. You want to actually extract leaf when you withdraw it and if you pull too fast the end will tear through the leaf leaving it inside. 

Well, you read our posts and thought to yourself "they just don't use it right" and maybe you're right. Or maybe we are.

Maybe we're all right according to our own tastes but I'm lucky enough to live in France (at least on that matter 😅) since I can go back to my retailer with my plugged cigar and have another one or a refund if it's not available at the moment. 

No need for the PD in those circumstances...

[BrightonCorgi]

1 hour ago, Li Bai said:

Maybe we're all right according to our own tastes but I'm lucky enough to live in France (at least on that matter 😅) since I can go back to my retailer with my plugged cigar and have another one or a refund if it's not available at the moment.

Do the cigar shops bust your balls on it (need receipt or some other excuse not to refund) or they quick to refund/exchange? I've returned wine bought at retail when warranted, but never a cigar.

[Yigal]

Dry boxing CC's worked the best for me. The issue is that you need to guess which cigar(s) you feel like smoking a few days in advance, which is not convenient.  PD has definitely saved many of my cigars. It's worth having it in your cigar accessory chest.  

[Uwiik]

On 4/9/2024 at 4:28 PM, maduro69 said:

Not sure if you have one but, Perfect draw or similar draw tool from Amazon will save those plugged cigars. 

I do have it, IMO it helps but never to the same degree if it’s proper from the get go…not a big fan. My friend showed me a technique where he unplugged a cigar just using his fingers/nails by persistently and slowly pulling tiny stems from the foot. I don’t see how that’s possible by how tightly things are rolled but he claimed it always worked and draws perfectly unlike PD, I have yet to try it.  

 

On 4/9/2024 at 5:29 PM, El Presidente said:

Correlarion does not equal causation.............

I can't say that I have ever experienced any more plugged M4 than say PLPC/BPC/CSII regardless if at 62% or 68%. I have humidors running at both. 

I prefer the 62-64% in my home humidor but the walk in is at 68% currently with my locker at 66% and 16 Celsius.

Hence my disclaimer of anecdotal or not 😉 because to me nothing is for certain hence the loads of questions. Climate is a weird science. 25 years ago I would kill myself If I follow US carburettor tuning guide on my Harleys, here in the tropic it’s totally different, thanks God for fuel injection now.

Going back to cigar, my experience is different. I just stopped getting plugged sticks after going back to my lower benchmark. Whether that’s coincidence or not, I don’t know 😜

Please enlighten me on your reason to go real wet and cold on your walk in? I am keeping everything the same on mine but I heard from a friend that cigars that will sleep for a long time (5 yr plus) are better to be kept wetter and colder? Better aging? About 60-70% of my stocks are 2022-2023 production, perhaps I need to build another walk in for the long term sticks? 😂

 

20 hours ago, TacoSauce said:

Agreed. However, people have an intense psychological unwillingness to accept that something they spent significant $$ on could be flawed in some way. So instead they spend their time making up stories about how the humidity being off by 1% is a problem. 

Coincidentally, that last 1% of tipping the balance is what I am trying to achieve. As my palate develops itself I find I am enjoying my cigar slightly on the wetter side, for my taste buds 61 being too dry and 65 being to wet (acrid flavor starts to emerge and there's a higher plugged rate), surely there is a point and that point is that exact 1% where things are optimum before starting to go downward. Call this OCD…maybe, call this stupidity…perhaps, call it making up stories…most probably…but hey…it’s my cigar and I am enjoying this journey and all it’s hypothetical theories, it’s a hobby. If cigar is like a cigarette where I can just buy it anytime and smoke it anywhere I would’ve quit already. We metric people just love to bicker non stop with that last 1mm 😂

[Li Bai]

13 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Do the cigar shops bust your balls on it (need receipt or some other excuse not to refund) or they quick to refund/exchange? I've returned wine bought at retail when warranted, but never a cigar.

Well you need to have a good relationship with your retailers but it doesn't cost them anything as plugged cigars are taken back by the Coprova so I've never had a problem so far. The only problem with that is you can't return a cigar that's been lit so if you have a doubt about the draw you'd better not try to figure out if it will open up after a cm (half an inch ??).

5 hours ago, Uwiik said:

My friend showed me a technique where he unplugged a cigar just using his fingers/nails by persistently and slowly pulling tiny stems from the foot. I don’t see how that’s possible by how tightly things are rolled but he claimed it always worked and draws perfectly unlike PD, I have yet to try it.

In my experience it's often stems and sometimes you manage to pull it out but sometimes big stems will leave a hole and you're back to the PD problem.

[Uwiik]

7 minutes ago, Li Bai said:

In my experience it's often stems and sometimes you manage to pull it out but sometimes big stems will leave a hole and you're back to the PD problem.

How is it possible to grab hold of that tiny stems with a roll that tight? Care to share? If you pull enough tiny stems then draw should ease up? This is interesting, like many here I find that PD has a low success rate and my friend vouch by his finger pulling method. My friend made it sounds so easy.