El Presidente Posted February 7, 2006 Posted February 7, 2006 I've heard that draw-testing machines are being used by some factories in Cuba. How long has this process been going on and what percentage of producers are in fact using them? Commenced in 2002 and now is used in all factories. The question is how well they are used and what % of cigars rolled in one day are tested. The official answer is that all are tested but as far as I am aware in the Partagas factory which produced 24000 cigars daily, 4500 are tested. I will update this while in Havana.
tey Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 24000 cigars daily? i knew they were like an assembly line but I never wouldv'e guessed that much.
SamuraiJack Posted January 27, 2009 Posted January 27, 2009 El Pres, ever get more inside scoop on how frequently they test draws?
El Presidente Posted January 28, 2009 Author Posted January 28, 2009 El Pres, ever get more inside scoop on how frequently they test draws? Supposedly every cigar is tested. I have to be honest in that I doubt it but their math is pretty good. 4 machines, 10 cigars a minute per machine, 2400 hr goes pretty close. I am not sure how many draw machines are in Partagas today as I have not been in the factory for over a year.
gwags Posted January 28, 2009 Posted January 28, 2009 My experience is with NC's and I maybe have a draw issue 5% of the time and as far as I know they're not using draw machines. I'm wondering why they (CC's) dont address the problem rather then trying to detect it. My personal, very limited experience with CC's is they usually draw slightly tighter but mostly not an issue. My question is ... is there a problem and how prevelent is it?
sounddust Posted January 28, 2009 Posted January 28, 2009 IMO, I have always felt that NCs tend to have a much looser draw than CCs, almost to the extent of an underfilled experience. I guess if the NC rollers bunch on the side of "looseness", most of the NCs would be on the loose drawing end. Similarly, if CCs are constructed to have a tighter draw compared to NCs, the draw problems would tend to be due to overfilling or not enough time for the cigars to age. Indeed, I have some Fundadores which displayed remarkable improvement in draw after about 2 years of rest. Like all hand-made products, one can expect such irregularities and I am glad to say that the Cubans have vastly improved the draw consistency of their cigars. That said, NCs like Illusione have tightly packed cigars yet draw like a dream from the get go. Although I'm sure their small production certainly helps a lot in terms of QC.
SamuraiJack Posted January 28, 2009 Posted January 28, 2009 This got me thinking, what do they test exactly? The binded/wrapped cigar before its capped?
Colt45 Posted January 28, 2009 Posted January 28, 2009 This got me thinking, what do they test exactly? The binded/wrapped cigar before its capped? They test the bound bunch pre-wrapper. There may be pics here in the gallery or classic post forum. Here's a link to a quick blurb from HSA: Link
Mr. Japan Posted January 29, 2009 Posted January 29, 2009 They test the "bonche" or "El tirulo" this is teh spanish name for the cigar without wrapper. One funny thing is that the drawing machines are made in United States so they bypassed the embargo. Presidente I heard that pretty soon Partagas factory and tienda will be closed for restructuration, this may be last time you can visit the old site.
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