Cigar Confucius covering the issue of tight draws.

[El Presidente]

 

🙏🙏

 

 

[ha_banos]

Sorry thought this was referring to pants. Move along.

[joeypots]

Clearly, he wasn't smoking Cuban cigars in the early 2Ks.

[ViscountDick]

Remember folks, wider diameter = bigger airflow.

[yuppie]

I'm hearing this a lot about plugged Cubans. Maybe people are just resting them at too high an rH? Perhaps dry boxing could do some good?

[ha_banos]

Maybe all these ppl can just lay off the Cubans then.

[Islandboy]

I feel like I’m sticking my head up in a whack-a-mole game, but here goes...I have to say I agree with most of what he’s saying.  

The common sense part about bigger RG = easier draw...that goes without saying. But some of the best tasting - and longest lasting cigars I’ve had have had very snug draws, keeping the heat down and forcing me to smoke them very slowly. If I encounter a cigar like this that burns evenly throughout, I’m in awe of the person who rolled it. And yes, whenever Rob puts up a poll asking how many plugged cigars we encounter, my answer is based on about one a year.

Now, about that outfit he’s wearing.... To each his own.

[Habanoschris]

9 hours ago, Islandboy said:

I feel like I’m sticking my head up in a whack-a-mole game,

Good on you for being honest. I didn't watch the video. But I will say I enjoy that each cigar tells you how it wants to be smoked in a way and if you are patient and listen you'll enjoy more of your cigars in my experience. And then on a rare occasion some are just pretty plugged or not ready to be smoked yet. 
 

[yuppie]

I wonder if anyone has tried a "crown cut", V-Cut it twice in both directions. I've seen some people just use a knife to open the cap like a can opener.

[Habanoschris]

If I'm using a v cut I'll usually do it both ways just to open the draw some more. I have a bunch of cheap cutters usually but if I'm in a jam I'll use any means necessary like a knife or biting the cap off.  

[Arabian]

This looks like Habanos PR & Crisis Management video, from the same box, you'll have cigars that are completely plugged to barely smokable to a one just fine. I don't purchase cigars to make CPR to them. 

[griller]

On 4/30/2025 at 1:33 PM, joeypots said:

Clearly, he wasn't smoking Cuban cigars in the early 2Ks.

I remember the "Curse of 1999" production run where it seemed like Habanos literally rolled an entire year of cigars that were virtually unsmokable. The old forum groups were full of folks raving about 20 out of 25 cigars being plugged or poorly constructed in some other way. 

Dude can rationalize a tight draw of a cigar all he wants but I'm not looking for a "sucking a golf ball thru a garden hose" experience when lighting up. Few things are more frustrating...

[rcarlson]

What is it that makes these cigar-smoking dandies such authorities on our hobby? I think we need a study.  I'll take any member of this forum over these preening caricatures.  

Yet. . . I can't look away. 

Lord give me strength.       

[Ford2112]

I prefer tighter.

[Lucas Buck]

I have noticed my ‘99-‘00 boxes much less tight or plugged draws now that they are 25 years old. 

[tbelle7]

Hard to take him seriously when he's dressed like a pimp from Oakland.

[El Hoze]

I try to avoid commenting on threads with this poor guy, but I believe his comment of “a smaller ring gauge will ALWAYS have more resistance” is not correct and worth correcting. Maybe all else exactly equal but when is that ever the case with cigars? I might agree that my risk of a plugged cigar is higher at lower RG and my risk of a wind tunnel is higher at a larger RG, but that I should “expect” a tighter draw out of lower RG cigars broadly I don’t agree with. I have definitely had wind tunnel lanceros and plugged larger RG cigars. To me, that is all you need to make his statement inaccurate. And even hedging by saying, “on average” I don’t necessarily agree with. 

[ha_banos]

Here's the transcript:

Alright, listen up, dig it. You wanna know 'bout these here sticks, huh? Peep this. If you got one of them skinny little numbers, you gotta treat her nice and slow. Don't be rushin' it, feel me? Gentle puffs, like you whisperin' sweet nothings.

But you get yourself a big, thick mama? Oh yeah, she ain't gonna give you no trouble. Easy draw, smooth sailin'.

Now, if that thing starts burnin' hot, like you done disrespected her [0001:22]? That ain't her fault, playa, that's on you. You puffin' too hard, too fast. Slow yo' roll.

Every stick got its own groove, see? You gotta find that rhythm, match her pace. That's how you get the good stuff. Simple as that. Now go on, spread the word. And remember who schooled ya.