Do draw/burn improve with age?

[big bopper]

I've got a box of Partagas Petit Corona Especiales that's a year or so old. I've had 2 or 3 from the box and while the flavour is ok, the draw is difficult and the burn an absolute nightmare!

If I leave them for a while is there any chance of improvement or is it just a case of having a bad batch?

[ValeTudoGuy]

What humidity are you keeping them at, how do they feel.... Hard, soft?

[TJCoro]

Stick Issues

I've never had a stick with bad draw and/or burn improve with age, but I had seen improvement in these conditions with adjustments in the storage environment, such as temperature and humidity.

But in my experience, if the stick is plugged, it remains so no matter how long you age it. That's when I go to my trusty "draw poker."

Pero, el Perro

[tippexx]

I've never had a stick with bad draw and/or burn improve with age, but I had seen improvement in these conditions with adjustments in the storage environment, such as temperature and humidity.

But in my experience, if the stick is plugged, it remains so no matter how long you age it. That's when I go to my trusty "draw poker."

Pero, el Perro

I would agree with most of this, although there is a difference between plugged and tight. Wayward bad burning can generally be put down to poor rolling or uneven humidification and nothing can put it right and until you light up there's know way to know you've got a bad burner.

Age, a year is not age by the way just a short vacation, can bring about a loosening in the draw, but in saying that older cigars are usually stored at a lower humidity anyway which in turn results in a slightly quicker burn. But here we're talking about 'good' cigars stored for a long time.

2 or 3 problem cigars from a box is unfortunate but sadly not unusual. My advise if you enjoy the taste is to smoke them, not all will have problems, but with those that do treat them as a challenge, ask TJ for a loan of his poker and use a soft flame or long match to adjust the burn as you go.

[TJCoro]

It's not a Pokeher!

ask TJ for a loan of his poker and use a soft flame or long match to adjust the burn as you go.

Ummm, the only one who shares don TJ's poker is Catalina Joy.

Perro, el Perro

Haha! There's a rumor that Ray Gay shared his poker once.

[big bopper]

What humidity are you keeping them at, how do they feel.... Hard, soft?

Kept at 65% using beads. They are firm to the touch but definitely not plugged.

[snooky]

Humidity is usually the cause. Some on this forum have left thier smokes in a dry box for a day or two ? Try rolling gently between fingers to loosen things up. Plugged smokes are rare, though they do pack in the filler quite tight. All the best.