Twigs in cigar?

[Gman]

Hi all

I just smoked half a Carlos Torano Dominicos Robustos, I've had a few of these and they all have been very good. This one however was horrible! It was like smoking paper/wood….. I had to give up half way through it was that bad. Where I’d cut it, there was a stick pocking out, I decided to pull the cigar apart and it’s full of what I can only describe as small twigs.


Is this normal?

[Watkins]

No.

[monkey66]

Not for good cigars.

[snooky]

Let them know .

[snooky]

Wondered why we call em sticks !

[onyx]

no...it's not good for cigars...I agree with snooky: let them know about this problem...and you may ask to replace the defective product

[snooky]

no...it's not good for cigars...I agree with snooky: let them know about this problem...and you may ask to replace the defective product

I agree with Onyx , all to often we throw away cigars that are poor smokes may be JUST one in a box but it mounts up and the distributor should know and get onto the makers . Quality control in say Cuba may not not be quite what youd expect.

[monkey66]

I agree with Onyx , all to often we throw away cigars that are poor smokes may be JUST one in a box but it mounts up and the distributor should know and get onto the makers . Quality control in say Cuba may not not be quite what youd expect.

....these are not Cuban ...just crap.

[Gman]

They are not crap tho... the construction, draw and flavour have been the most consistent, when compared to Monti 4’s, Bolviar Petit Corona etc…

[monkey66]

Fair enough but any cigar full of 'small twigs' does not fill me with confidence.

[cbob]

[QUOTE=Gman;143340]... it?s full of what I can only describe as small twigs.

Unfortunately, it's more common than it should be.
Unlike Cuban cigars, many Dominican and Honduran cigars are bunched by one group of workers and finished with wrappers and caps by specialist torcedores. Many/most filler leaves will be supplied "full sized" (smaller leaf) with the center rib still intact, in contrast to wrapper leaves which have the rib stripped out by workers who do only this task. Boncheros (bunchers) do not have responsibility for the complete cigar and are often told to use bits of the stripped out ribs to bulk out the filler in spots that are thin. This practice can result in more bits of rib than you would really want in your smoke: they dry into hard "twigs" that can often be found poking from the head or foot of the cigar.
A Sign of poor quality.

To be fair, larger than desirable ribs can also be found in Cuban cigars. If the torcedor is a bit slack and believes the rib is thin enough, he will simple bunch up a whole leaf and you can sometimes see these when examining the foot or clipped head. They are usually not a problem but can burn hot and bitter.
I've seen folk try to pull out a piece of rib from the head of their cigar, and they end up pulling out most of the filler leaf. Best to leave them alone.

[snooky]

I didnt say Carlos Torano were Cuban, I used Cuban as an example , i believe most hand made non cuban are in fact better than Cuban, though not in flavour.

[Gman]

Well the last two I've had, must of come out of a different box.... the first few were all very nice... I tried a 5/6th one last night and that tasted the same as the bad one.... The bad ones might have come out of a bad box, but then the good ones may have been a one off good box . The good/bad ones are not like the same cigar, they are completely different.

Due to the bad ones being so bad, I will now not buy them again.

[celsis]

It's all taste, isn't it. Personally, I've never had a Torano that I liked, but what the hell. If you like em!

As regards the twigs, take em back and demand satisfaction. You're paying over the odds for them so you should at least get something smokeable.