Is it normal to get Siglo's that are too tight to smoke?

[ChimpsInTies]

I got 5 Siglo II's brought back from Cuba for me by a colleague the other week. They went straight in my humi. I smoked one a couple of weeks ago and although you had to suck quite hard it was nice.

Last night I took one round a a friends house and we just couldn't smoke it. It was so tight you simply couldn't draw hardly any smoke. It's a real shame because it smelt and tasted lovely. Luckily I'd taken another type of cigar too so our evening wasn't ruined.

Is it just one of those things, that being hand made, sometimes they muck the odd cigar up? Has anyone else ever had a cigar from a reputable company that simply couldn't be smoked?

[kevree]

I've never had a Siglo II that wasn't too tight.

Have tried them various times over the years and have given up on them.

[smokin_e2011]

Yes, but there is a method to get the best out of them.....

[ChimpsInTies]

And that is???

Why would they make them so tight? I mean I can see that it makes them more pleasant to smoke if you're a non-smoker because you're getting less smoke but you need to be able to get some at least.

[tippexx]

And that is???

Why would they make them so tight?

They possibly haven't. The cigars are just very new and will loosen with a wee bit of time. If you want to smoke them now place them separately somewhere at a reduced humidity (65? should be OK) or place them in a dry box for a few days before smoking.

If you have a tight or plugged cigar, resist the temptation to draw harder as in my experience that only makes matters worse. Personally I've never had a plugged Siglo. Problems with Cohiba have always been with the Lancero or Secretos .... and dry boxing seems to sort them.

[ChimpsInTies]

Ahh, it could be that my Humi was running a little humid around the weekend (about 78%) as I'd just put some distilled water on my crystals earlier in the week. Maybe the cigars had just expanded a bit too much. I'll have to leave them for a while and see if they get better.

[cigarsam]

The exact same thing happened to me. I bought two siglo II and one siglo IV. Both the 2's were plugged and the 4 was very hard on the draw. A real shame as they had a beautiful taste and aroma. I ended up cutting the IV in half as the end was Just too tough!

[Funkilee]

There's a heck of a lot of talk about plugged cigars (to which i have now experienced three in my short time of smoking cubans), surely if they are not fit for purpose that should entitle one to a replacement, a replacement for something similar or a refund, Sales of Goods Act 1978 as amended.

[tippexx]

There's a heck of a lot of talk about plugged cigars (to which i have now experienced three in my short time of smoking cubans), surely if they are not fit for purpose that should entitle one to a replacement, a replacement for something similar or a refund, Sales of Goods Act 1978 as amended.

Plugged cigars I'm afraid go with the hobby. But if you're getting a series of 'plugged' from one box, talk to your vendor .... they're not usually dismissive or unreasonable.

[cigarsam]

Plugged cigars I'm afraid go with the hobby. But if you're getting a series of 'plugged' from one box, talk to your vendor .... they're not usually dismissive or unreasonable.

That's why its important to have a good relationship with your supplier. They understand the problem and are normally happy to help, even more so if you are a valued customer!

[monkey66]

A plugged cigar can be returned to any decent vendor. Ajay once replaced a stick for me 6 months later that I told him had a very light draw and was a very poor smoke. Relationships with vendors help. I have started smoking sticks at JJ Fox,been too tight, gone back downstairs and had them replaced.

You can certainly take a plugged cigar back under the sales of goods act just like a corked bottle of wine.

It is worth considering that one of the features of Cuban rolling style is they ideally are quite densely rolled for that perfect 'Cuban draw'. The risk is it is a very fine line to plugged. Cohibas in particular are very tightly rolled and over-humidification is likely to amplify this. Conversely NC's are rolled to urr on the side of caution (looser draws) which means far less plugged but very few with that great 'Cuban draw' style. Of course we have all had Cubans that are loose as hell so by no means consistent.

We had a detailed debate about the difference between CC's and NC's in construction and plugging issues a few weeks ago, some good information to better understand (not excuse) why CC's might be plugged:

http://www.ukcigarforums.com/showthread.php?12206-Why-are-Cubans-more-likely-to-be-plugged-than-NCs

A good tip if you cut a cigar and it is too tight on the pre-draw is to put it back in the humi for 6 months and normally corrects itself. It takes some experience, and self-discipline not to light up when the pre-draw is too tight. When I am just taking out one stick for me to smoke in a give evening I will often cut it at home. Two reasons, one I dont need to carry a cutter all evening for one stick, two I can see if there are any draw issues before I leave home.

The bottom line is if you are unhappy with any purchase (of any kind) and you think it not fit for purpose talk to the retailer.

[ChimpsInTies]

If only I could afford to hop on a plane and head back to Cuba where it came from

I think I'll start cutting at home before I take them out in future. Thanks for the info. I'll have a read of that other thread now.

[Funkilee]

Ah, good answer Monkey, and glad to hear it as smoking a fine Cuban really is a luxury, interesting about Cubans having naturally a tighter draw, i have smoked a fair few Santa damiana's (i see you all cringe) and a few Davidoffs amongst other NC's and they 'always' draw well, lots of lovely creamy smoke, i suppose it is a bit of adjustment getting used to the draw on some CC's and would explain why i've preferred the loser draws ones!

[TJCoro]

Time Ain't On Your Side!

A good tip if you cut a cigar and it is too tight on the pre-draw is to put it back in the humi for 6 months and normally corrects itself. It takes some experience, and self-discipline not to light up when the pre-draw is too tight.

Now, I don't claim to be as smart as our primate friend, senor monkeyboy, but I have a few cut, plugged sticks that have been resting in don TJ's massive unit for over a year and TBH, there doesn't seem to be much unpluggin' going on. So I continue to wait...and wait...and....

So let me share a tip that me pappy, Pappy Corro, used to offer up - Invest in a Draw Poker! .

I often use this device to "save" plugged puros and it works most of the time. I will even carry the needle with me when I take a walk with my plugged puro. But that's just me.



Perro, el Perro

[monkey66]

Old man BJ hooker is big on jamming things from behind ....

....but seriously the poker is another way to go.