Plugged Cigars

I recently received a box of Montecristo No. 4s as a gift and the draw on every one I have smoked so far has been incredibly tight. Is there any way of curing a tight draw?

Posted: March 26, 2012

Submitted via CigarAficionado.com

It's not easy. But it can be done.

Plugged cigars sometimes have a knot in the bunch that keeps enough smoke from reaching your mouth. A determined cigar smoker can attempt to massage the knot in order to try to loosen the bunch.

This is a delicate process. It takes some pressure to work through a knot, but applying too much force can easily split a cigar's wrapper. From our experience no matter how hard you try, you run a pretty good chance of splitting the wrapper.

Unfortunately, most draw problems stem from when a buncher has twisted the filler tobacco while making the bunch. If this is the case, massaging isn't going to help.

Some products have come to market allowing a smoker to punch holes through a cigar. We've had mixed results with these tools. In the long run, remember that cigars are handmade products and subject to the shortcomings of human beings. If you have a plugged cigar, perhaps you should simply chalk it up to experience and pick up a fresh smoke.

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