Expert: James Yee - 3/11/2010

Question
Hi James,

I received a box of 25 Cohiba Robusto as a gift from a friend. Of course it is a nice one. However most of it has a very loose draw issue (you can draw very easily like nothing in your mouth!), and I think it affected a lot on the smoking experience, as well as the flavor.

I have searched through this site and I did saw a topic as 'tight draw issue' which is another extreme but completely different. I am wondering if it is the problem of the cigar quality, or the way I keep it?

I put them in the humidor at around 60%-70% RH. So is there anyway to tweak it and improve the draw?

Thank you for your time and any comment is appreciated.


Regards,

Leon

Answer
Hi Leon,

Loose draw cigars are usually caused by the cigars being extremely dry.  When a cigar is very dry, the filler tobacco inside the cigar will shrivel and loosen which creates a looser draw.  If your cigars feel dry, let them sit in your humidor a little bit longer (at 70% humidity) and they may improve as the filler tobacco re-hydrates and swells.  Dry cigars should be stored in your humidor for at least 4-8 weeks before you smoke them.

What you can also do to improve the draw is use a cigar punch instead of a cigar cutter.  A cigar punch will cut out a smaller hole in the cigar head and this will restrict the draw and make it slightly tighter.  Cigar punches are available at most cigar stores and tobacconists.

If the loose draw is affecting the way the cigar tastes, smoking it at a much slower pace will make it taste and burn better.  The cigar will still have a loose draw but if you smoke slower, the cigar will burn slower and the overall smoking experience will improve.

If your cigars continue to have a loose draw after they have been humidified, the loose draw is most likely a construction defect caused by the cigar being underfilled with filler tobacco.  If this is the case, there isn't much you can do to improve the draw.  Loose draw cigars are always harder to correct than tight draw cigars because you cannot add anything to the filler tobacco to improve the draw.

Humidifying your cigars longer and using a cigar punch should improve the draw.

Hopes this helps.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James