Expert: James Yee - 7/27/2010

Question
Hi James,

I recently got a new box of Cohiba Siglo II's.   Ive had them before, and really enjoyed them.  

Anyways, the box seems legit... ive looked at all the usual marking to spot counterfeits and everything seems in order.   The cigars seemed to be in good condition and well humidified when doing the pinch test.

However, when I lit one up, I realized it was really really hard to draw on the cigar.   At that point, I tried pinching the head of the cigar and realized it was very hard.   I tried massaging/pinching it to loosen it up, but the smoke ended up being horrible because of the draw...

do you know what could have caused this?   I was using a punch cutter if that matters... but my friend had a cigar from the same box and his was fine.   Is there a solution to this problem?   I know you can buy those long metal sticks you can poke into your cigar, but is there another solution?

Answer
Hi Andrew,

This is actually a common problem with many handmade cigars; even genuine cigars.  Because premium cigars are all hand rolled, it's not uncommon for the factory cigar roller to inadvertently create a tobacco hardspot simply by bunching the filler tobacco a certain way when he rolls the cigar.  When the filler tobacco is bunched a certain way, it creates a clump of tobacco (aka "tobacco knot") inside the cigar that can block the draw when you smoke it.  As you mentioned, there are cigar spikes that you can purchase that corrects this problem but what you can also do is to just let the cigar burn and nurse the draw by squeezing the knot gently as you slowly smoke the cigar.  As the cigar slowly burns, the heat will soften the hard spot and loosen the filler tobacco which can improve the draw.  As you massage and pinch the hardspot, be sure to draw the smoke slowly (1-2 puffs per minute) so that the cigar doesn't develop harsh flavours.

However, depending on how hard the tobacco knot is, this solution is not always perfect.  Sometimes it improves the draw greatly and sometimes it improves the draw very slightly.  If the hardspot is at the head of the cigar, you can also use a cigar cutter to remove it and then repair the loose wrapper leaf (if necessary) with some pectin or cigar repair glue (available at most cigar shops).

Also, if you use a single-bladed cigar cutter, switching to a double-bladed cutter will help.  Single-bladed cutters have been known to pinch down on the cigar head when you cut the tobacco.  This causes the tobacco at the head of the cigar to be compressed which can affect the draw.  Double-bladed cigar cutters provide a cleaner cut.

Hope this helps!  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James