I brought these back from Havana a month ago.
They are too tight to draw properly. The filler looks tightly packed when examining the foot. We even took apart a sub that after it had burned 1/4 inch. Everything looked good.

Last year the subs were great right out of the bag. The sals were reasonable but not perfect.

I have to bring up my cigar talk post count to balance out my other posts.

I know the Salamones that I've received in Cuba were very fresh as I assume yours were as well....probably rolled within a few days of receiving them. The leaves within could still be somewhat moist since they've only been in your possession for a month. That can cause a tight-feeling draw and a lack of combustion. Since I've never had a cigar with a RG that thick (especially a custom roll) be tight, I can only speculate that it could be excess moisture in the filler causing the draw problems. Just a guess, but it could be a plausible explanation.

Anyone ever tried using one of those "draw pokers?" I see them for sale from time to time. I know the "classy" thing to do is pitch the cigar and light another, but that seems a waste . . . .

quote:

The leaves within could still be somewhat moist since they've only been in your possession for a month. That can cause a tight-feeling draw

No, Lapiz, the tight feeling on the draw comes when the binder and wrapper shrink down as it dries out and the roller used a little too much tobacco...it happens. It's not that the tobacco is humid, or expanded...it's when everything around the tripa clamps down. When you get fresh cigars and they say they're too humid, they tell you to sit them in front of an air conditioner for a few days so that the process is accelerated. Occasionally, the cigars are overfilled, and THAT'S where a draw problem comes in. If you smoke a cigar when it's too "humid" then you will have combustion problems, true. A tight draw is something different.

I put my haul in the freezer last Tuesday & took it out Sunday morning. I'll be looking in on them soon.


Last week was my first "wear shoes not boots" week and I started wearing my spring jacket.
My spring jacket is probably like the warmest thing a lot of you southern guys have.

I'm in Texas....What's a jacket?

I could answer this so wickedly but I will be a stand up guy and give you the definitions for jacket.

Probably better just to leave them outside then if it's that cold (talk about a deep freeze).

quote:

Originally posted by hot wire anemometer:
Probably better just to leave them outside then if it's that cold (talk about a deep freeze).

I know that you know where I live.

-30° C = Haligonians(Halifax) fly away to Cuba. Quebecers throw on a light jacket.

I have used the cigar poker - it does work from time to time. It must be used very carefully. The pointy end of a old style high school compass works as well.

I have found a recent batch of RyJ torps were very fresh and would not burn well. Possibly overstuffed cabbage roll syndrome! OCR syndrome

Unfortunatly CC's do suffer from poor quality control, the 05's and 06's are somewhat better but they still need to adress the problem more seriously.
The link is to a picture of a poker I made from a 3/64" jobber length twist drill and a ball point pen.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/kechke/Cigarpoker003.jpg

That poker looks like it could open up anything that's *young* and *tight.* Reminds me of the days as a student in the ob/gyn clinic

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jmunro,

I've used long wooden BBQ skewers. They look like 1 foot long tooth picks.

However all they do is displace the filler and compress it against the wrapper.

I've used 1/16 inch and 1/8 inch bits in my power drill. However my bits are are only 3 inches long.

Have I done this with sals & subs. No.
With stuck up churchills & coronas, yes.

Did someone just mention "power tools" in the context of fine Havana cigars? Sounds like a Grandpa Munster experiment gone sideways. I could see it now...smoke billowing, sparks flying, rubber gloves, welder's mask, vices, electrical buzzing and those current conductors from the old Frankenstein movies, thunder, flashes of light...just for that perfect smoke! LOL!