The fills on premium Cuban Cigar brands

[s1911]

I've noticed, especially with premium Cuban cigar brands such as Cohiba and Trinidad that they are really packed with tobacco (the Siglo VI comes to mind) not necessarily so packed that they're tight but tend to be more dense . As a result the ash stays together but overall the cigar tends to produce less smoke and suffer from being not as "easy" to smoke.  As opposed to say the 2004 release of Montecristo Edmudos that seemed to have a lighter fill and smoked like a tinder box as well as produced plumes of smoke. Personally I wish the fills were not quite as densely packed ..am I crazy or do any of my fellow cigar enthusiasts concur? 

[Napa_Smokes]

I can't say I've experienced that often enough with either marcas to say it's a trend. Most Trinidads I have and have smoked have been perfect. Not overpacked/too dense or underfilled. Now with the Cohiba's I've had both underfilled and overfilled cigars. Currently I have a box of Siglo II that over half the box is slightly underfilled with soft spots. The cigars look ugly as sin but smoke amazing well. Most of my other boxes seem to have what I would consider a normal fill allowing for ample smoke and ease of smoking. From my personal experience I'd say it's just your luck with the two marcas, but maybe mine have been the odd balls. 

[Smallclub]

The Cuban Draw… if you don't like it you have a problem…

[garbandz]

If your cigars are too moist it can affect the draw.

at what Rh do you store them?

[rxavier1979]

I feel like you tend to get a more concentrated flavor on the tighter draws(not plugged) as opposed to the extremely loose draws. It can be a little unpleasant if it's too tight of a draw and starts to affect the burn and develop that bitterness you get on wonky burns.

[MahDooRow]

52 minutes ago, Smallclub said:

The Cuban Draw… if you don't like it you have a problem…

 

34 minutes ago, garbandz said:

If your cigars are too moist it can affect the draw.

at what Rh do you store them?

I am not a fan of a tight draw, and I disagree that a tight draw is characteristic of CCs in general.  I assume @Smallclub's above statement was made in jest, so I am not in any way criticizing.  Similar to @garbandz, I believe that a tight draw in many cases is the result of improper storage conditions.  After reducing the rH in my humidor I noticed a huge improvement in the ease of draw for all my CCs, even with sticks that are densely packed.  

[wabashcr]

Plugged cigars aside, obviously, I prefer the draw to be too tight as opposed to too loose.  I'll usually find a way to work on a tight draw, and turn it into a good experience.  As far as I know you can't do anything to fix a wind tunnel, other than hope it tightens up as it smokes.  More often than not wind tunnels are wasted for me.

[canadianbeaver]

We like cigars with loose draw, lots of smoke and great taste. Our patience is limited and we do not have much tolerance for less.

I gave up trying to make cigars work like when my dog turned 3. Training ended and only the best time started.

[Smallclub]

16 minutes ago, MahDooRow said:

 

 I assume @Smallclub's above statement was made in jest, so I am not in any way criticizing. 

Not at all. The "cuban draw" is a reality. I heard the quote for the 1st time almost 20 years ago; and it doesn't mean "tight draw", but "resistant draw", ie no smoke goes through the cut without the smoker's action.

[MahDooRow]

2 minutes ago, Smallclub said:

Not at all. The "cuban draw" is a reality. I heard the quote for the 1st time almost 20 years ago; and it doesn't mean "tight draw", but "resistant draw", ie no smoke goes through the cut without the smoker's action.

^ I agree with the above.  But you can still have an easy draw even though no smoke passes through the cut without the smoker's action.   

[subport]

1 hour ago, s1911 said:

I've noticed, especially with premium Cuban cigar brands such as Cohiba and Trinidad that they are really packed with tobacco (the Siglo VI comes to mind) not necessarily so packed that they're tight but tend to be more dense . As a result the ash stays together but overall the cigar tends to produce less smoke and suffer from being not as "easy" to smoke.  As opposed to say the 2004 release of Montecristo Edmudos that seemed to have a lighter fill and smoked like a tinder box as well as produced plumes of smoke. Personally I wish the fills were not quite as densely packed ..am I crazy or do any of my fellow cigar enthusiasts concur? 

Yes, you are.

[s1911]

1 hour ago, Smallclub said:

The Cuban Draw… if you don't like it you have a problem…

I do agree I have a problem in general! but it's not a Cuban thing because there are so many Cuban brands that seem unaffected by the resistant draw problem. I've noticed the more expensive Cohiba's (regular production) and a few Trinidads (not the Fundadores)  more often than not are a tougher smoking. 

59 minutes ago, garbandz said:

If your cigars are too moist it can affect the draw.

at what Rh do you store them?

After trying different ranges for years I've decided on 68 degrees and 65-66% humidity. 

[s1911]

41 minutes ago, wabashcr said:

Plugged cigars aside, obviously, I prefer the draw to be too tight as opposed to too loose.  I'll usually find a way to work on a tight draw, and turn it into a good experience.  As far as I know you can't do anything to fix a wind tunnel, other than hope it tightens up as it smokes.  More often than not wind tunnels are wasted for me.

 

28 minutes ago, canadianbeaver said:

We like cigars with loose draw, lots of smoke and great taste. Our patience is limited and we do not have much tolerance for less.

I gave up trying to make cigars work like when my dog turned 3. Training ended and only the best time started.

I agree with both of you! The common factor I feel some of the thicker ring gauge premium brands is lacking is smoke. 

[PigFish]

"Cuban draw" appears to me to be becoming a thing of the past, unfortunately (just my observation). So my observations are contrary to the OP.

I don't often buy cigars anymore, but I bought quite a few this year and box after box, weight variations and mushy cigars appear to be the norm (based on my desire for 'fuller' cigars).

Easy drawing cigars turn to mush, and typically do not have subtle flavors, or many intense flavors that can be had from a cigar that was properly (my term) and traditionally rolled (MHO).

I fall into the camp that if you are finding stiff drawing Cuban cigars, you had better start ignoring your hygrometer and start assessing via your experience!

-Piggy

[LGC]

If you like loose draws, voids in the roll, mushrooming and flaky ash, constant relights and touchups, tunneling and concave ash.... then you'll love more recent production. Regardless of whether you are paying 4 bucks or 40 bucks a sticks.... you're more likely to get a stick that feels like a lumpy marshmallow these days. One thing may fail to realize is that a stick can look perfect, oily, and smooth from the outside... but still feel mushy and light in the hand (like a piece of balsa wood) when you pick it up.

[Bohn007]

On 11/3/2016 at 0:00 PM, PigFish said:

"Cuban draw" appears to me to be becoming a thing of the past, unfortunately (just my observation). So my observations are contrary to the OP.

I don't often buy cigars anymore, but I bought quite a few this year and box after box, weight variations and mushy cigars appear to be the norm (based on my desire for 'fuller' cigars).

Easy drawing cigars turn to mush, and typically do not have subtle flavors, or many intense flavors that can be had from a cigar that was properly (my term) and traditionally rolled (MHO).

I fall into the camp that if you are finding stiff drawing Cuban cigars, you had better start ignoring your hygrometer and start assessing via your experience!

-Piggy

I don't smoke a lot of recent production smokes but some of them have been just right. The Trinidad Vigia comes to mind.