CC's Tightly Packed

[Catawbamatt]

So, the four different types of CC's I have smoked have all been relatively tight packed. Producing a fairly tight draw, especially compared to most NC's I smoke. Looking at the feet of the rest of the ones I have in the humi, they all appear to be jam packed with tobacco.

Here are pics of the ones I've smoked so far:


The Por Larranaga had probably the best draw followed by the RA Superiors.

I seem to have read before somewhere that CC's generally are rolled packed tighter. My question is, in your experiences is this true? If so, why is this the preferred practice in ISOM? Or is it just rolling errors?

 

[danmdevries]

Try dry boxing or lowering your humidor RH. How are you storing them?

I've found my CCs tend to plug/get tight when they go above 65ish. I'm no expert, my experience is less than 50 CCs, but now I dry box if I'm going to smoke one, and when I take em on vacation I put them in a traveldor with 62% Boveda packs.

Most of my NCs also smoke better on the dry side of 65. Likely due to high ambient humidity in the swamp where I live. Your mileage may vary.

I have had two or four that required I pull a leaf from the cigar to get it to open up.

 

[shadowcam]

Unfortunately this is a quite common issue with CCs. I believe the flavors of CCs would greatly benefit a looser draw but for some reason the powers at Habanos do not listen to a guy from Kansas. Pfft. No respect nowadays. There are a few things that help though. Dry boxing, cigar draw poker and gently rolling the cigar between your fingers to loosen the filler inside. None of the solutions will perform miracles on a poorly rolled cigar though but it might be a manageable smoke after you give it the treatment.

Sometime you just have to pitch it and start with something else... which might an NC... I would say I toss 3 out of 10 CCs I smoke because the draw sucks or the flavor is just plain nasty. I have rerolled a few CCs that I've known to be plugged and they smoked beautifully but not everyone wants go down that route.

 

[JDog]

CCs in general have a tighter draw than NCs. A few folks have thrown out suggestions. I haven't had a plugged cigar this year but a very tight one from 2000. I smoke a lot of CCs and NCs. You may find this information interesting:
http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/67336-BOTL-Plugged-Cigar-Review-Update-1?highlight=

 

[Catawbamatt]

CCs in general have a tighter draw than NCs. A few folks have thrown out suggestions. I haven't had a plugged cigar this year but a very tight one from 2000. I smoke a lot of CCs and NCs. You may find this information interesting:
http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/67336-BOTL-Plugged-Cigar-Review-Update-1?highlight=

Wow that IS some great info there.

Also, these don't classify as plugged, just tight. Like I said by looking at the feet, there is just a tremendous amount of tobacco packed in there. That was really more my question, is this just generally a CC practice to overstuff and why.

 

[JDog]

CCs in general have a tighter draw than NCs. A few folks have thrown out suggestions. I haven't had a plugged cigar this year but a very tight one from 2000. I smoke a lot of CCs and NCs. You may find this information interesting:
http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/67336-BOTL-Plugged-Cigar-Review-Update-1?highlight=

Wow that IS some great info there.

Also, these don't classify as plugged, just tight. Like I said by looking at the feet, there is just a tremendous amount of tobacco packed in there. That was really more my question, is this just generally a CC practice to overstuff and why.

It's not "rolling errors?" I think it's just a characteristic of CCs. You'll have a "tighter" draw than NCs in general. I go through spurts and smoke mostly CCs for a week or so... when I go back to a NC, I think to myself "wow... that's a loose draw" or "boy that smoked faster than I thought it would." For example, I'll smoke a CC petit corona to work and it takes an 1 hour to smoke for me. I smoke a same size NC that smokes faster, maybe 50 minutes. So there is likely more tobacco and likely explains why in general the draw seems tighter. That being said, I store by CCs at 60 rh and rarely have a cigar where I think the "tighter" nature of the draw is a problem. I actually prefer it to a more loose draw.

 

[ZaneG]

Am I crazy or did I read the tighter draw is due to the way they bunch compared to NC's?

 

[SurpriseMVP]

CCs in general have a tighter draw than NCs. A few folks have thrown out suggestions. I haven't had a plugged cigar this year but a very tight one from 2000. I smoke a lot of CCs and NCs. You may find this information interesting:
http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/67336-BOTL-Plugged-Cigar-Review-Update-1?highlight=

Wow that IS some great info there.

Also, these don't classify as plugged, just tight. Like I said by looking at the feet, there is just a tremendous amount of tobacco packed in there. That was really more my question, is this just generally a CC practice to overstuff and why.

It's not "rolling errors?" I think it's just a characteristic of CCs. You'll have a "tighter" draw than NCs in general. I go through spurts and smoke mostly CCs for a week or so... when I go back to a NC, I think to myself "wow... that's a loose draw" or "boy that smoked faster than I thought it would." For example, I'll smoke a CC petit corona to work and it takes an 1 hour to smoke for me. I smoke a same size NC that smokes faster, maybe 50 minutes. So there is likely more tobacco and likely explains why in general the draw seems tighter. That being said, I store by CCs at 60 rh and rarely have a cigar where I think the "tighter" nature of the draw is a problem. I actually prefer it to a more loose draw.

I don't smoke NC so cannot comment on that. Rarely have issues with what I do smoke. Wasn't going to chime in at all until Jonathan said it takes him an hour to smoke a pc. You must be getting old brother. In 2011 a pc in your hands lasted 15 minutes tops.


Mike

 

[D Quintero]

a definite cc feature, im recalling 1/12 smokes ... that said, ive never have encountered an outright peg .

 

[JDog]

Am I crazy or did I read the tighter draw is due to the way they bunch compared to NC's?

A lot of NCs use an Accordian or Book bunching technique, with some using a hybrid entubado technique. CCs use a lot of entubado bunching techniques. I'm not an expert on this topic but the entubado is harder to perform.

Here's a good link that describes them:
http://www.tobacconistuniversity.org/curriculum_tobacco_college_rolling3.php

 

[ZaneG]

Am I crazy or did I read the tighter draw is due to the way they bunch compared to NC's?

A lot of NCs use an Accordian or Book bunching technique, with some using a hybrid entubado technique. CCs use a lot of entubado bunching techniques. I'm not an expert on this topic but the entubado is harder to perform.

Here's a good link that describes them:
http://www.tobacconistuniversity.org/curriculum_tobacco_college_rolling3.php

Thanks! That was exactly what I was thinking about.

 

[JDog]

You must be getting old brother. In 2011 a pc in your hands lasted 15 minutes tops.

LMFAO... I'm getting older, fatter, and slower I guess.

 

[CWS]

Had the same issue and then found a couple of answers:
1) I stopped keeping my CCs with my NC's. The Cubans clearly needed a lower humidity. 65% and below to draw well. Sometimes I can move them around my humi but they need much less moisture or they close up.
2) Certain years suck. You may still find real bargains in 2000, 2001. Don't do it.
3) If I get a box and the first two are pegs, I send it back. Having a good relationship with your supplier helps.

 

[Catawbamatt]

Had the same issue and then found a couple of answers:
1) I stopped keeping my CCs with my NC's. The Cubans clearly needed a lower humidity. 65% and below to draw well. Sometimes I can move them around my humi but they need much less moisture or they close up.
2) Certain years suck. You may still find real bargains in 2000, 2001. Don't do it.
3) If I get a box and the first two are pegs, I send it back. Having a good relationship with your supplier helps.

Noted! Thanks

 

[ichett]

You may also want to cut a little bit more off of the cap. Give that a try.