Question about cigar that's hard to smoke

[Corona Gigante]

Hello everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster.

I try to remember to take the time to taste [my] cigar when it's "raw", which means unlit (as they say on my favorite on-line cigar store). This is not only a nice way to ehance my anticipation of a great smoke, but I've found that it's much better to find out if the cigar's plugged before I light it.

I have a weird looking gizmo I got from Thompson Cigars for unplugging cigars. It looks like an aluminum skewer in a plastic housing designed to hold a cigar so that the skewer is guided down the length of the cigar without piercing the wrapper. I think they cost $15 or so but you can ask for it as your free gift if you join their club.

[yarimurray]

I have used a wooden skewer (for BBQ shish kabob) and these usually work very well. One end is sharp and they are rigid enough that you can avoid puncturing the wrapper.

Michael

[grand cru no 2]

Hello everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster.

I try to remember to take the time to taste [my] cigar when it's "raw", which means unlit (as they say on my favorite on-line cigar store). This is not only a nice way to ehance my anticipation of a great smoke, but I've found that it's much better to find out if the cigar's plugged before I light it.

I have a weird looking gizmo I got from Thompson Cigars for unplugging cigars. It looks like an aluminum skewer in a plastic housing designed to hold a cigar so that the skewer is guided down the length of the cigar without piercing the wrapper. I think they cost $15 or so but you can ask for it as your free gift if you join their club.

I've had cigars that seemed a little plugged that completely opened up upon lighting. I always light mine before I determine they are plugged.

[F.T. Pulver]

Keep in mind that a cigar with a tight draw, even to the point of being unsmokasble, and a plugged cigar are two different things. A tight draw may be fixed by something as simple as lowering the humidity in your humidor and can also be addressed with a draw poker.

A plugged cigar is a cigar that is unsmokeable no matter what you do to it. A plug is and actual obstruction caused, usually, by a bind in a leaf and can be felt by hand before the cigar is even lit.

[Perfesser]

I also use a wooden shish cabob skewer and usually have no problem. I also keep one in my sun visor just case I'm driving.

You can get a ton of them for $15.00.

[Bookie]

I jammed the tiny blade on my pocket knife up in there and it seemed to do the job. It was a terrible cigar anyway. I should have just thrown it away instead of going through all that trouble. Like I said, it cost me $1.15 so I didn't lose much on it. Thanks for the info, everyone!