Quote Originally Posted by 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.
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.