Bad First Experience

[JR1296]

I wanted to try a cigar for the first time today and it didn't go very well.
Yesterday I bought a Gurkha Havana Legend. Today I decided to light it up. I got it to burn good but I couldn't get any smoke from it. The draw was to tight. I got the guy in the shop to cut it for me so I don't think that was the problem. Was it the cigar or something I was doing wrong?

 

[alaskanpiper]

Mistake #1: Buying a Ghurka

Get yourself a Padron my friend. Not only are they one of the best smokes out there, I've smoked hundreds of them and the draw is always perfect.

If you want to throw down a couple more bucks for a really good one, the Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduros are one of the best sticks ever made.

 

[JR1296]

Mistake #1: Buying a Ghurka

Get yourself a Padron my friend. Not only are they one of the best smokes out there, I've smoked hundreds of them and the draw is always perfect.

If you want to throw down a couple more bucks for a really good one, the Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduros are one of the best sticks ever made.

Is the Ghurka packed to tight?

 

[alaskanpiper]

Is the Ghurka packed to tight?

Ghurka's generally suck ass in every way. Yes, It was likely a construction issue in this case, it's by far the most likely explanation for a tight draw. There are devices they make to open it up, a long pokey dealywhopper, because it happens more often than most would like. Generally the higher end the cigar, the less likely this is to happen, but that is certainly not always the case. Some just slip through the cracks.

It sucks but it's part of the cigar game.

 

[JR1296]

I gotcha. I stuck my pipe tool poker through the end and massaged it. Still didn't help. I'm going to see if my local shop has Padron's.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I gotcha. I stuck my pipe tool poker through the end and massaged it. Still didn't help. I'm going to see if my local shop has Padron's.

If not there are a multitude of shops online that will have them. Smokingpipes included.

 

[didimauw]

Mistake #1: Buying a Ghurka

Get yourself a Padron my friend. Not only are they one of the best smokes out there, I've smoked hundreds of them and the draw is always perfect.

If you want to throw down a couple more bucks for a really good one, the Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduros are one of the best sticks ever made.

I love padrons. They are my favorites. I got a small stash of them still.

 

[odobenus]

Yeah, sometimes the filler gets 'bunched' badly (like a book instead of an accordion), or just plain over-filled, and then the draw is miserable. You definitely learn to find the marques with better QC. Also sometimes improper storage (humidity & temp) can lead to a bad burn.
I highly recommend the reliable construction (therefore draw) -- and taste -- of Joya de Nicaragua, Arturo Fuente, Caldwell, Oliva and many more. You don't need to shell out for a Padron just to get good construction, but I agree with Alaskan that they are very fine indeed.
If you like something full and strong, try the Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 line, or Oliva Serie V.
For something mellower but delicious, try the Caldwell Eastern Standard.

 

[odobenus]

P.S. The Modus cigar tool is very handy -- and designed by a serious smoker -- for this sort of issue. Though it can be delicate work on an over-packed small vitola, like a corona. The wrapper will be splitting sometimes.
Amazon.com: Modus II Cigar Tool (V2.1) - Draw Tool, Cigar Punch & Nubber: Sports & Outdoors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CQ2Z256/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[alaskanpiper]

Yeah, sometimes the filler gets 'bunched' badly (like a book instead of an accordion), or just plain over-filled, and then the draw is miserable. You definitely learn to find the marques with better QC. Also sometimes improper storage (humidity & temp) can lead to a bad burn.
I highly recommend the reliable construction (therefore draw) -- and taste -- of Joya de Nicaragua, Arturo Fuente, Caldwell, Oliva and many more. You don't need to shell out for a Padron just to get good construction, but I agree with Alaskan that they are very fine indeed.
If you like something full and strong, try the Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 line, or Oliva Serie V.
For something mellower but delicious, try the Caldwell Eastern Standard.

The Oliva Serie G Maduros are also very affordable and quite delicious. La Gloria Cubana is another good Marca with pretty darn consistently good construction.

 

[odobenus]

The Oliva Serie G Maduros are also very affordable and quite delicious. La Gloria Cubana is another good Marca with pretty darn consistently good construction.

Yeah, that's one of those mysteries -- how LGC still hangs onto some of that Carrillo magic even after becoming a General Cigar Co./STG product. The 'Glorias' are mighty tasty and well-made.

 

[Sonorisis]

There are many dozens of cigar brands that will provide a better experience than does a Gurkha.

 

[smokeyweb]

My favorites are Perdomos. Tasty, constructed well, and reasonably priced.

 

[mso489]

Cigars should at least draw well, or in a satisfactory way. Even inexpensive cigars mostly do that, even drugstore stogies. I've had a few bad ones, and I never figured out a way to "fix" them. This being mostly a pipe site, I'd highly recommend moving on to pipes. I'm just generally happier with the experience with pipes. A tin of premium tobacco costs as much as one or two good cigars, and will give you about twenty smokes, often much better smokes.

 

[JR1296]

Cigars should at least draw well, or in a satisfactory way. Even inexpensive cigars mostly do that, even drugstore stogies. I've had a few bad ones, and I never figured out a way to "fix" them. This being mostly a pipe site, I'd highly recommend moving on to pipes. I'm just generally happier with the experience with pipes. A tin of premium tobacco costs as much as one or two good cigars, and will give you about twenty smokes, often much better smokes.

I'm definitely a pipe guy and always will be. Sometimes I have to drive throughout the night and a cigar might be something I can enjoy on a occasion during those long late night drives.

 

[JR1296]

I picked up a Padron. I'm going to give it another try in a couple days.

 

[diamondback]

I keep an 8” drill bit for fixing tight draws. I’ve forgotten the size, but 5/32 comes to mind. It’s that or one size smaller. Anyway, on a tight draw I’ll drill right up through the foot down the center of the stick. It doesn’t always work, but it does so more than not.



The rubber band end is there simply to assist in gripping the bit.

 

[diamondback]

My favorites are Perdomos. Tasty, constructed well, and reasonably priced.

I adore the Perdomo Bourbon Barrel aged epicure with the sun-grown wrapper! Amongst the Perdomo line it is, to me, a steal. I’ve got 10 or 12 that have a little over 2.5 years of age on them. What a stick!

 

[ukbob]

I keep an 8” drill bit for fixing tight draws. I’ve forgotten the size, but 5/32 comes to mind. It’s that or one size smaller. Anyway, on a tight draw I’ll drill right up through the foot down the center of the stick. It doesn’t always work, but it does so more than not.

View attachment 17210

The rubber band end is there simply to assist in gripping the bit.

My late father in law used to use a piece of thin copper wire when his precious Cubans were blocked.

 

[smokeyweb]

I adore the Perdomo Bourbon Barrel aged epicure with the sun-grown wrapper! Amongst the Perdomo line it is, to me, a steal. I’ve got 10 or 12 that have a little over 2.5 years of age on them. What a stick!

Yum! The 12-yr. double-aged Connecticut is currently my favorite Perdomo right now, but I‘ve never had a Perdomo I didn’t like. The Factory Tour Sungrown is also an incredible cigar, and at a lower price point. That stick is pure cream!