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I'm not new to smoking cigars but I certainly don't know everything there is to know about cigars.

I'm wondering why I have to pull so hard on some cigars? I feel like I'm sucking on a Wendy's frosty smoking some sticks!

Any ideas?

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Two theories: the cigar is either rolled and packed too tight or there's a plug in it. Whenever I find myself with a cigar that has a tight draw I usually squeeze the cap-end to try to open it up. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't...if it doesn't then I gently squeeze the cigar itself to try to relieve the tightness. If its plugged, then u gotta take some sort of straight object and get the plug out. Now these methods aren't universal and I'm sure other aficionados will have different methods...this is just what I do. When all else fail I just get another cigar and smoke that lol!
Sometimes it can mean over humidification as well. If the leaves are too moist they essentially stick together and cause a restricted draw;. At what humidity are the cigar in question being kept?
Thanks for your replies...both make sense.

Kalutika, my humidor is at 80%....
Hello. 80% is a little too high. Seventy degrees F. and 70 % humidity are considered more or less optimum.
That is a bit high. I suggest allowing your humidor to drop a bit in RH and once 70 percent is reached maintain it for a few days to allow the cigars to acclimate to it. Hopefully this will aid in solving the draw problem. Draw and burn is part of the reason there are people who like their humidors at 68% and some who like them at 72%. It all depends on what you want from your cigars.
Definitely too high. Shoot for somewhere between 65 and 70% and your frosties should start melting enough to get a nice draw through the straw.

By nature some sticks are hard to slurp on. It could be a plug or just a bad smoke. If you are having problems with one after another though it is probably a humidity issue.
Well, it depends on what flavor Wendy's frosty we're talking about. Vanilla or chocolate?

Lots of establishments will have a tool for un-plugging - it looks kind of like an awl. You stick it through the head of the cigar, and slowly push it most of the way through. Sometimes that will remedy a dreadful smoking experience. In the absence of that tool being available, or if you're at home, you can use either an awl or a very very thin screwdriver. It's worth trying if you're smoking something expensive and you don't want to just dump the thing in the trash.

In NYC this time of year, it's hard keeping the humi down to 70% and 70 degrees if you're an apartment dweller. I experiment with refilling my humidifying device as little as humanly possible. The temp is a little harder to control - I run the ac when I'm home, but on days when it's 90 plus, it's hard to keep those babies cool.
or a Shish Ka Bob Skewer ! works great for me ...
I have seen those special tools and have always wondered if they work. Have you used one? They are odd looking.
Can I use a 6' Samurai sword?
Such is the drawback of having every individual cigar handmade - occasionally, you get one that's just not up to par. Even the best and most consistent brands have occasional issues with construction, delivery, etc. Heck, not every bottle of wine is great either and often too suffers from the same issues of temperature control, poor storage, etc.

I find the most consistent problem is "the tough draw" - and geez, smoking a cigar really shouldn't be a lot of work. My solutions are to either poke a hole in the cap end (a wooden match usually does the trick for me) or, as has been discussed here, just grab another cigar from the humidor. If that cigar also has a tough draw, then I'll turn my attentions to the humidor. I live in DC - where air conditioning's a way of life from May to October, so I pay close attention to the humidor's temp...and try to work with the elements.
I don't think too many people would agree with the "Screw it , just grab another cigar method !!! "
I myself can not afford to just throw away a cigar that i paid very good money for ! you put out just a little effort in releasing that plug and your good to go !

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