How to judge a quality cigar

You should feel the cigar along it's length to see if it seems too tightly rolled or overfilled at any point. Also, a spot that seems tight and hard will often be a telltale sign of a plugged spot. You can usually feel extreme tightness without too much experience. Just gently squeeze the cigar between thumb and forefinger starting at the foot, then move up a half inch or so and repeat this all the way up to the cap. Be careful to squeeze gently, especially if you're in a cigar shop so as not to cause possible damage to the wrapper by cracking it under excessive pressure.

If you ever buy a poorly drawing cigar from a shop, most retailers worth their salt will take it back and replace it.

i think bloof knows his stuff. if it looks solid and does not appear of feel crunchy and dry; and passes the squeeze test; the next best tell on construction issues is the burn. it should(if lit properly) burn fairly evenly throught the smoke; without having to relight. it should also draw with consistency. not too easy as to make it burn hot, but you shouldn't have to suck on it like syphering gas out of a '63 ltd.

plugs are just pooly place filler or binder leaves or stems that when bunched and rolled PLUG the cigar, preventing a consistant draw and burn. even the best cigars in the world from the best makers have one that may plug on you. don't let one plug ruin your opinion of any one label or smoke. try another one. if it plugs, then move on to a different experiment.

Excellent input by Hollywoodswingin'. Thanks for the assist and inserting some stuff I left out.

thanks man. certainly didn't mean to over step my bounds and ramble as i ALWAYS do. hope you know i meant what i said about your obvious knowlege out there.

see ya 8)

On a side note:
When heading out for an evening and grabbing a stick for later that night. I will always cut the cigar and take a test draw to make sure it draws well.
Worst thing is an after dinner smoke that does not Suck!:roll:
Well you know what I mean :wink:
CC

There's no such thing as stepping over bounds when you're making a contribution, and thanks for the compliment, but at least 90% of the good stuff that I've learned about cigars, bourbon, etc., I've learned from good folks like . . .

". . . you, or y'all according to what part of the country you're from, . . . tryin' 'a get to youse, . . . you alllll . . ." - Elvis Presley, June 25-26, 1977, the last concerts.

Good advice, though there are some cigars that are rock-hard that draw and burn great. This Tatuaje East Coast is like that...just packed with tobacco. As a result, a robusto will last darn near 2 hours.

i found that the partagas black is very firm and it has a great draw.

another sign of cood sonstruction is the cap. If it comes off when you cut then there might be a problem.

i also look for consistancey in how it feels down the entire cigar. if it fees different in different spots there could be a problem