OK Guys, help me out here so I can figure if I am doing it wrong.
I am fairly new to the cigar game and have thus far smoked some medium quality cigars; not usper high end, but not the trashy cheapos either. The problem is, all of the cigars I smoke tend to go out pretty fast. I am taking a little break between draws and by the time I take the next draw the cigar is usually burning pretty weak. When I draw, the smoke is pretty weak and i have to draw 1-2 more times before a thick smoke will come into my mouth again. I have tried to measure how long a break I taking between draws and it was around 40-50 seconds. I have read that you should wait a minute between draws and if I were to do that, the cigar would almost be out. What is going on here?
Also, will cigars always have a bitter tone to them, or will the really high end cigars not have any bitterness at all?
Thanks Gents
Well, my first thought is that I smoke a lot faster than that. A minute between draws sounds like an eternity to me. I probably hit it every 15-30 seconds.
I'd guess there could be all sorts of reasons. Construction, humidity, the leaves themselves, but if you're smoking mid range brands then they're probably short filled, meaning cut pieces of tobacco instead of whole leaves. I imagine these would require a little more attention since they might burn irregularly and you'd have to help it over an occasional dead spot. The other possibility I'd suggest, although it sounds counterintuitive, is that your cigar might be a little dry and it's burning itself out quickly.
Taste is an individual matter, of course. Some guys in this thread are smoking things I find way too flavorsome. I'd need an ambulance after a Romeo y Julieta Churchill, although I've enjoyed their smaller sizes occasionally before, while at other times I knew from the first puff that I was in over my head. All I can say is shop around and try different brands. It seems like how different makers process their tobacco makes a big difference, because Cuba isn't a very big place but the variety of flavors that they produce is amazing. If you're finding one cigar to be very much like another, try a few standard smokes (none of the overpriced 'limited edition' nonsense) from premium brands and I bet you'll be surprised. I'd still suggest a Cuaba Exclusivo, and I still love Punch flavor, although Punch can be a little short lived and their rolling is awful these days (I won't buy a Punch unless they cut it and let me check the draw in the store). The only other thing to bear in mind is not to pair your cigar with something unsuitable. I never drink bourbon with a cigar because I find it far too sweet to match up.
