Smoke was totally unsatisfying

[Grumpy1328]

Ok, so I'm a newb and this is my first post, aside from my introduction.
I took up the cigar interest a few months ago, and I'm really enjoying it. I should be getting my first humi tomorrow.
I was smoking mostly machine made cigars and was very pleased. I then tried a Macanudo Hampton Court, which I enjoyed but found a little too mild. I tried a few more, then settled on Arturo Fuente Curly Head Deluxe. Bought a box, and the first few were quite good. Tonight, I lit one up and sat on the deck to enjoy a gin and tonic and a nice smoke. This one wasn't so hot. Or rather, too hot. The draw seemed way to tight, resulting in my having to puff harder than normal to get any smoke. Of course, the harder puffing resulted in a hotter smoke, the thing got bitter on me, and I was done with it only half way through. And the volume of smoke was very small. On the whole, a totally unsatisfying smoke.
So, a couple questions.
On some cigars, I use a punch. On this one, I used a regular cutter, and cut the head down as far as I dared, in an effort to ease the draw and get more smoke. Didn't work.
Could it be that this is normal for this cigar? Could I be cutting it incorrectly? My first thought was that it was "operator trouble" and not the cigar, but you never know.
Given that I have done the Macanudo and a couple of Arturo Fuentes (different models), does anyone have a suggestion on where I should turn now?
BTW, the machine mades I have been smoking and enjoying had a relatively light draw and had very good smoke volume. Loved the aroma and flavor, but I am thinking that there should be something out there even better.
Thanks for looking at the post, and I'm really enjoying the site so far.

 

[T2P]

Handmade cigars are exactly that, handmade. While the care that typically goes into making them usually translates into positive results, there are going to be some "off" ones. My guess is that this one was plugged somewhat. If it was not, cutting the smoke more and more should have eventually opened it up even more. When this happens you can do a couple of things. One is to brave through it for a little bit to see if as the cigar heats up it loosens up as well. If that does not work you can gently roll the cigar between your fingers applying a slight amount of pressure to try and loosen the filler. Last option would be to use a poker (if you have one) to try and open it up. If all of those fail, then you likely have an unsmokable plugged cigar and need to chalk it up to inconsistency.

 

[b.dawgson]

I'd also like to add that while Arturo Fuente is a very popular brand, the Curly Head is their bargain brand which could translate into less stringent quality control than some of their flagship lines (Hemingway, Don Carlos, OpusX, even Chateau series)

 

[Smokin'Sims]

It may also be noteworthy that the curly heads are short filler. The difference between short filler and long filler is that in long filler the leaf runs the entire length of the cigar. Short filler is smaller pieces. I would suppose these shorter pieces allow for more variation in the packing.

 

[donzz]

You say you will get a humi tomorrow, where have these sticks been stored?
Could just be dried out if not stored properly

 

[Grumpy1328]

You say you will get a humi tomorrow, where have these sticks been stored?
Could just be dried out if not stored properly

I think I'm getting close to an answer.
I got the humi today, and started the seasoning process. Turns out that it is a very nice looking piece, and I'm very happy with it so far.
I had gotten the box of A/F about a week ago. They are in cellos, and have been kept in the box. No humidification system, just the factory box.
Today, I tried another one, with the same results. Didn't get halfway through. At that point, I took it apart and it seems to be really dry. I could see the short filler as was described earlier.
So now, I think that if I'm going to continue with the curley heads, which I do like, I have to be sure to have them properly stored and humidified. Lesson learned, I hope.
Just out of curiosity, if the problem is that they dried out, would putting them in the humi, after it has been seasoned, have any possibility of straightening them out again?
So much to learn....
Thanks for all the input.

 

[Gavin]

Yes. Give them a couple of weeks in a well-maintained humidor and they should be just fine, if that was in fact the problem.

 

[dark_fire]

If you stick them in your humidor for a week or so to recover, they should be just about as good as new. Granted, they won't be exactly the same as before but that small change is below the threshold detectable to us "newbs"