A handmade cigar passes through many hands before it reaches a shop, and every one of them is a chance for something to go wrong. A bunch packed too tightly will not draw. A bunch packed too loosely burns hot and fast. A torn wrapper or a crooked cap is visible to anyone who opens the box. This chapter of Cigars 101 covers how factories catch those problems before the cigars leave, and how you can judge the construction of a cigar in your own hand. For where this step sits in the whole sequence, see how cigars are made.
What "construction" means
Construction is the physical build of a cigar: how evenly the filler is packed inside the binder, how smoothly the wrapper is applied, and how neatly the cap is finished. It is separate from the blend. A cigar can have excellent tobacco and still smoke badly if it was bunched poorly, and a modest blend can smoke very well if it was built with care.
Most construction problems start at the bunching table, described in bunching and rolling by hand. The filler leaves have to run the full length of the cigar and be packed evenly from end to end. A lump or a fold in the wrong place makes a blockage. A gap makes a soft spot that burns too quickly. Because the wrapper hides all of this, factories try to catch bad bunches before the wrapper goes on.
Draw testing in the factory
The draw is how easily air and smoke pass through a cigar when you puff. Rollers have always judged it by feel, squeezing the bunch along its length as they work. Many factories now also measure it with a draw-testing machine.
The most widely known brand of these machines is the Drawmaster. A bunch is placed in the machine and air is pulled through it, and a gauge shows how much resistance the bunch offers. The test usually takes place after the bunch has come out of the mold and before the wrapper is applied. Testing at that stage means a bad bunch can be rejected before the factory spends an expensive wrapper leaf on it. The maker of the Drawmaster says it also measures length and diameter and can be used to train bunchers with real data instead of guesswork.
A bunch can fail in either direction. Too much resistance means a tight or plugged cigar. Too little means a loose bunch that will burn hot. Factories set their own acceptable range. J.C. Newman, for example, says it rejects any Quorum bunch that reads above 50% resistance on its Drawmaster.
Factories also differ on how many cigars they test. Some test a sample from each batch or a set number per day. Cayman Cigar Company says it tests every cigar. Famous Smoke Shop has reported that some factories trust their rollers' experience enough that they do not use a draw machine at all.
In Cuba, Habanos S.A. says a suction machine that checks the draw of the bunch after pressing and before the wrapper is added was introduced at the end of 2001 and is now used in every factory.
Inspection after rolling
Draw testing is only one check. Habanos describes the system in its factories in some detail. Supervisors watch each roller's technique and check the dimensions of the cigars being made. Finished cigars go into small open boxes labeled with the roller's number, the size, and the date, so any problem can be traced to the person who made it. A quality control department then checks the cigars for weight, length, girth, consistency, construction, and appearance, paying special attention to how tightly the wrapper is applied and how the cap is finished. Samples from each roller are taken apart to check the inside of the cigar and the blend.
Other makers describe similar steps. J.C. Newman lists four stages for its Quorum line in Nicaragua: the draw test, a supervisor who inspects every cigar before it leaves the roller's table, an inspection room where trained inspectors examine each cigar again, and a final check and color sort in the packing department. The flaws it names include a small tear in the wrapper, a cap that is slightly off center, and a soft foot. The company also says it tracks cigars with barcodes so that each roller, buncher, and supervisor is accountable for defective cigars.
Tasting panels
Some problems only show up when a cigar is lit. Habanos says every Cuban factory has a team of tasters who meet daily to smoke cigars made by its rollers and score them on draw, burn, aroma, flavor, strength, and overall quality. If a brand or size drifts from its usual character, the tasters recommend adjustments to the blend. Many non-Cuban makers also smoke-test production cigars, though the details vary from company to company.
What happens to rejects
A cigar that fails a check does not always go to waste. A cigar with a cosmetic flaw, such as an uneven wrapper color, may still smoke well. Famous Smoke Shop has reported that Rocky Patel sells cigars whose wrapper color is off from the shade wanted for the boxed line as "Factory Selects", and cigars with more variation in color or with spots as "Factory Seconds". Other makers sell their own seconds in bundles. That is why bundle cigars vary so much in quality: some are rejects, while others, such as Quorum according to J.C. Newman, must pass the same inspections as boxed cigars.
Judging construction yourself
You cannot draw-test a cigar at the shop, but you can learn a lot by looking and touching.
- Feel the length of it. Squeeze very gently from foot to head. A well-made cigar has an even, slight give all the way along. A hard spot can mean a plug. A soft or spongy spot can mean the filler is thin there, and that section may burn fast.
- Look at the wrapper. It should lie smoothly, without cracks, tears, or lifting seams. Veins are normal; heavy veins and soft wrinkles are not ideal.
- Look at the cap and foot. The cap should be neat and centered. At the foot, the filler should fill the circle evenly without obvious gaps.
- Check after you cut it. A gentle puff on the cut but unlit cigar, called a pre-light draw or cold draw, gives you an idea of the draw before you light it. It should feel like drawing on a slightly open straw: some resistance, but not a struggle. How to cut and light a cigar covers cutting so you don't damage the cap.
Storage matters too. A cigar kept too humid can feel spongy and draw tight even if it was built well, and a dry one can crack. Before you blame the factory, make sure your humidor is at the right humidity.
Signs of good construction when you smoke
Once the cigar is lit, good construction shows in four ways:
- An easy draw. You get a full mouthful of smoke without working hard for it.
- An even burn. The burning edge moves along the cigar in a roughly straight line. Small touch-ups are normal. Constant canoeing, where one side runs ahead, or tunneling, where the center burns away, usually points to uneven bunching or to storage.
- A cigar that stays lit. It should not go out every few minutes if you puff at a normal pace.
- A firm ash. An evenly packed long-filler cigar often holds an inch or more of ash. A ragged, flaky ash can mean uneven packing. Ash color, though, is not a reliable sign of quality.
If a cigar is plugged, gently rolling it between your fingers can sometimes loosen the blockage. Cutting a little more off the head can help if the problem is near the cap. If neither works, the plug is probably deep in the bunch, and the honest answer is to set the cigar aside. How to smoke a cigar covers relighting and pacing.
Where to go next
- How the bunch is made: bunching and rolling by hand.
- Why handmade cigars are checked this way: handmade vs machine-made cigars.
- The leaves inside the bunch: wrapper, binder, and filler.
- Keeping cigars in condition: the humidor.
- Terms: draw, draw-testing machine, plug, burn, ash, and the rest of the glossary.
- The full course: Cigars 101.
Smoke Rings sells the tools and not the tobacco: cutters, lighters, and humidors, sold through eBay (seller us-grai), plus empty cigar boxes for collectors. For the cigars themselves, our sponsor AbsoluteCigars.com is your best source.
Sources: Habanos S.A., Checking the work (jefe de galera and supervisors check technique and dimensions; cigars in labeled cajuelas/roderos; QC checks weight, length, girth, consistency, construction, appearance, wrapper tightness, caps; samples taken apart; suction draw test of the bunch after the mold and before the wrapper, introduced end of 2001, now in every factory; daily catadores scoring draw, burn, aroma, flavour, strength, overall quality). IMTEC Drawmaster product site (measures draw, diameter, length; test before the wrapper to reduce waste; train bunchers with real draw data). Cayman Cigar Company, The Drawmaster (tests every cigar; many makers test a sample per batch or per day). J.C. Newman, What Makes Quorum Cigars Different (Drawmaster with gauge, bunches above 50% resistance rejected; four-step inspection; tear, off-center cap, soft foot; barcode tracking; Quorum bundles are not rejects). Famous Smoke Shop Cigar Advisor, How Cigars Are Rolled (Drawmaster after the mold; some factories skip it; Rocky Patel Factory Selects and Factory Seconds). Cigar Aficionado glossary, Canoeing. No invented statistics, scores, quotes, or tasting notes.