A great cigar must have an easy draw: straining to puff on a cigar will ruin the experience.  Additionally, a plugged or tightly rolled cigar will Smoke Too Hot  and not allow the flavors and aroma to develop properly.   Many great cigars are firm to the touch, seemingly tight, but draw loosely and effortlessly: many connoisseurs would argue that this is a perfectly constructed cigar.    While people may have their own draw preferences, everyone will agree that a Tight Draw is enough to ruin the years of effort and passion that went into creating the cigar.

CAUSE

Rolling technique and filler placement determine how “loose” or “tight” a cigar will draw/puff.   Draw problems can vary from a “little tight” to completely Plugged.  A Plugged cigar can have an obstruction such as a stem or misplaced leaves.

REMEDY

Your first option is to gently massage the cigar with the intent of loosening the filler and possibly the obstruction.  This may be enough to “open up” the cigar and allow the draw to improve.    If the Plug, or obstruction, is towards the foot of the cigar, you may cut the cigar behind the problem area and enjoy a fraction of the pleasure you were anticipating.  Another option would be to use a Draw Poker, or any other thin metal object (paper clip) , to gently ream the cigar and loosen the filler.  Reaming the cigar must be done gingerly to not make the situation worse.  If this technique is successful, you may be able to open up the filler and get a satisfactory draw.