How hard are cigars supposed to be? The guy at my local B&M said they are supposed to be spongy or have a little give to them if they are kept at the right humidity. I don't know if that is supposed to be true because I have a bunch a sticks in my humi that are pretty dang hard. Any truth to the this??
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I've heard the "little bit of give" but that really doesn't mean much, it's all in personal preference, there are several factors that contribute to "give", how they are rolled, RH and so on. How do your sticks smoke, if you like how they smoke what's it matter? :-)
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Hard and spongy are both relative terms. Hard could indicate a tightly rolled cigar. Or it could be a problem with the stick being plugged.

Clip the cap, take an easy cold draw: if there's no problem, you'll likely fine.
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:-) I have cigars next to each other in the same humidor. Some are very hard and some give a bit. All smoke very well.
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I keep my sticks at 63 degrees/63 H...when I receive sticks in the mail they are usually spongy, after a few weeks in my vinos...they lose the spongy feel and are a little firm to the touch...bottom line is they burn perfect. All depends on how you like to store/keep your sticks. :-)
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The "spongiest" cigars I ever saw were at a cigar shop in Cancun. Not like a glass-top tourist spot, a place trying to look legit in a nice enclosed mall. Their "Cuban" cigars had the consistency of Nerf balls.

They had misting devices in the walk-in, I would put the humidity over 85%. Yup, there was some mold here and there as well.
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"That's plume!!" :-):-)

Seriously, some cigars just seem to be hard no matter what. In my experience Padron Anniversary 1926s are a good example. A cut-and-draw test is a better indicator.
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What are you looking for with the cut and draw to make sure a cigar is properly humidified?
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Just cut it and take a test draw without lighting it. If it draws smooth and easy without much resistance, it should be good to go.
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I've had "soft" cigars that flaked and ran and wouldn't burn worth a damn, and I've had "firm" cigars that drew about as well as a wooden dowel. There is no definite answer to this question, which can only be resolved by smoking it.
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