Repairing a Broken or Canoeing Cigar

There’s nothing quite as heart breaking as finding that a cigar you’ve so been looking forward to smoking has been damaged. Whether it’s due to poor packaging in the mail, not storing it appropriately or not having the correct way of carrying them on your travels, don’t fret. With a little care and attention that peeled wrapper or those small cracks on your prized smoke can be easily repaired.

To fix your cigar you will need a toothpick, a small amount of water, a small container such as a bottle lid, a small amount of donor tobacco, and a box of 100% Natural Pectin – which can be found at the supermarket.

Firstly, add a small amount of warm water into the container, followed by a small amount of pectin. Stir the concoction with the toothpick, and then use the toothpick to apply a small amount of the pectin to the broken cigar and the donor tobacco, which will be used as a patch. Apply the patch to the broken area of the cigar and press firmly, and then allow the pectin to dry for about a minute. Once this has been completed, you are ready to enjoy your repaired cigar.

Another issue that may ruin your cigar is canoeing, which may leave you only being able to smoke half of your cigar. This occurs when the cigar has been stored with poor airflow, causing the cigar to dry unevenly, therefore one side of the cigar burns faster than the other side. Left unfixed, this will eventually split your cigar in half – making it look like a canoe, hence the name.

Again, don’t panic, as this is both a preventable and fixable problem. Firstly, you should always take care to ensure that when you light the cigar, the cigar foot has been lit evenly and completely. As you’re smoking, make sure you pay attention to the burn line, as if it becomes wider on one side than the other, this indicates that one side of the cigar is heating up more quickly than the other.

In this case, you can remedy the problem by slowing down the smoke, taking more infrequent and gentle puffs to allow the superheated side of the cigar to cool. Failing this set the cigar down and allow it to cool properly, taking a cigar cutter to the end of it as this happens. Then draw through the cigar to eliminate any combustion chemicals, and then finally, enjoy your smoke.

You may way to try simply re-burning the cigar, a popular method – however be aware that this may decrease your smoke time, and may not even be effective, leaving you having to re-burn the canoeing cigar several times.

Of course, the best way to prevent breakage or the potential canoeing of a cigar is to store it safely in a way that it will be both well protected and ventilated. Storing your precious smokes in a Puro Prestige Cigar Case will safeguard you against any issue which may interfere with the quality and ease of your smoking experience.