I'm reading some reviews and the reviewer says the draw is tight and they needed to puff hard to get any smoke from the cigar. I thought that meant it was a loose draw. Can someone clarify that for me?

Loose is like a milkshake straw, tight is like a cocktail straw.

I was smoking a Gurkha Black Puro and while there was a lot of air I had to puff3 sometimes 4 times to get any real amount of smoke.

Draw can be a bit of a preference.  But generally nobody likes a really tight draw (hard to pull air thru).  Tight draws can be from improper bunching or a stem blocking the draw.  But firm to the touch does not directly relate to a tight draw.  Tight draws can sometimes be fixed with a draw poker or habano saver.
Overly loose draws are not good because then the volume of air to the flavors coming off the leaf get diluted.

A good draw finds the right balance

QuoteChefjohn - 2/15/2019  2:58 PM  I was smoking a Gurkha Black Puro and while there was a lot of air I had to puff3 sometimes 4 times to get any real amount of smoke.

 That doesn't sound like a draw issue.  If you are pulling a lot of air you draw may be loose because of lack of filler, but you pull the smoke from the cherry (lit end).  Sounds more like a quality issue

QuoteCfickter - 2/15/2019  3:03 PM

Draw can be a bit of a preference.  But generally nobody likes a really tight draw (hard to pull air thru).  Tight draws can be from improper bunching or a stem blocking the draw.  But firm to the touch does not directly relate to a tight draw.  Tight draws can sometimes be fixed with a draw poker or habano saver.
Overly loose draws are not good because then the volume of air to the flavors coming off the leaf get diluted.

A good draw finds the right balance

Okay, so a tight draw is one wher it is hard to pull air through. I read some reviews on this particular stick and some of the reviewers incited the draw was tight. I was getting a lot of air just not much smoke. Thanks Chuck.

Gurkha isn't really known for their quality in most of their lines. And honestly it's not just them, cigars can vary from box to box. Hand made products, the roller could have had an off day or it could have been a new/inexperienced roller. In some cases I've had a box where there are a couple bad ones mixed in.

I guess I'm saying when someone mentions the draw in a review, your mileage might vary dependent on so many factors. You could have 3 cigars from the same box each having different draws, tight, loose or right on. It all depends on how it was rolled.

It's a construction issue, and some companies have more issues than others.

Quoteninfiction - 2/15/2019  3:50 PM

Gurkha isn't really known for their quality in most of their lines. And honestly it's not just them, cigars can vary from box to box. Hand made products, the roller could have had an off day or it could have been a new/inexperienced roller. In some cases I've had a box where there are a couple bad ones mixed in.

I guess I'm saying when someone mentions the draw in a review, your mileage might vary dependent on so many factors. You could have 3 cigars from the same box each having different draws, tight, loose or right on. It all depends on how it was rolled.

It's a construction issue, and some companies have more issues than others.

Thanks Brian, that clears up a lot.

Brian makes several good point but the binder and filler are done by the buncher and not roller. They work in teams.  Bunchers are given a predetermined weight and need to create so many cigars from that weight. They could have been underweight or not really given enough to fill a cigar properly. Like Brian mentioned despite the hype Gurkhas are not known for high quality cigars, although I will admit the 15 Year Cellar Reserve is a damn fine smoke.

The true tell is smoking another one from a different box.

QuoteCfickter - 2/15/2019  7:19 PM

Brian makes several good point but the binder and filler are done by the buncher and not roller. They work in teams.  Bunchers are given a predetermined weight and need to create so many cigars from that weight. They could have been underweight or not really given enough to fill a cigar properly. Like Brian mentioned despite the hype Gurkhas are not known for high quality cigars, although I will admit the 15 Year Cellar Reserve is a damn fine smoke.

The true tell is smoking another one from a different box.

Thanks Brian and Chuck. I am finding out the Gurkhas. I was given a sampler of them and have been seeing they can be hit or miss. I don't think they're will be any more taking up real estate in my humidor.

QuoteChefjohn - 2/15/2019  4:58 PM  I was smoking a Gurkha Black Puro and while there was a lot of air I had to puff3 sometimes 4 times to get any real amount of smoke.

 Lot of air and very little smoke is a sign the cigar either has a tunnel or a cracked wrapper. 

Cracked wrapper leads to drawing air through the side of the cigar instead of the foot. Wrappers usually blow up from being overly dry.

A tunnel is where the tobacco isn't properly packed so while you're drawing air through the foot, you're not burning the cigar like it should be. Tunnels are a flaw in the cigar construct, and while that can happen sometimes, is not a sign of great quality control.