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I'll tell ya what it is...its a completely legit (made up while drunk) way to measure smoke production from a cigar. Its know as the Volumetric Smoke Unit. For all of you scientists out there, this is the most accurate way to measure smoke production...completely scientific (totally subjective).

I personally like big freakin billowing clouds of smoke from my cigars. When I smoke a 5 VSU, I see first responders at my house within 45 seconds. Oh well, if you have something better, please share. Until then, I rate cigars by VSU with a 5 being....

VSU - Volumetric Smoke Unit - the subjective measure of smoke produced by a fine cigar with 5 VSU being the most smoke production possible. A five VSU smoke is considered the ultimate smoke usually leading to a visit from first responders and only achievable by less than 1 percent of the cigar population.

LMBAO

Keep drinking and quit posting

Ive heard tht Blunts are only 2 VSU

ROFLAMO!

The proper measure for those is the PSU

It stands for "Sandusky"

I think it's. Law & Order VSU. They arrest evil second hand smoke perps.

LG SB4 - 3.7 VSU - ok smoke, diverse earthy flavors, but not worth the $19

Wow, is it ok to lmao on that one or should I be crying?

How many cigars of a specific type are tested to arrive at the rated VSU? Some individual sticks of a particular line may have construction flaws affecting that cigar's VSU, while others in the same line smoke like a chimney.

Is this a weighted average of a minimum number of cigars?

Does the measuring scale factor in the individual tester's ability to suck? Some individuals have a great capacity to suck.

Other persons have better talent for blowing.

What if the tester doesn't blow as much as he/she sucks?

VSU is not the only way to rate a fine cigar. Flavor is very important as well but second to VSU IMO. I've had many great flavored smokes where the overall experience was ruined by low VSU and a red face from sucking like an Asian Hooker. I also seem to get more flavor nuances when there is more smoke. High VSU does not mean that u simply puff more and burn the cigar hot, leading to a harsh experience. A good VSU smoke (most DE stuff) is one where a 2-3 gentle puffs lead to big clouds of dense smoke.

One example of a great smoke with a decent (3.9) VSU is the Tat BPL. The flavor AND VSU are both great, producing a great smoking experience.

Interesting thread.

What i've learned so far is Fenster likes a VSU of 1, and thus hates cigar smoke.......however, he likes Asian Hookers.

I'll add....

Best "VSU" brand i've ever come across is none other than Liga Privada.

Agree, all LPs have the best VSU of any brand although Padron is a close second.

Good info...that goes along with this topic, and addressed by Saka himself in a post on another board.....
___________________________________


I been meaning to answer this, even tried to but my computer locked up and I had to get a plane...

Q: Why do Liga Privadas and Undercrowns create so much smoke and stay burning?

There are more than a few things at play that result in why these cigars burn as they do.

1: Oil in the wrappers - in the case of all current LPs we utilize the thickest, most oily wrapper possible. We actually harvest and cure with the intent of the leaf being uber-oily which results in the tremendous production delays due to fermentation time required. Even our Otopan capa on the Undercrown is very thick when compared to other SAN leaves due to its intentional late harvest, longer cure and ferment times.

2: During fermentation in the pilon we introduce even more oils as a result of using a mojo to wet the leaves from water that has been steeped in tobacco stems. For our traditional cigars we ONLY utilize black tobacco and water.

3. Very well aged fillers are all we use in the LP blends.

4. We are very careful when blending to create not only recipes that taste good and smell delish, but to utilize materials that work well together. Combustion in our opinion is a cornerstone of achieving consistent flavor, so while wrapper x with binder y and filler z might taste great together, but if they don't burn well together there will come a time when they taste like something else. We want people to taste the blend the way we intended, therefore we must select materials that when combined create a scenario for consistent burn.

5. And probably the single biggest factor: How our liga pairs hand bunch our cigars.

There are 2 primary methods of hand bunching: Entubado and Estrujado

Entubado - aka Entubar, is a method where the filler tobacco is rolled into relatively tight tubes of tobacco and then laid into the bunch. This is the often called the "Cuban" method.

Estrujado - is a method where the leaves are folded over onto themselves and laid into the bunch. This method is utilized in the DR and Central America.

FYI - there are Nicaraguan factories that roll entubado and Cuban factories that roll estrujado - so you really can't generalized as a country of origin thing.

Now from here on DOWN this is ALL MY OPINION ONLY and every cigar maker will have their own opinion about the below.

There are benefits and downsides to each of the two primary methodology of hand bunching techniques.

Entubado - tubing the filler allows for great air channels and draw (when done right - regretfully many Cuban factories suck at their technique) but can result in funny burn patterns if the fillers do not burn at near identical rates... for example every see a cigar with like a nail spike of tobacco sticking out that is burning slower than the rest of the cigar? This is a perfect example of a entubado rolled cigar with slow burning ligero... And once the tobaccos are not burning together relatively evenly, the blend no longer tastes right.

Estrujado - the folding of the leaf allows typically for a better burn because unlike the entubado method, the end result is each of the filler leaves have more surface area contact with their neighboring leaves in the bunch which allows for the quicker burning ones to help along the slower burning ones which ultimately creates a better burn and a more consistent tasting blend. The downside to estrujado is it a method that can be rush through and result in a uneven burning cigars because the bunchero got too many of the folds to one side, aka booking, plus just a little bit too much leaf and the draw deteriorates quickly.

Now when both methods are implemented properly both are capable of producing an exceptional handmade cigar, but in my opinion both methods have inherent strengths and weaknesses.

So when we were developing the first Liga Privada cigars we began working on a new methodology of hand bunching cigars to take the best properties of both methods while minimizing the negatives.

Essentially it is style where we roll the fillers in entubado-style, but in very loose, wide tubes of leaf then fold those in estrujado style into the hand which contains a "base' leaf that acts almost like a second binder leaf, but is actually part of the filler blend. We then break off the tips of the long leaf bunch and backfill the body of the bunch to get even compression throughout its length.

I often refer to this as "lazy entubado", JD typically refers to it as Escuado.

This hybrid method of hand bunching cigars is extremely time consuming and requires even our very best buncheros an additional six months to learn. Plus they must have a great sense of feel because by utilizing the the backfill we are essentially giving them the ability to micro-adjust each and every bunch by touch.

The resulting cigars end up being densely packed yet exhibit an amazingly effortless draw while burning and will burn not only more evenly, but longer left resting than others.

Our unique Escudao method produces, in my opinion, the very best burning, drawing and consistent tasting cigars possible. No other factory employs our methodology, yet...

So there you have it, this is why our LPs and UCs produce that never ending cloud of sweet, sweet smoke and burn like a mofo, yet remain dense and delish.

I hope this answers everyone's question, now I gotta run and go rake leaves before it snows again!

BR,

Steve
Still Prez, Drew Estate

ps: Please feel free to repost this in other forums - in fact I would greatly appreciate it, because I just can't keep up with everything but would like for people to get the info - much thanks!

San Lotano Maduro toro - 4.0 VSU

Sounds like at least a 4.5. If he had arrested u, it would have been a 5.

LFD Colorado Oscuro #3 - 4.3,VSU....very nice twangy flavors as well

We only tested the Asian Hooker's ability to blow so I can't comment on Liverocks "blowing" ability. The AH did score off the charts on the blowrometer so I think the test may have been tainted.

Who doesn't like a good Asian hooker?

I agree, very "lazy" review. I'll do better next time.

i smoked a tatuaje 7th reserva last night will and the vsu on that thing was pretty high.


i dont have my vsu license yet but id give it a 4.5.

l40 - 4.0 VSU and awesome Rat like flaves
Mercielago Toro - wtf, smoke bomb of 4.6 VSU, but......flavor was monotone, not box worthy
la Palina Diario Toro - 3.5 VSU but sweet nutty flaves, nice cigar

L40 - need a box!

The OSS, Olfactory Stench Scale is the established measurement system for flatulence. Like the Richter Scale, each increase of 1 unit on the OSS, is equivalent to a logarithmic increase in power, intensity and putrifaction of the measured output.

However research continues in the important field of Malodor Detection and Quantification. A new generation of scientists are looking at improvements that will revolutionize the way farts are measured as exemplified by the work described in this article:

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http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-08/there-scientific-way-measure-fart-smell

FYI: Is There a Scientific Way to Measure How Bad a Fart Smells? By Bjorn Carey
Posted 09.01.2009 at 12:51 pm

Stench Seeker

Courtesy Robert Clain and Miguel Salas

You’re in luck. For their senior project, two Cornell University computer-engineering whizzes recently built a machine that does just that. After learning in class how breathalyzers work, Robert Clain and Miguel Salas assembled a fart detector from a sensitive hydrogen sulfide monitor, a thermometer and a microphone and wrote the software that would rate the emission. A “slight perturbance in the air” near the detector sets it to work measuring the three pillars of fart quality: stench, temperature and sound. Temperature, Clain explains, is critical. The hotter a fart, the faster it spreads. “It beeps faster if it’s a high ranker, and a voice rates it on a scale of zero to nine,” he says. “If it ranks a nine, a fan comes on to blow it away. It even records the noise so you can play it back later.” After a few months of construction, they began field tests. “Well, the sample data wasn’t the entire school, but we definitely tested it,” Salas says.

diggThe contraption could even have use outside of fraternity houses, Clain says, as a biosensor for harmful hydrogen-sulfide-producing bacteria in hospitals. Or dentists could use it to measure oral malodor. They’ve also received some interest from doctors with four-legged patients. “You can test the health of livestock through the quality of their farts,” Salas says. “Smell and sound can tell you a lot about their bowel movements.”

When it came time to present the invention in class, though, Clain and Salas had to test their detector by making raspberry sounds and breathing on it—human exhalations contain enough hydrogen sulfide to trigger the sensor. “It’s hard to fart something really smelly on command,” Clain laments. “Besides, it provided a nicer atmosphere for those around us.” Still, their professor saw fit to award the project a well-deserved A.

We see this all the time w hookahs. LOL Only thiing that keeps us a job.