Newbie question - Tar comming out of my cigar.

Is it a common occurance for large ammounts of tar to build up while smoking a cigar? I have searched the topic and found that it does happen. As to why, there was much speculation. Some say the cure is to recut the cigar a little to remove the build up. What I could not find is the frequency of the occurance.

The reason I ask is that I had dropletts of tar coming out of a cigar. It was a La Gloria Cubana, Glorias Extra, maduro, 6.25x46. It was cut cleanly, not punched. About half way through I noticed a bitter taste. Upon inspection, the dropletts of tar were very visible and getting larger. I wiped some of it off but the cigar had to be tossed with about a third remaining.

Is this something that happens frequently? Is it a trait of certain brands or blends? This is the first time I have seen so much tar that the cigar could not be finished.

It shouldn't occur commonly, but it does happen. Could be cigars to wet, cut to small, type of cigar, etc. I've found that if a punched cigar develops tar, then cutting it open more stops the tar from forming.

This can also happen sometimes if the cigar is smoked too quickly. Sometimes re-clipping will take care of this problem, and / or slowing your smoking pace (typically a puff a minute)

My guess is it was too wet. What were the storage conditions before smoking?

As tkoepp mentioned, slowing the pace can help prevent this, even if the stick is wet. You can also "purge" the cigar when you first taste the tar. That will sometimes halt or slow the tar buildup. Fortunately, this does not happen too often if your cigars are kept at the proper temp and humidity.

You could try searching CP for the following topics for more info (be sure to use the quotation marks):

Purge
"dry box"
"proper humidification"

Thank you for the info. I am glad to hear this is not a common occurance. Humidor conditions are 68% - 71%RH. Holds nice and steady on the salt tested digital. Temp however ranges from 68 to 74 this time of year. Higher in the summer. It is hard to keep it at or below 70 here in So Cal. The next 4 - 5 months should be cooler. The humidor is kept in the coolest place I could find.

I don't think I smoke them too fast. A robusto size usually lasts a little more than an hour. I will however keep this in mind.

I also think I may invest in some 65% beads. This appears to be what most people on this site prefer. I have also noticed a slightly tight draw on the last few I smoked. Possibly too moist?

IMO, 65% is much better. In fact, I prefer a couple of degrees below that, but I live in a fairly dry climate. The tight draw could be caused by excessive humidity as it causes the tobacco to swell. You might look into dry boxing the next cigar you smoke before lighting it up. See if that helps.

The only cigar that I've ever smoked where this happens is a Fuente King B.

I think theres pictures here somewhere of the opus doing this and the Diamond Crown maduro,Partaga black,Hoyo dark sumatra,,etc etc

I've seen this happen on a couple of my cousin's cigars. I've never seen it happen to anyone else that i can remember. So i'd be thinking humidification levels.

If the problem continues with more cigars from your humi you might want to try using some 65% beads from Heartfelt Industries and see if that takes care of it.

stevehawk said:

IMO, 65% is much better. In fact, I prefer a couple of degrees below that, but I live in a fairly dry climate. The tight draw could be caused by excessive humidity as it causes the tobacco to swell. You might look into dry boxing the next cigar you smoke before lighting it up. See if that helps.

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Thanks for the dry boxing suggestion. This weekend I put one in an empty humidor for about six hours before I smoked it. Don't know if the dry box helped after only six hours, but the draw was perfect, no burn problems, and no tar. After the holidays the humi will get 65% beads.