Desert Climate

[DesertRat]

Living in the desert presents several problems when it comes to cigars. I searched CP and read several threads on the problem of keeping a humidor at the desired 70 degrees in hot climates and I've personally noticed I have to put extra beads in my humi to keep it at 65%rh. I ran into another problem this morning while playing golf and that is the effect of single digit humidity coupled with triple digit temperatures while enjoying a smoke.

I took a travel humi with me to the course and popped it open on the 9th hole to enjoy a Perdomo Reserve Double Eagle (dbl Church). Before I got halfway through the smoke the wrapper had completely dried out and torn loose and the underlying leaf was drying out fast (102 degrees and 6% rh). I ended up trashing the smoke at the halfway mark.

Is there any way to avoid the rapid dehydration of a stick under these circumstances or am I doomed to only smoke half a stick at a time in the summer months?

Cheers!

Danny

 

[rectifythis]

Last week I smoked 3 cigars in the 105+ degree and single digit humidity here with no issues. However, they were short smokes. I'll answer your question with a question.... why would you want to smoke a double corona in these temps? :laugh: ???

 

[themoneycollector]

Get a vinotemp, it's really the only thing out there for temperature control

 

[DesertRat]

.... why would you want to smoke a double corona in these temps? :laugh: ???

I wanted something to last through the majority of the remaining holes. Wishful thinking eh?

Good point though. Tomorrow I'll try something in a robusto maybe. :blush:

 

[MoeCizlak]

I wonder if Wilkey's Winter Cigar Bath would do the trick?

 

[lurch]

I tried Wilkey's technique out here and it worked wonderfully. I was smoking a small batch of DPG Series JJ Belicosos and noticed that the wrappers kept coming unraveled. So, on the last two I gave them a small bath with water and WaLa.....no more wraper issue. I'm pretty sure my climate and yours are pretty much the same so you should try that with a test batch of cigars and then start trying it on your better cigars....

BTW...all I did was poke a hole in a water bottle and sprayed some water on the outside of the wrapper. I never came close to the foot so as to not mess with lighting it.

 

[gregor22]

At higher temps, I smoke robustos or petit coronas. Light about the third hole after the round gets going, then the next one on number twelve after the turn.

 

[DesertRat]

Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure what "Wilkey's Winter Cigar Bath" is and a search failed me. But, it sounds like a small spray bottle like the kind the eye doc gives for cleaning solution (clean of course) with some distilled water would suffice to use as a mister on the course to keep the wrapper intact.

 

[MoeCizlak]

My search didn't turn up The Good Professor's original description but here is a link that describes the technique:

Wrapper Moistening

Hope that helps and good luck with the smoking!!!

 

[NullSmurf]

Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure what "Wilkey's Winter Cigar Bath" is and a search failed me. But, it sounds like a small spray bottle like the kind the eye doc gives for cleaning solution (clean of course) with some distilled water would suffice to use as a mister on the course to keep the wrapper intact.

I've used Wilkey's technique often - simply splash your cigar in the kitchen sink, then pat it down until the sheen disappears. I like the idea of taking a spritzer bottle along with the traveldor for essentially doing the same thing in the field.

ggiese put forth something that I've also used. Unflavored Chapstick. You don't need much, but it also seems to work when the cigar starts to "go". I can't taste it, except once when I went a little overboard with it.

 

[Wurm]

Try cigars with thicker wrappers...(LFD for example) and spray bottle... What ever happened to the cowboy method of giving your cigar a good tongue bath before lighting it?

 

[MadMonk]

Try cigars with thicker wrappers...(LFD for example) and spray bottle... What ever happened to the cowboy method of giving your cigar a good tongue bath before lighting it?

It's alive and well in these parts, partner.

Cameroon wrappers are real fragile under your conditions. Some smokes have pretty stout wrappers.
LG Diez for instance. Some are easy to identify at the cap end of the cigar.

 

[Wurm]

Try cigars with thicker wrappers...(LFD for example) and spray bottle... What ever happened to the cowboy method of giving your cigar a good tongue bath before lighting it?

It's alive and well in these parts, partner.

Cameroon wrappers are real fragile under your conditions. Some smokes have pretty stout wrappers.
LG Diez for instance. Some are easy to identify at the cap end of the cigar.

Never had a big problem with Cameroon.

Claro Wrappers are the devil.... too hot or too cold and BOOM!

I like nice thick Oscuro or Corojo wrappers in the heat.. or Lanceros... they give you a longer smoke but due to the thin ring gauge they hardly ever go poof on you.