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What's the problem?

Uncle Boo

New Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
153
The last few days I have been having a problem keeping my cigars lit. I'm smoking inside so the weather isn't a factor. My coolidor is at 71% RH and my desktop humi is around 62%RH. I usually only smoke out of the desktop where I keep from 30-40 cigars.

Tonight I had a La Aurora Maduro Robusto that had been in the humi for about 2 months. It had a very easy draw, almost too easy, and started out OK. But after about 1/4 gone it would go out. I would relight then it would go out again. It looked like the center was burning down faster than the edges if that makes sense. I gave up at 1/2 way, it wasn't worth the trouble and didn't taste that great anyway from all the relighting.

Is it because most of my smokes are fairly cheap and maybe not made that well?
 
Have you checked the accuracy of your hygrometers?

If not, and you don't know how, search on "calibrate," and I wager you'll find some useful info.

It sure sounds like a humidity problem to me, and I wonder if you're getting bad readings...
 
I did check my calibration with one the the premade bags that are set at 75%RH. I forget the name. Then I put my digital in with my cheap round one in the humi and made sure they both read the same. I double check the one in the humi every so often since I know its not as accurate as the digital. The one in the coolidor stays pretty rock solid with the beads I have in there.
 
The last few days I have been having a problem keeping my cigars lit. I'm smoking inside so the weather isn't a factor. My coolidor is at 71% RH and my desktop humi is around 62%RH. I usually only smoke out of the desktop where I keep from 30-40 cigars.

Tonight I had a La Aurora Maduro Robusto that had been in the humi for about 2 months. It had a very easy draw, almost too easy, and started out OK. But after about 1/4 gone it would go out. I would relight then it would go out again. It looked like the center was burning down faster than the edges if that makes sense. I gave up at 1/2 way, it wasn't worth the trouble and didn't taste that great anyway from all the relighting.

Is it because most of my smokes are fairly cheap and maybe not made that well?


I usually have those problems when I don't warm the foot as well as don't charr the rim around the foot.

When I get a good even burn (no tunnel burning), I rotate my cigar over the flame until the foot gets a black rim (I like to call this a "shiner"), then I look at it like I was inspecting a diamond, turning it every which way to make sure its all charred evenly, and then I do the huff and puff for the actual lighting, in which case I inspect the foot one more time to make sure the entire bottom is uniformly bright red.

edited - sometimes to correct the tunneling, I blow through the cigar to make the burn spread better, although this doesn't always work, especially not after the fire already tunneled a good half inch or so inside the stick.
 
Too much humidity sounds like the problem bro

Try "dry boxing" them for a few days prior to smoking them.

~Mark
 
Agree with Mark, the canoeing effect is normally a result of too much humidity.
 
Too humid like the rest of the people say... If you don't have a dry box, just set em out for 3-4 hrs before you smoke em. That should help some.
 
I was under the impression that tunnelling was the result of poor construction. Even when I smoke directly out of the humi at the shop which is FAR too humid I still get the nice "cone" of ligero nearly all the time after I drop my ash.
 
Today I had a Don Diego Aniversario Prime Minister. I torched the foot longer than I normally do and it burned perfectly for over two hours. Maybe it's better than what I've been smoking, and maybe torching the foot properly helped. Either way I was happy. :)
 
Try to avoid putting the lit end in your mouth.

I always look for the little arrow on the side, and sure enough I had it pointed the wrong way. :p
 
I agree with the too high humidity comments, but it could be bad construction too. It's even possible that it's a combination of both and buying more expensive cigars isn't going to help. Try lighting up a fresh Opus X that just cost you $25+. I'd be willing to bet that it'll go out on you numerous times. Another thing to consider is how long you're waiting between puffs. Depending on all the conditions of the cigar(storage, construction, properly lit, etc.) the smoke could extinguish quicker than it might for a different cigar from the same box.
 
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