I think my cigars are ruined...

[ljbrandt]

Last year I attended a Rocky Patel event at my local B&M. Had a few to drink and smoked some great cigars and the next thing I knew I was carrying about $200 worth of RPs home with me. I didn't have a humi at the time, so they gave me a few cedar RP boxes to take em home in...they were old boxes and didn't have a good tight seal. A couple of days later I bought one of those humidor 'bags' thinking it would be okay to store them in there until my humidor arrived in the mail and I was able to properly season it. The cigars (about 30 of them), stayed in the humid-pouch for about a month before I put them in my newly seasoned humidor...I also bought heartfelt beads and a Western Caliber III hygrometer and the cigars have been sitting in a rock solid 65% enviroment for over 8 months! I felt that it was necessary to let them settle after being in a somewhat hositle enviroment with the box and pouch. Last week I broke one out and it was awful!!! I couldn't believe it...it had a sour/bitter taste right from the beginning all the way to the end! A couple days ago, I pulled out a RP Old World reserve (one of my absolute favs) and the same thing happened! The cigar was almost rancid, I couldn't even smoke half of it before throwing it out...

Are my cigars ruined? Is there no hope? Am I out of $200 worth of cigars? Please help! Thanks.

[madurolover]

I would think they would be fine. Have you calibrated the hygrometer? If it is off and they are too wet that will sometimes cause a sour, acrid taste.

[SMOKE20]

I would think they would be fine as well if rested for 8 months at optimal humidity and temp. Could be a bad stick.

I would agree to make sure your hydro is calibrated.

Smoke a few more and see if you get the same tastes

[Sweet_Cigars]

Unless they got completely dried out and lost all of thier oil, which would take away the flavor.

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by Sweet_Cigars

Unless they got completely dried out and lost all of thier oil, which would take away the flavor.

Usually the sour taste comes from too much humidity. When too dry they usually have a hot/harsh taste to them.

[AspiringGent]

I agree with the majority. I think they're over humidified. Try calibrating your hygrometer. Alternatively if you're in a dry climate, leave one sitting out on the counter and see how it smokes. It may be too dry then, but at least you'll know what the problem was.

[GrtndpwrflOZ]

I would think that whatever is wrong has nothing to do with the whole humi bag thing.
It sounds more like too much humidification.

Cigars are pretty tough.

Good luck to you

B

[DSturg369]

You don't possibly have a cat with a bad attitude do you?

[ljbrandt]

Could possibly be overhumified, but using heartfelt 65% beads and a WCIII hygrometer (which states never to calibrate and is factory tested), it's hard to believe that they are...I'll try a few more, but not quite sure what to do if they are bad too...would anybody be interested in getting a deal on some RP smokes ;-)

[ghost]

Any chance you are running a cold (sniffles) or suffer from allergies?

Being congested even a little bit can cause havoc on what you are tasting. I suffer from allergies and when I first started smoking cigars I freaked out during allergy season one year. I almost any brand I was trying to smoke tasted rancid. I was panicing and thought that I messed something up despite the reading on my hygro and use of beads. I asked someone with more experience and told me to not attempt to smoke anything if my nose was clogged. I took his advice and sure enough the cigars smoked and tasted fine.

Food for thought.

[Cigary]

Send me a few of them and I will test them out for you at no charge,,,lol

[ljbrandt]

Interesting idea, but I don't have any cold right now and I don't really have bad allergies...

[Herf N Turf]

If any RP band has been sitting in any humi, under any conditions, for that long, it's going to have lost flavor. RP's are not cigars that lend themselves to any age. They are meant to be smoked, ROTT.

If it's "flat and bland" youre tasting, they've napped too long. If it's rancid and acrid, it's too much humidity.

[ljbrandt]

Thanks for the heads up...I'll make sure to smoke any Rocky Patels more promptly in the future. I hate the fact that all those great RP smokes are probably going to waste.

Lets see, I had 7 OWR maduros, 9 edge torpedos, 3 edge lites, a few sungrown, some 1990 and 92's, a Nording, a couple decades and an ITC...oh well...had I know RPs lost flavor with age, I may have not even got a humidor :-(

[madurolover]

I have som OWR that are about 2 years old that are excellent.