Wrappers cracking?

[inept]

I recently purchased a few boxes of various Cameroon wrapped cigars and they are delicious. I put them in my humidors and happily went about smoking them but it seems that, as time progresses, they are becoming crispier and more brittle. It has come to the point that the wrappers on some of them practically explode and fall off as I'm smoking. This isn't happening to any single brand of said cigars and it's not a problem with each and every sample of any specific brand but it does only affect my Cameroons.

I can't understand what's happening here. It has not happening with other (non-Cameroon) cigars in the same humidors. I've been keeping an eye on my humidors lately and they both seem to maintain 70% consistently. For reference, I have digital hygrometers.

Can anyone shed some light?

[Dr. Stogie Fresh]

The wrappers can crack when cigars are too dry AND when they are too wet. In the latter case, the filler tobacco gets wet, swells up and splits the wrapper leaf, which then flakes off. I'm not sure what is exactly happening in your case. Have you calibrated your hygrometer to insure its accuracy? I suspect your hygro is off, but can't say in which direction.

Doc

[NCRadioMan]

Cameroon wrappers are very thin and fragile, and when they dry out, even a little, they tend to do as you described. At 70% rh, they shouldn't do that. Do you know if your hygro is accurate? I keep my NC humi between 63-67% and when it happens to me is when I am smoking them outdoors.

NCRM

[inept]

I am quite certain that my hygrometers are accurate. I tested them using the salt and water method. Additionally, the humidifying devices I'm using are of the PG crystal sort that seem to do a good job of keeping my humidors at 70%

I smoke all of my cigars outside. Could that be the problem and, if so, how can I rectify it?

Thank you both.

[kenstogie]

Here's my take...
Low RH.
If its in a dry tendancy (most likely) then the filler is still relatively moist but the wrapper is dry or rather dryer than the filler. When it(the wrapper) is drying it shrinks because it has less to it. The wrapper can't compress the filler to shrink so it cracks.
This won't cause it to crack if it's very, very gradual change.

High RH
Over moist stix can do this to in my experience as there is more to expand in the filler so the wrapper can't accomodate the excess size. Typically happens in the foot.


TIPS
Get the beads it's the only way to go really.
Leave the wrappers on makes for a more gradual change
open and close your humi quickly
get a wireless rh detector, I like Radio Shacks even though I hate radio quack.

[Dr. Stogie Fresh]

Let's assume that your cigars are dry and that your hygrometer is accurate at 70% RH, what other factors could come into play?

Are your cigars stored with or without cello?
How often do you open your humidor?
What is the ambient temperature and humidity?
How stable is the RH, does it swing greatly?
What is the temperature inside your humidor?

All these could be playing a factor. Smoking outside should not play a role.

By the way, do you have a digital or analog hygro?

Doc

[qwerty1500]

I've had the same problem with cammies. Yes, they are very fragile.

Even if the rh in your humi is stable and the cigars have been resting for a long time, I've noticed that cracking can occur depending on where you choose to smoke them. For example, I've found cracking problems with cammies if I bring them out of a very stable rh of between 65% and 70% and try to smoke them in a very dry environment.

That is one reason I tend to bury my cammies during the winter. The rh both inside and outside is just too dry. Are you trying to smoke these in the house with the AC on?

I can't explain it but I've seen it happen.

[CobraSkip]

Interesting comment. I rarely smoke them in the winter because they always crack, I assumed it was the cold that caused it. Perhaps it's the ambiant RH instead. I'll have to take notice. BTW, I dropped one once an the wrapper exploded, came all apart and fell off.

[inept]

I've dropped one and had it explode too, CobraSkip!

Anyway, according to one of my hygrometers, humidity outdoors late this afternoon was in the low 50s. Temperature at the time was around 20oC. I'm smoking these outdoors in said conditions and in the sun. I guess that the rapid change in humidity combined with the fragile nature of the wrapper is what's causing the problem.

This actually makes me curious because now that I think about it, the weather has been unseasonaly dry. Must be all that crazy global warming!

To answer Dr. Stogie's questions:

Are your cigars stored with or without cello?

All of the Cameroons are in cellophane.

How often do you open your humidor?

Once a day to take out a cigar.

What is the ambient temperature and humidity?

See above

How stable is the RH, does it swing greatly?

Inside the humidor? It's stable. Outside, I can't say.

What is the temperature inside your humidor?

It can get as high as 26oC

By the way, do you have a digital or analog hygro?

Digital

[punch]

Originally Posted by qwerty1500

I've had the same problem with cammies. Yes, they are very fragile.

Even if the rh in your humi is stable and the cigars have been resting for a long time, I've noticed that cracking can occur depending on where you choose to smoke them. For example, I've found cracking problems with cammies if I bring them out of a very stable rh of between 65% and 70% and try to smoke them in a very dry environment.

That is one reason I tend to bury my cammies during the winter. The rh both inside and outside is just too dry. Are you trying to smoke these in the house with the AC on?

I can't explain it but I've seen it happen.

Exactly my findings. Cammie Fuentes kept at 70% tend to crack on me when smoked outside with the RH at 20% or below (normal in Nebraska during the winter). I don't have the same problem with the Cammie wrapped Montecristo Afriques unless the RH goes well below 20%. I also have not had as much of a problem with the H. Upmann Vintage Cammies.

[neoflex]

Ahh man I thought this thread was about crackers rapping
http://www.dailyhaha.com/_vids/wannabee_wigger.htm

[palm55]

I've had the same problem with cammies... For whatever reason, this seems to be a particularly delicate wrapper. It's a shame, because they're very flavorfull!

For what it's worth... The dozen or so cammies I keep on hand remain in a small humi in the refrigerator. Yes, I know that's not the proper way to store them! But my experience has been that under refrigeration, they're less likely to explode (though I haven't thought about implosion).

Anyway... When I feel like a cammie, I pull out of the fridge... And they smoke quite well! In fact, they're very cool-smoking cigars!

Originally Posted by punch

unless the RH goes well below 20%.

Under 20%??? What does that mean. I was not aware that low of a humidity was possible

If it gets to less than 50% RH in Alabama, then we start looking to the heavens and praying, because the end is near!!

Maybe this is why I haven't experienced this problem much, because the RH is almost always 60% or better. The only times I have had the problem, I knew beforehand that the cigar was probably too dry, they were smoked in a hot enviroment; and, and they needed humi time. But I was impatient, and paid the price (and it was with camaroon wrappers). I would have to agree with the gorillas that are preaching too low enviromental RH, and probably smoking in the direct sunlight would tend to accelerate the drying process of this thin wrapper. Additionally, if you are leaving the cigars out of the humi for a bit before lighting, the thin wrappers will be dried out before you even start.

This might be a situation where you would want to fall back on an old tradition (from before the time that most stores kept their cigars humidified). That is the practice of drawing each half of the cigar into and out of your mouth once (or even twice) before you clip and light it. This super-hydrates the wrapper with your saliva, and will slow the evaporation somewhat. This has worked for me in the past, but I find the wrapper close to the burn will still dry rapidly, and still tend to split as the ash gets within an inch or so.

Good luck

[punch]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

Under 20%??? What does that mean. I was not aware that low of a humidity was possible

If it gets to less than 50% RH in Alabama, then we start looking to the heavens and praying, because the end is near!!


Good luck

I didn't think it was possible either until I moved out here. I have a couple of ambient Temp / RH meters around the house, and I swear one of them read WTF for a couple of days last winter

[kenstogie]

I assumed they were cracking in the humi. I rarely smoke cammy's more of a maddy fan but I everyone has his/her own thing. I occasionally have one crack but didn't pay much attention to it. Interestinhg I will see my next winter when the RH is nill if that does happen.