another cracking question

[JJG]

I keep my cigars very close to 70% or a little less using PG gel tubes. Tonight I decided to try a C.A.O. mx2 toro thats been sitting in the humi for a little over a month.After 10 minutes in, a small crack started to form around the cigar about an inch below the band. Its now all the way around and extending upwards vertically towards the cap.

My question is whether this is a storage error on my part or just a tight roll/thin spot in the wrapper. I plan on getting some 65% beads in the near future but I always assumed 70% was still a safe RH level. The PG tubes are less than 6 months old and I use tupperdors with a really good airtight seal. Also, this is the first time I've had a cigar split on me.

(for the record this is not a negative review. If you like maduros, you should give this one a try. I'm not biased towards C.A.O either, never had one before tonight)

[davidlei]

That's odd. If I understand you correctly, you lit it and then ten minutes later it started to crack? Was the draw really tight? Did it feel dry to the touch? In my opinion, a cigar would only crack at that point if it was too dry or way too tight (dud). If it was overhumidifed, it would have cracked in your 'dor.

[hyper_dermic]

sounds like a problem with the cigar, not your humidity. Mx2 has a pretty thick wrapper if i remember correctly. i doubt a little humidity fluctuation would hurt it. plus ive had good results with PG tubes in my mini-humidors before.

-hyp

[muziq]

Get another of the CAOs, store it exactly the same, and see if it happens again. If it repeats, it might not be the cigar; if it doesn't...but it doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong with your storage to me.

[n2advnture]

Originally Posted by JJG

I keep my cigars very close to 70% or a little less using PG gel tubes. Tonight I decided to try a C.A.O. mx2 toro thats been sitting in the humi for a little over a month.After 10 minutes in, a small crack started to form around the cigar about an inch below the band. Its now all the way around and extending upwards vertically towards the cap.

My question is whether this is a storage error on my part or just a tight roll/thin spot in the wrapper. I plan on getting some 65% beads in the near future but I always assumed 70% was still a safe RH level. The PG tubes are less than 6 months old and I use tupperdors with a really good airtight seal. Also, this is the first time I've had a cigar split on me.

(for the record this is not a negative review. If you like maduros, you should give this one a try. I'm not biased towards C.A.O either, never had one before tonight)

Cigar splits (down the length of the cigar) are typically from over humidification.

I suggest the following:

1.) Calibrate your hygro (every 4-6months!)
2.) Get the RH Beads
3.) Try dry boxing your cigars for a few days (3-7) prior to smoking them. Simply place them in a humidor or airtight container with no humidification device.

Hope this helps
~Mark

[PUFFNMO]

There is nothing wrong with the cigar IMO. I'm guessing that the weather is dry where you live. Take a cigar from a humidor at 65 - 70% and smoke it in dry conditions, the wrapper will split. Reason - the wrapper shrinks from the dry air, the filler does not. Boom. I'm having the same problem right now with many of my smokes.
If you smoke in a room with a humidifier, this will not happen. Trust me... Larry.

[punch]

70% is a safe level for storage. Unfortunately, it is not always a safe level for smoking. You did not state the RH conditions of your smoke area. This is critical. There are a lot of cigars that smoke well in RH conditions of 50 - 70% when stored at 70%, but will crack if smoked in low humidity conditions. I have had this happen on numerous occasions, and the cracks all develop AFTER the cigar has been lit. What you probably need more than all of the calibration stuff on your humidor instrumentation is some instrumentation for your smoking area. During this time of year, I select a cigar based on the smoking conditions more than nearly any other factor. I am not going to ruin a $10.00 Don Carlos by smoking it when the RH is only 20% because that is nearly guaranteed to crack the DC's Cameroon wrapper.

Now, if I remember correctly, the CAO Maduro can, and probably should, be stored at a lower than 70% RH level. Sometimes storing a cigar at a lower RH will help when you smoke it in lower RH conditions. The key is to SLOWLY bring the cigars to a lower RH. If you live in really dry conditions, you may want to store your cigars at 70% long term, and then move them to a "dry box" set at 60% for a few days before smoking. I have had people tell me that this works. I have not tried it since I usually switch to cigars more suitable for low humidity smoking during the winter.

[PUFFNMO]

Punch and I just said exactly the same thing, using slightly different words.
So now you know the reason for the cracking and the solution! Larry.