Cracking like crazy.

[floydpink]

Ok, here's my situation.

Today, I woke up to a really nice and sunny day and had the rare opportunity to an hour alone out back as my wife went out with my daughter for a few hours.

I realized I had pretty much only smoked maduros the last month and wanted to try a natural. I decided to grab one of my AF 858's that came in a 5 pack I won a month ago on cbid. I decided on this because for me, 858's are one of the most consistent cigars in my humi.

Clipping the head with my Xikar, I heard the crunching sound that only comes from a very dry cigar. The crack on the head was about a quarter inch long. I moistened the crack and proceeded to light it.

At about the 1/3 point, the wrapper had just about completely unravelled anddisintegrated into nothing and the smoke was tossed.

I am wondering how this could happen and here is my storage situation:

The cigar was on the top shelf of my glass top 120 ct humi which stays around 68 rh with a 2ox bead on top shelf and 2 on bottom. I normally keep my week's worth of smokes in a seperate 20 ct humi and store smokes on the bottom of this 120 ct. I guess it's a form of arrogance, but on the top shelf, I normally display my best cigars that i like to look at. The shelf comes out maybe 2 times a week so I can get at some of the ones underneath.

What has me concerned is the fact that some really nice smokes remain on the same shelf and I am hoping it was a bad cigar.

[icehog3]

Do you have an analog or a digital hygrometer?

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Do you have an analog or a digital hygrometer?

And has it been calibrated and/or salt tested?

[floydpink]

I am using an adjustable digital hygro that has been calibrated.

[smokeydog]

Originally Posted by floydpink

I am using an adjustable digital hygro that has been calibrated.

could be you got some bad cigars from c-bid. i got a box of jericho's about 3 months ago and had to hydrate them slowly because they were pretty dry. i have had cigars do this that i bought on c-bid. you never know.

[icehog3]

Have you tried another cigar out of your humidor yet?

[floydpink]

Just lit up a Chateu Fuente and it was fine. I'm not sweating one dry cigar, but am wondering how one could be so bad when it was sitting in there at least a month. It has been really warm in Florida and we have had the air conditioning on 24/7 so perhaps that caused it....

I am keeping a 2 oz tube of beads on the top shelf, a 2oz tube on the bottom, a spare credo with distilled water in the bottom, and another credo lightly moistened with 50/50 solution, in case that helps solve the problem.

I will say that the Chateu did seem a little drier than normal this morning when I cut it, but burned fine.

I am getting really close to jumping over the the Oasis system, and this may be the deciding factor. My digital hygro hasn't moved much from 68 though, so I am stumped.