Splitting up...

[zitro_joe]

Put the kids and wife to sleep and snuck outside with the laptop to watch the Tarver Vs. Dawson fight that I recorded(we had an emergency visit to Chucky E. Cheese when the fight came on). I took with me a La Aurora 'Leoninos'.

About ten minutes into the smoke the wrapper starting splitting. Soon after, the split reached the band. It really surprised me. After some thinking I was wonder if was due to the natural environment. Would it cause wrapper to split? I live in Tucson where the Rh% is...ah...dry. Plus, the temp was about 49F-50F.

Is it possible that those factors could cause that to happen? The cigar ran me about $1 a stick, but besides that I thought the cigar was great. Noob perspective: it was very nice. Really nice flavor -mild/medium- but the taste was great. If was just handed to me I would have never known it was a buck, never. I like enough that I want to ck out other La Aurora cigars, if this was the cheap then, wow, the others have unlimited potential.

Anyhow, my question, was this the case of a bad wrapper or did the natural environment have a hand in this? Maybe, both?

OT - Anyone else see the fight. Dawson was on point tonight. To Tarver's credit, he toughed it out and fought hard, but he was simply outworked.

Zitro

[Jimbo14]

If it had been kept in a humidor at the right humidity for a while before you smoked it I would not imagine the enviroment would effect a cigar so quickly. I am very new to cigars but I would imagine that it was due to the construction of the cigar, or the way in which the cigar was kept before you smoked it.

I am just a new gorillia so I may be way off - but thats just what I think from what I have read about cigars.

If im incorrect someone feel free to correct me!

[orca99usa]

The wrapper doesn't usually split because the stick is too dry. Normally it's just the opposite problem: the moisture in an overly damp cigar causes the filler to expand when it's heated, splitting the wrapper. I doubt that your cigar was out of the humidor long enough for anything to happen to it. I live in a climate pretty much identical to yours, and I have had no issues with cigars left out as long as an hour before being smoked. I'm guessing it's a construction issue.

La Aurora is a great brand. The others may well be fine.

[kansashat]

Apply heat to a humidified cigar in a dry, cool environment & it can be like two puppies fighting under a blanket...or something like that.

I get an almost "pipe tobacco" aspect from the Leoninos blend. not being a pipe smoker, I really don't know where I get this impression, but this impression I have.

[TOB9595]

I was eying this stick on CB...

Let us know about the other sticks.
I anticipated that you would have had a wonderful tasty and constructed smoke.

If filler and binder expands quickly...much more than the wrapper... This split will happen...

So what happened is the wrapper shrank when exposed to the dry air???

Hmmmm


Tom

[heavyd]

Originally Posted by orca99usa

The wrapper doesn't usually split because the stick is too dry. Normally it's just the opposite problem: the moisture in an overly damp cigar causes the filler to expand when it's heated, splitting the wrapper.

This is the answer I would have given. I had this problem earlier in the Summer. It went away when I replaced the 70% beads with 65%. And you're right about La Aurora...I've never had a bad one.

[zitro_joe]

Originally Posted by orca99usa

The wrapper doesn't usually split because the stick is too dry. Normally it's just the opposite problem: the moisture in an overly damp cigar causes the filler to expand when it's heated, splitting the wrapper. I doubt that your cigar was out of the humidor long enough for anything to happen to it. I live in a climate pretty much identical to yours, and I have had no issues with cigars left out as long as an hour before being smoked. I'm guessing it's a construction issue.

La Aurora is a great brand. The others may well be fine.

I understand that part of it, that actually plays into my hypothesis:
I was thinking the the cold, dry air dried out the wrapper where as the filler was expanding due to the heat and humidification and then the cigar to a trip to splits-ville...just a thought.

Anyhow, as I mentioned, I really liked the flavor. Other than the wrapper I absolutely loved the cigar. I will smoke another tonight and see what happens.

Zitro

[zitro_joe]

The one tonight had no problem. That first one must have been the 'one' in the bunch.

TOB9595 - I say get them! Again I am new to the game and I don't what you taste in cigars is, but I like them.

Zitro

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by heavyd

This is the answer I would have given. I had this problem earlier in the Summer. It went away when I replaced the 70% beads with 65%. And you're right about La Aurora...I've never had a bad one.

What rh do you keep your smokes? Was this fresh from the B&M?
Storing at a lower rh or dryboxing for a day should solve this problem.

[TripleF]

It may have been dropped somewhere along the line before you got it.

[zitro_joe]

Originally Posted by bobarian

What rh do you keep your smokes? Was this fresh from the B&M?
Storing at a lower rh or dryboxing for a day should solve this problem.

Right now the humi fluctuates 68-71%. It was ordered from online.

What is "dryboxing'?

[zitro_joe]

Originally Posted by TripleF

It may have been dropped somewhere along the line before you got it.

hmmm, true. never thought about that.