Monday, November 29 1999
Q. I've only been smoking cigars for maybe 4 months. I'd say I get maybe 1 in 15 that burn correctly throughout. Most either burn too hot and tunnel, or won't stay lit. Sometimes the wrapper/ binder will burn too fast then go out so just the filler burns, which will then...you guessed it...tunnel. I've lit them countless ways: matches, colibris, bics, you name it. I've used techniques from CigarAficianado.com, I've even YouTubed it (as sad as that sounds. I've tried humidity in the humidor from 75 to 60 percent trying to figure it out. I admit, it pisses me off when I see someone sitting at one of our windy outdoor bars, light up with a bic once and smoke it 'til their finger tips burn. Any helpful insight you could provide?
- Bill (Smokeless in St. Thomas)
A. Since you've already tried just about everything even I could think of, it could be due to too many fluctuations in your temp and humidity. I understand that you've been experimenting, which may be more a part of the problem rather than the solution.
Try to get the temp down to about 68, and try to get the RH at an average of about 67%. If you can keep those two requisites within +/- 2-3 digits, the cigars should stabilize over about a period of a month. You may have been too eager to smoke the cigars once you got the temp and/or RH where you wanted it.
All I can add is this: 1) When you toast the cigar, make sure you have a good burn going on the wrapper. Blow on it several times to make sure the leaf has taken. 2) Try rotating the cigar a revolution or two each time you puff on it. This helps maintain a more even burn, especially outdoors.
Finally, you may be drawing too hard or too often on the cigar. If the binder, which naturally burns faster, is too hot, that could be part of your tunneling problem, too.
