Monday, August 16 2010
Q: While smoking a
La Floridita Limited Edition Magnum, it was burning pretty good, except the filler was burning somewhat faster than the
wrapper or
binder (and to a slight degree, the outermost
filler leaves). It was a decent smoke, but I'm guessing the humidity hasn't penetrated down to the filler enough yet. I have had this [new]
humidor going for a few days and it's holding at 72F 70-71%H. A little high I'm guessing, and I'm using the
Boveda 69 packets (2 total). Anyway, if this behavior is indicative of needing more time in the humidor, how long should I wait till I try another stick? Right now, all of my sticks are in this one, as I'm seasoning another, and need to season my third.
- Brian in Kentucky
A: What happened to your cigar was something called "
tunneling." That's when the filler & binder (more likely the binder) burn faster than the wrapper. It's not uncommon, but it is frustrating because it throws the whole character and flavor of the cigar off. From my experience, this usually happens when the wrapper leaf is too moist. Your theory that the filler and binder were lacking in moisture is logical. Of course, it could have been just that cigar, but if it happens again try this:
Gently pinch the cigar at the band, mid-section and near the foot. If the cigar is supple throughout, it's probably not the filler & binder. More likely, there's too much moisture in the wrapper. This is more likely to happen with thicker, oilier wrappers, like a lot of Maduros, for instance. BTW, the La Floridita LE in question has a thick and oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. In either case, try letting the cigar sit out for the better part of the day to let the wrapper "dry out" a little. Then light it up and see how it burns.
There are also cases where there are minuscule gaps between the binder and wrapper. When you light-up, it may look like it's burning fine, but eventually, the binder, which is designed to burn faster takes, over and you have a tunneling situation. I'm not sure if it's due to poor rolling, or it happens while the cigars are aging in the factory, but I have found this latter situation happens more often in Pyramides and Torpedoes.
Finally, try to keep your RH at about 68% average. That works best for me. If you have a lot of cigars with similar dark, thick and/or oily wrappers, 65% is also quite acceptable, and even preferred, by a lot of cigar smokers.
