Questions on Taste

aaron

I have been smoking for a couple years now, and I have had some very good sticks.  However, I find that many times about halfway through the cigars, they all have a wood taste that sometimes borders on cardboard.  This occurs with both with sticks from my humi and ones that I get from cigar.com straight from the box.  At first I thought maybe the humi was too wet, but when I had a RP Fusion double maduro straight out of the cigar.com box I began to wonder.  Am I smoking too fast perhaps?  So that when I get about halfway thru it is too hot, and the taste gets bland.  just wanting to maximize the smoking pleasure.  Thanks for reading and any advice

CastleCrest

I would of thought to dry not wet - but it's hard to say?
I'd try slowing down your smoking (will always help).
Long soft draws & not one right after another - let the cigar breath.

I wonder if you ever tried blowing through the cigar the wrong way.
Getting any stale smoke out of the cigar - This might help!

handypantz

yeah I think CC might have it right,...sounds a bit like burned ash being caught in the cigar....

CastleCrest

handypantz:

..sounds a bit like burned ash being caught in the cigar....

stale smoke -

jihiggs

how hot is too hot? If the cigar is "too hot" as I would define it, then you are smoking too fast/sucking too hard.

phisherman

You might also want to let the cigars rest a bit when you get them. The cigars go through changes when they are shipped and many B&M's have a high rH in their humidors. Sometimes this will make a cigar taste flat. Also, what rH do you keeop your humidor at. Sometimes a lower rH will give you a better flavor. Most around here will keep theirs at 65 to 68. Few people I know keep their sticks at 70 anymore. -Dave

aaron

Thanks to everyone for the advice.  I do keep my RH around 70, but I dont break my neck to keep it there if it falls to 65.  I tried the long drag advice with some blows to get stale smoke out.  I think i was doing alot of short puffs along with the long drags.  I lit up a RP Vintage 99 Connecticut last night and just took long drags and the flavor went down to the last inch.  It was a very enjoyable smoke.   Thanks