Cigars still crack and unravel

bwcarter54

I'm fairly new to cigars but have enjoyed them for several years. I bought myself a 100 count humi for Christmas [seasoned it according to instructions] and filled it with Rocky Patel ITC 10th aniversary specials and fusions and Perdomos and Bahia Blus and a sample box of Nubs [can't wait for them to set a couple of weeks]. I've put a jar of beads and a humidifier that I add some distilled water to and 2 analog hygrometers that I calibrated to keep the humidity at about 70%. My problem is that about 1 in 5 cigars will crack or come unraveled when I smoke them. What can I do to prevent this or is this normal?  This my 1st post and I enjoy reading the other posts while in the MAN HOLE [as my wife calls it] smoking a good cigar.

dutyje

You're probably cutting the whole cap off the cigar. Don't cut so much off. As far as the humidifier, if you're just putting in plain distilled water, you're going to have problems. Don't do that.

bwcarter54

duty--I use distilled water on the foam pad and 50-50 solution in the jar. am I doing the right thing?

bwcarter54

I should also say that the cracks are up about half way on the stick.

j0z3r

I think your humidity is too high. When a cigar cracks like that, it can often be traced back to a level of humidity that is too high as the excess moisture in the cigar causes the tobacco to swell as it is heated and the wrapper cannot stretch enough to accommodate that. I'd recommend getting a digital hygrometer that can be trusted and using the 50/50 solution on your foam pad, that will help keep the humidity in check.

vankleekkw

dutyje

bwcarter54:

duty--I use distilled water on the foam pad and 50-50 solution in the jar. am I doing the right thing?

No... I haven't used the jars, but I believe some of those are meant to just take plain distilled water. The foam pad, on the other hand, is supposed to take PG solution (at least the first time). You can re-charge it with distilled water, but using water right out of the gate will cause your humidity to be too high. This will, as has been pointed out, cause your cigars to swell, and the wrapper to crack.

bwcarter54

Thats must be it. I recalibrated my hygrometer and it was off by 5 points since christmas. I'll get a digatal. I took the foam pad out and just using the jar. I'll check humidity in the morning then time will tell about the cracking. Thanks man.

phobicsquirrel

j0z3r:

I think your humidity is too high. When a cigar cracks like that, it can often be traced back to a level of humidity that is too high as the excess moisture in the cigar causes the tobacco to swell as it is heated and the wrapper cannot stretch enough to accommodate that. I'd recommend getting a digital hygrometer that can be trusted and using the 50/50 solution on your foam pad, that will help keep the humidity in check.

interesting, I thought it was if it was too low.. cool good to know.

JKTex

vankleekkw

phobicsquirrel

wow, my humi goes between 68 - 72 and I haven't had any cracking or anything. I for some reason can't get 64 or 64. I have more than enough beads but just can't get that low. maybe I need 60% beads. On another note, I got a pamplet in a cigar order that said cracking occurs from too low RH. I wonder how accurate that is since I think most of you know your sh*t......

dutyje

You can get cracking at a low rH or a high rH. The swelling/bursting is real. I've never had any problems in my desktop humi, other than it running too dry once we crank the heat up in the winter. I've snice found a magical spot in my house that alleviates those problems, and also promises to work well during the summer months. This spot has been running a steady 69-71 degrees ever since I started tracking it. I have 4 larger thermometer/hygros that I got cheap on-line a couple years ago when we bought our piano. I wanted to make sure the piano was kept in a stable environment. I've been using the others to track and adjust the heating/cooling systems around the house.

bwcarter54

Hey van-that is exactly my problem.  The cracks occur while I'm smoking. I do believe my rh was to high. I'm going lower. Hate those tight draws.

vankleekkw

phobicsquirrel:

wow, my humi goes between 68 - 72 and I haven't had any cracking or anything. I for some reason can't get 64 or 64. I have more than enough beads but just can't get that low. maybe I need 60% beads. On another note, I got a pamplet in a cigar order that said cracking occurs from too low RH. I wonder how accurate that is since I think most of you know your sh*t......

How do you fill your beads? I have a spray bottle to mist the beads. My humi stays steady at 65 for weeks before I have to fill them again. You should never soak the beads because they will crack if oversaturated.

madurofan

However cracked beads still work just fine, its just an annoyance thing. When you crack them they will "shed"(for lack of a better word) all over the place.

dutyje

yeah... bead shrapnel all over the humidor. It really can't be avoided very easily.

bwcarter54

Just an update. Got a digital hygrometer. Threw the foam humidifier out and kept just the gel in the jar. Now the humidty is 68% and I haven't had a plugged cigar or a cracked one or one that unravels on me since. Just wanted to say thanks to Joz, Urbi, Maduro, Duty and all you guys who give us newbies good solid advice. I really enjoy reading the forums in here. Learned alot. Thanks.

dutyje

No problem.. They did the same for me. Glad to hear everything is in order!

InternationalLog

Sometimes they just unravel a bit. I got a fresh cigar from a B&M store that I have never had problems with, and once I had a cigar unravel. The guy working at the time replaced the cigar with one from the same box (literally, the next one), and it didn't crack. I've seen some unraveling, and one thing I would recommend is a methylcellulose based adhesive (I get can pharmaceutical grade stuff from work). Adding a little water to the powder yields a completely flavorless and non-toxic (cellulose is what's in plants anyways) glue to just wrap up the cracks. I haven't used it to store a smoke for a long time, but it has done a great job for patching up a crack for later in the week. You can get methylcellulose glue from some art stores, but I'm not sure how "clean" it is (I've used it with no complaints). It doesn't have any flavor (from my experiences), and it does a much better patch job than saliva.

Hawk55

Do you have to use fifty/fifty solution? Can you use fifty/fifty solution after using distilled water on the foam pads? Will i run into problems only using distilled water? HELP!!!

j0z3r

Lasabar

j0z3r

lol. I kinda did the same thing, but as I was reading I started thinking "it seems like I've read this post before".

Hays

j0z3r

Hays

Hays