Cigar Questions from a relative new guy

[firespec35]

Hey yall,
I just started smoking cigars in March and have been enjoying exploring. I have been bitten by the devil site but kept it relatively in check (about $25/wk) but I got a few questions
I had a gran habano vintage 2002 and it was horrible. It really tasted like wet oak and no other flavors really came through. My wife tolerates my cigars but said that one smelled the second worst (first was a spectre). I was using a water pillow in my 10 ct cigar caddy and have a hygrometer in it. It was right at 71% at the time. It didnt seem overly wet. Since then Ive shyed away from all gran habanos
Is this just a gran habano thing or a vintage 2002 thing or did I do something wrong
Second I got a 5er of the Room 101 big payback and have now smoked 3. This is the only cigar I have burn issues with. No matter if I rotate it, smoke fast, smoke slow, whatever I do one side continually goes wonky. I now use boveda 69% in my cigar caddy and everything has been good according to the hygrometer.
Is this a problem with this cigar?
Ive smoked a couple dozen others Ive stored in there with no issues. I seem to like ones across the spectrum but seem to be falling back on CLE and MOW when I think about my favorites.
comments and suggestions welcome.

 

[King Kill 33]

One suggestion would be not to ever use water pillows for reliable humidification. You are in the right track with the Boveda. The water pillow could have given you a higher humidity.

 

[Dick Leighton]

I've had several of the Gran Habano Vintage 2002 and think it's a relatively decent smoke for the price. But that doesn't mean there aren't a few bad apples.
From what I've learned so far, consistency is part of what you pay for with smokes.

 

[Lezanstar]

One suggestion would be not to ever use water pillows for reliable humidification. You are in the right track with the Boveda. The water pillow could have given you a higher humidity.

Solid advice. Also, I'm not sure how long you let your cigars rest when you receive them, but you should remove the cello from the cigars your going to smoke in the next week or so and give them a few days with the boveda. They typically are stored in higher humidity by the warehouse and could use a few days or more to come down. This could be the culprit of the soggy flavors and wonky burns. Though you will have inconstancies with any hand made product. Hope this helps.

 

[JGIORD]

I think your cigars are over humidified. If possible see if you can bring down the humidity to around 65% or leave your cigar out for a couple of hours before smoking it and see if that helps.

 

[atllogix]

Let them rest for a few weeks or longer if possible at a consistent rh between 63-67. And that what you have them in can breathe, air needs to be allowed to transfer. Dry boxing (setting out the cigar )doesn't always help, overhumidified sticks are going to be just that all the way down to the core filler. So it will take time to evenly bring the water content of all leaves down.

 

[atbat82]

Good advice above. It can be tough if you don't keep a lot of cigars on hand, but I like to let mine sit in my humidor for at least 2-3 weeks before I smoke them (after they arrive). I find they smoke much better at 65% than at 70%.

Someone once told me about the 1% rule: give cigars approximately 1 week of rest per 1% humidity change desired. So if the cigars are shipped at 72% and you keep your humidor at 65%, it'll take about 7 weeks for the cigar to come down to 65%. Obviously this is just an approximation. Thicker cigars take longer than thinner cigars. Temperature plays a role, etc.

That said, dry boxing will help dry the wrapper which can have a big difference.

Good luck!

 

[ChiefIlliniwek]

Good advice all around. A lot of my problems went away when I moved to 65%. And again, getting enough of a stash so you can rest your cigars for a couple of months or more makes a big difference.

 

[sdbassman]

The room 101 big payback never burned well for me either. Notice how it feels light in the hand relative to its size?

Imo they are packed too lightly which can create burn issues.

 

[ZippoGeek]

Room 101 big payback and have now smoked 3. This is the only cigar I have burn issues with. No matter if I rotate it, smoke fast, smoke slow, whatever I do one side continually goes wonky.

You're not alone; I've smoked several as well and have had terrible burn issues. IMO, it's just not a very good stick.

One thing I've gotten away from is the larger ring gauges. In general, they just don't taste as flavorful and have always given me fits with burn consistency.

65% is the average "ideal" humidity for most BOTLs. Higher humidity (69-70%) is good for a cigar store or online warehouse, because the wrappers are less brittle and therefore less likely to suffer from cracking. But for *burn* purposes, sticks at 65% are much happier!

My $.02, "YMMV!"

 

[joe45]

Sounds like you need some cigars in there that are already between 65-69%. Send me you address and we'll get that fixed.

I didn't see an into for you either. Make sure you put one up when you get a chance.