So I recently started smoking cigars, and have found that im getting alot of ashy taste in my cigars. I have slowed down my draw, as well as how often I take a draw.. I have also taken more care at lighting and toasting. My cigars are kept at 68*F/65rh per heartfelt beads. Ive used regular lighters and butane... not sure what Im doing wrong here
I'm doing it wrong
- Thread starter ItalianCustom
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Thecatch83
I smoke Opus like candy!
Are you sure it's "ash" that you taste? How exactly do you know what "ash" tastes like? Not trying to be a dbag, but maybe you're picking up other flavors like barn, pepper, earth, catchers glove etc. that are common in cigars. Just a thought........keep on smoking brother!
Ohhh what have i smoked.... NUB, Opus X, , Ave Maria, Cao, Ashton, Perdomo, Bolivar PC, etx..... Not really sure of the sizes
Yeah It could be my undeveloped palette..... I have noticed its not as strong in some as others... I didnt even think of it being a flavor
also Ive cleaned out enough woodburners to know what ash tastes like...lol
Yeah It could be my undeveloped palette..... I have noticed its not as strong in some as others... I didnt even think of it being a flavor
also Ive cleaned out enough woodburners to know what ash tastes like...lol
JNT
The Bull
You're not alone. I found I was getting it as well for awhile, and only with non-cubans. Usually in the last half. I find they burn hotter and faster. Perhaps that is why people recommend keeping them at %70 RH. I really slow down my draw, and I don't see it anymore.
I want to go back and smoke some sticks that this happened and try them again.
I find with cubans they go bitter if I go to hard on it.
edit: I forgot to mention a solution I've found when it does happen to me now. Clip off a sliver of the cap. May open it up a little more, so you have to adjust your draw, but its better then tasting ash.
I want to go back and smoke some sticks that this happened and try them again.
I find with cubans they go bitter if I go to hard on it.
edit: I forgot to mention a solution I've found when it does happen to me now. Clip off a sliver of the cap. May open it up a little more, so you have to adjust your draw, but its better then tasting ash.
some more than others, the boli not so much.
Negative, I have a vinodor which I have washed multiple times with distilled water as to not get a plastic taste.
this is usually from start to finish
instead of cutting the cap off only cut a little bit of it? I wonder if moving up to 70% RH Would solve this problem.. I have slown down on the draw and the majority of it has gone away but it is still there. Its good to see that im not alone.
if 70 would fix my problem Im afraid I would be getting rid of my 65% beads..lol
There's a good chance what you're tasting is really ammonia... happens frequently when you have some fresh sticks in the humidor.
Not much you can do besides air it out for a while... Or circulate the air inside the humi if it's large enough, through the use of some fans.
Good luck with it... nothing worse than looking forward to a smoke and not getting the flavors that you should be getting...
-Fauzi
Not much you can do besides air it out for a while... Or circulate the air inside the humi if it's large enough, through the use of some fans.
Good luck with it... nothing worse than looking forward to a smoke and not getting the flavors that you should be getting...
-Fauzi
I will try to air out my vinodor more often and see if this helps... then fan kicks almost regularly since i have the temp set at 68 and the room is usually around 74.... How long do they have to age until this goes away?? Should I put some stickgs in my desktop humi if I plan on smoking them sooner rather than later?
JNT
The Bull
For me, I know it was not ammonia. I've had that. Not even close to the same taste.
I had to cut a good 1/4 inch one time, and it sucked to have such a loose draw, but its better then tossing away half a stick you paid $15 dollars for.
I mean cut a sliver more off the cap, once you start to get the taste. If your getting it right off the hop then maybe its something with your sticks. In my case I would get it usually somewhere around the half way point. I take my cutters, and clip off another sliver of the cap. I would say 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch. Problem solved, and I continue smoking.
I had to cut a good 1/4 inch one time, and it sucked to have such a loose draw, but its better then tossing away half a stick you paid $15 dollars for.
JNT
The Bull
Unless your storing half burnt sticks in your humidor, I dont see how airing it out will have anything to do with it, other then destroy your established humidity. There is a distinct taste difference between ash, and ammonia. No mistaking the two.
have you been sick lately? maybe a sinus infection?
have you tried going to a reputable b&m to buy a stick to see if maybe it's your humi?
other than what other people have said, i cant think of anything else. good luck, bro.
have you tried going to a reputable b&m to buy a stick to see if maybe it's your humi?
other than what other people have said, i cant think of anything else. good luck, bro.
Have you tried smoking cigars from different sources? Like say, smoke one straight from a B&M and see if you get the ashy taste? Or get one from a friend and see how it tastes? You say it happens with some more than others, but has every cigar you've smoked had that ashy taste?
If they all taste the same, no matter where they come from it might be you. Sorry dude.
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Take solace in this thought; you may be relying too heavily on the drawn smoke for your cigar enjoyment.
My philosophy is that the smoker draws the smoke through the cigar for 3 reasons and the subordinate of the three is to taste that smoke, as it resides inside the mouth or is expelled through a combination of the mouth and/or nose. The two better reasons for taking a puff are 1.) to keep the cigar burning, through no more than 2 draws per 90 seconds and most importantly 2.) charging the internal components of the cigar with smoke, to allow the combination of extruded resins from burnt and static tobaccos from filler and binder mixing to leech out through the wrapper, for your ultimate olfactory enjoyment.
To me, the best part is exploring the variety of fragrances of the charged/recharged cigar along the length of the body, around the shoulder and through the cut. Unless your nose gets too close to the tip, there is no way to smell ash while adoring your cigar in that manner. Remember, the drawn smoke from a cigar is its fiercest, not its finest part; and merely a mechical means to find the real enjoyment.
My philosophy is that the smoker draws the smoke through the cigar for 3 reasons and the subordinate of the three is to taste that smoke, as it resides inside the mouth or is expelled through a combination of the mouth and/or nose. The two better reasons for taking a puff are 1.) to keep the cigar burning, through no more than 2 draws per 90 seconds and most importantly 2.) charging the internal components of the cigar with smoke, to allow the combination of extruded resins from burnt and static tobaccos from filler and binder mixing to leech out through the wrapper, for your ultimate olfactory enjoyment.
To me, the best part is exploring the variety of fragrances of the charged/recharged cigar along the length of the body, around the shoulder and through the cut. Unless your nose gets too close to the tip, there is no way to smell ash while adoring your cigar in that manner. Remember, the drawn smoke from a cigar is its fiercest, not its finest part; and merely a mechical means to find the real enjoyment.
JNT
The Bull
How long have you had your Heartfelt beads? Here is a theory I will throw out there, which I believe was a contributing factor for me getting the ash taste.
If you only recently got your beads, your humidor may be at 65%, but your cigars may still be at a much lower RH. It could take months for them to absorb the moisture, and be at the equal RH of your humidor.
My thinking of why this happens, and was happening to me, is this combination...
- my newb draw, of sucking a golf ball through a garden hose.
- a dry cigar, which would burn hotter.
-dry tobacco that would create more space in the filler, as the tobacco on the interior has shrunk. It would then allow ash to pass through to the head, especially with larger ring gauges.
-the wrapper being the first part of a cigar to begin to absorb moisture, causing it to expand, creating more space for ash to move freely from front to back.
Explains why cutting more of the cap off helps, as the cap gets damp from touching your mouth, and collects ash.
Just my theory, and I don't have it happen to me anymore. My cigars sat a while without being at proper humidity, until I bought a proper hygrometer, and humidification device. They have been at proper RH for months now, and I don't get the ash taste.
If you only recently got your beads, your humidor may be at 65%, but your cigars may still be at a much lower RH. It could take months for them to absorb the moisture, and be at the equal RH of your humidor.
My thinking of why this happens, and was happening to me, is this combination...
- my newb draw, of sucking a golf ball through a garden hose.
- a dry cigar, which would burn hotter.
-dry tobacco that would create more space in the filler, as the tobacco on the interior has shrunk. It would then allow ash to pass through to the head, especially with larger ring gauges.
-the wrapper being the first part of a cigar to begin to absorb moisture, causing it to expand, creating more space for ash to move freely from front to back.
Explains why cutting more of the cap off helps, as the cap gets damp from touching your mouth, and collects ash.
Just my theory, and I don't have it happen to me anymore. My cigars sat a while without being at proper humidity, until I bought a proper hygrometer, and humidification device. They have been at proper RH for months now, and I don't get the ash taste.
