| View Cart | [0 Items | $0.00] |
It's happened to everyone who smokes premium cigars - the bad burn. Whether it's the cigar going out on you too fast, canoeing, or the wrapper coming undone, a bad burn is one of the most frustrating things that can happen. Since a bad burning cigar requires so much extra work, maybe a better word would be "irritating." Often times, you've spent so much time getting the cigar to straighten out, you don't even remember how the darn thing tasted.
There are several factors that contribute to a bad burning cigar. Some of these I've touched on in past articles. For example, it could be the wrapper was too delicate, too thick and oily, or just an inferior quality or poorly cured leaf. Other factors can be a wrapper leaf that's too dry, which tends to cause the leaf to unravel. It could also be due to poor rolling. Either the bunch wasn't rolled carefully enough, or during the bunching process some of the binder, which aids in the burning of a cigar, got tucked into the filler. The result is a canoeing cigar, because there's nothing in those spots to help the wrapper along.
One cause that I recently discovered by experience is a wrapper that is not rolled flush to the binder. In other words, the cigar may have looked fine when it was packed in the factory, but somehow the wrapper relaxed enough to form a thin gap between the seams.
Photo A shows a cigar that I smoked a few weeks ago. It was fine until it began to burn crooked. I believe the cigar had a Maduro wrapper, which tend to be thicker than most other wrappers. Sure, I touched it up with my lighter, but that didn't help. It's interesting, too, how I don't remember what cigar it was.
The next time I tapped off the ash I saw the problem. If you look at the photo in close-up, you can see how the wrapper is not touching the binder. Even some of the binder isn't touching the filler. And behind the ash you can see that part of the wrapper is lifted up.
What happens is, as you continue to smoke the cigar, smoke leaks out under the gap, causing an uneven burn. Notice also that when you touch-up the cigar, you'll see the smoke seeping out of the gap as you apply the fire. 
Eventually, this can even lead to the wrapper coming unraveled and/or breaking up into pieces until you have nothing but a big leafy mess (see photo B).
The big question is, why did the wrapper do this? It could be any one of the above reasons, or it could be the heat of puffing on your cigar caused it to loosen up; not unlike when you draw too hard and too often, the cigar may swell-up and the wrapper will crack. All I know is that if a cigar is destined to burn poorly, it will.
The best advice I can give you is to carefully inspect the wrappers on your cigars when you buy them. Then, let them settle in your humidor long enough to acquire the proper amount of moisture. The next time you find your cigar radically canoeing, take a look at the foot. If it looks like my photo, you may just want to chuck it.
|
I recently received the following email from Cliff, one of our CigarAdvisor.com readers who writes to me pretty often, usually with a question or a comment about cigars. He had seen the newsletters in which we offered "blind" samplers.
The first blind sampler had 4 cigars, all the same cigar, without their bands. You had to guess the blender. The second blind sampler had 5 different cigars, all top-flight luxury cigars, except you didn't know what you were buying until you opened the package and saw the bands, which were left out of the photo. For some reason this compelled him to write to me about bundle cigars, so here goes...
I would like to put in my 2-cents on bundled cigars. This is based solely on my personal experience, not visuals or personal recommendations. Almost all of the bundle cigars I've smoked were perfectly rolled (as far as I could tell) and smoked as most any other good cigar would with relation to taste and burn. Some were 'generic', some were marked as Rocky Patel Seconds, etc.
Now here's the part where most experts won't agree with me: They were good sticks, but just not quite the same or up to par with the name brands. Perhaps a bit of it is psychological, perhaps not, but I'm old fashioned when it comes to price, quality and comparisons. If it's supposed to be "as good as," or "similar to" the name-brand sticks, it would be a name-brand stick. For the most part, an $8 cigar is priced at $8. In other words, if they could take a bundled stick and put a band on it and get more money for it, they would. Or, to put it another way, it's kind'a like saying the Android is just as good as the iPhone, yet, when you compare one thing to the given standard, it seldom measures up. I do enjoy bundled cigars though, especially the Famous Nicaraguan 3000's.
Thanks, Cliff
Actually, I agree with Cliff that many un-banded bundles which are seconds of name-brand cigars don't hold up to the latter. One reason is, the wrappers, though the same leaf as the banded version, are usually lower quality, which is why they are not sold as "firsts." But the general character, strength and flavor, of the cigar should be pretty much in the ballpark. That's what makes bundles such great values. I also agree that there is a negative psychological aspect to buying un-banded cigars. Isn't it amazing how that little roll of paper can make all the difference? That said, there are plenty of bundles, good and bad, that are banded.
Where Cliff and I part company is when he says, "For the most part, an $8 cigar is priced at $8." If you're an experienced cigar smoker, chances are you've purchased some $8 cigars that weren't worth the price of the cello they came in. If the copy says the seconds are made in the same factory as say, Arturo Fuente cigars, you would expect the cigars to be decent at the very least. However, this is not always the case. Think of the movie ads where they say, "From the producers who brought you The Hangover, comes Blah Blah Blah." Sure, the studio may have a great reputation for one or two previous box-office smashes, but the latest film may be a total stinker. However, there are some bundles that are the exact same cigar as the label version. These are usually closeouts, orphans, or overruns.
When it comes to buying bundle cigars, think of them this way: Just as you would search for good "name brand" cigars, you have to scrutinize the bundle and value-priced brands just as carefully. The Nic 3K Cliff likes so much is a great example of a "hot" bundle brand. Suffice it to say, never judge a book by its cover, nor a cigar by its price.
Here's a recent thank you care package we received from the Tali-Banned Cigar Club, operating out of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. In it was the club's challenge coin, a flag flown Christmas Day on our behalf and more. We are so proud and so humbled to have received it.
The recurring theme in all of these thank you letters seems to be that our servicemen and women enjoy cigars as a little piece of home. We're only too glad to have provided these brave men and women some small measure of comfort.
Below is the full text of the letter.
Thank you very much for your donation of cigars to those of us here at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
Our little group gathers outside one a week, rain, clear, or cold. We've seen attendance close to 100 in recent weeks despite the temperatures dipping below freezing. We gather around a couple of burn barrels to relax with all ranks and branches of the service, as well as many Jordanians, Egyptians, Poles, and civilians Your cigars went to newcomers who may not have brought a cigar their first time, as well as to supply cigars to troops at several of the FOBs supported by Bagram.
I am relatively new to the world of cigars, but my weekly cigar with the club has been the one truly enjoyable event of my tour; I return home in just a couple of weeks. Thank you very much for contributing to our little piece of home we've enjoyed while here.
I have included a disc with photos of our weekly "Tali-Banned Cigar Club" meeting, our club coin, as well as a flag flown on Christmas Day on a mission across Afghanistan on your behalf as a token of our appreciation. Your company was named and received applause for your support last week. I am not alone in my gratitude. On behalf of our club, I thank you for your support.
TSgt Benjamin Green
92 Security Forces Squadron
Fairchild AFB
Challenge Coin
Video
Pictures
Please send an email to CigarsForTroops@famous-smoke.com if you are looking to donate cigars, or if you are in the armed forces looking to receive cigars.
Have you ever noticed how many things are seasonal? Fruits and veggies, sports, ice fishing - even beers are seasonal. You might opt for an IPA or a refreshing pale ale during the summer, and a Porter or Stout during the winter. Could the same be said for premium cigars? Why not?
Using the beer example above, bolder cigars would be smoked during the late fall and winter months, while lighter-bodied cigars would be smoked during the late spring and summer. As always, it's a matter of personal preference. So what cigars are best for smoking during different times of the year? To tell the truth, I've never thought about it all that much; I just smoke whatever I feel like regardless of the season. Moreover, I would guess most cigar smokers have a similar routine. Then again, there are cigar smokers who like to change things up every now and then; if not seasonally, then perhaps for a couple of weeks to a month. I tend to move back and forth from full-bodied to milder cigars. Yet, this is something I do year-round, so it's not "seasonal" in my case.
For the sake of argument, let's say that most cigar smokers do smoke milder cigars in the Spring/Summer months and robust cigars in the Fall/Winter months. Here's the logic: again, going back to the seasonal beer example, during the summer, you tend to smoke more cigars. Therefore, one might prefer to smoke more mild cigars than full-bodied smokes, whereas during the winter months, one might prefer a stronger cigar. Why? It all comes down to the amount of nicotine one can handle, or for that matter, prefer. Generally speaking, smoking one or two full-bodied cigars in a sitting during the winter, would be equivalent to smoking four to five mild-to-medium-bodied cigars in the summer.
Then what about those who live in states like Florida, Arizona, or southern California? It would be unfair to assume that cigar smokers in those parts of the country are smoking mild and medium-bodied cigars year-round, because it's not true. I think this "seasonal cigar" theory may apply more to occasional cigar smokers like those who smoke a few cigars a week. True-blue cigar smokers smoke cigars of every strength, and I think it's fair to assume in their case, that they smoke whatever they like depending on their mood. After all, you're always going to have cigar smokers who prefer mild and medium-bodied cigars year-round, while the same can be said for those who prefer the hard-core, headier cigars, regardless of their locale.
If you think there is any validity to this theory (or not), or this is something that you practice, please be sure to leave a comment. In the meantime, I think I'll do a survey about this on CigarAdvisor.com and find out what the real deal is.
Welcome
The official Famous Smoke Shop blog will focus on news about Famous, cigars, and the industry at large. You'll also find musings on cigar culture, tips, how-to's, and loads more.
keep updated
Get the latest and the greatest news from our Cigar Blog delivered to your inbox:
RSS Feed
Loading...