[Hoakin81]

Trying to find out what is wrong guys since the hobby has been hit & miss so far for me...

Some context for everything else to make else:

• I am very new to cigar smoking with so far only 4 cigars smoked.
• All cigars were (and are still) kept in a controlled environment after purchase. That means airtight Tupperdors running on 69% (initially) and now 65% Bovedas, monitored with calibrated hygrometers and kept away from light in a relatively cool place with about 68-71 deg.F temperature.

Now, my experience so far in more detail and in the specific order smoked:

1. Casa De Torres Corona. Smoked within the first month of purchase. A mild option which i really enjoyed. No problems with light and burn (only 2 touchups), good duration, could taste flavors, no problem with nausea or buzz.
2. La Galera Chaveta Robusto. Smoked after the first month of purchase. A medium option which i hated. Many problems with light and burn (many touchups, 3-4 burnouts), did not finish it, could taste almost no flavor, big problems with nausea and buzz.
3. Tabacos De Honduras Robusto. Smoked after the first month of purchase. Went back to a mild option (in case that was the problem). No problems with light and burn, did not finish it, absolutely NO flavor, no problem with nausea and buzz.
4. Casa Turrent Serie 1942 - 1900 Robusto. Smoked close to two months after purchase. Again a mild option. Some problems with light and burn (2 touchups, 3 burnouts), finished it, again absolutely NO flavor, no problem with nausea and buzz.

So what can be wrong guys?? The nausea part can be attributed to the medium strength but everything else makes no sense. Why do i get NO flavor, especially from No.3 and 4?
All cigars have been bought from respectable and well known sellers, all have been kept under the same conditions.

• Am i a strictly Corona guy and I do not agree with any other formats? I really hope not since all my 20+ remaining sticks are either Robustos, Toros and Churchills..
• Are brands No.2, 3, 4 of "lower" quality? Even so, I cannot believe these guys roll sticks without planning them to have some flavor.
• Do I smoke them too soon after purchase? If so, why the Casa De Torres was so nice after smoking it before even the first month was due?
• Could they be too dry? How could that be? I kept them as described and also did the foot pinch-test I saw and they seemed to be good enough.
• Is it an air circulation thing? The tupperdor is somewhat tightly packed but I do open it to let fresh air in and I have twice the number of recommended Bovedas inside (2 packs of 60gr instead of 1 for 25 cigars).
• Is it a oil-shine-wrapper thing? I have to admit they did not seem very shiny to me but I have minimal experience to judge and my understanding is that not all wrappers are that oily to begin with.

And by no flavor I mean NO flavor, like smoking nothing..really disappointing....

Help me out guys because right now I am really not looking forward to my next try..

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mich_smoker]

Hi @Hoakin81

You should go over to the newbie thread thread and introduce yourself.

As far as your issue, to me it sounds like your sticks might be too moist still (re-lights, going out). Even though you're @65RH your stash can take quite a while to come to equilibrium with the boveda. How moist they were to start can also be a large factor, vendors tend to keep cigars much higher than 65. it doesn't sound like you have anything but cigars in your your setup and fresh boveda have a hard time absorbing moisture so the exchange may take quite some time. Hight RH will tend to mute flavors and cause it to burn hotter.

You can help counter the effects of nicotine by not smoking on an empty stomach and keeping something sugary on hand. My preference is a good root beer.

Good luck and stick around!

 

[Fusion]

Just to add to @Mich_smoker reply, im 100% sure your problems are over humidification, for a cigar to need a re-light when your smoking it its way way too wet.
Where in the world are you? are you in a high humidity area? Whats the humidity in your house? If your house humidity is less than 65% take your cigars out of the container and leave them out in the air for a few weeks then try one.
As to "am i only a corona guy" no
Are your sticks lower quality, could be, iv never tried any of them but smoking a wet cigar wont help at all
Do you smoke them too soon after purchase, if they are as wet as they seem to be, yes
are they too dry, dont sound like they are
is it an air circulation thing, dont sound like thats the problem
Is it an oil shine wrapper thing, i dont think so

Hope these answers help

 

[Rondo]

No offense, but those don’t sound like great cigars to begin with. Go check out the “What did you smoke today” Non-habanos thread. Smoke what we smoke, get your storage situation sorted, and your worries will be over, spending thousands of dollars with us.

 

[Mavric]

I store mine at 69% humidity and 68-71 Deg. I found most cigars are better with atleast 2 months of rest. As it helps the humidity stabilize and gives them some time to rest. Most cigars are over humidified when you by them. That being said I have smoked some cigars as soon as got them and they were just fine. As far as nausea and nicotine goes, smoking slower and keep a sugary drink close by. For the taste problems I have notice that can be from cigars the were ship by airplane and need prolonged rest, over humidified or under humidified.

 

[Bird-Dog]

No offense, but those don’t sound like great cigars to begin with. Go check out the “What did you smoke today” Non-habanos thread. Smoke what we smoke, get your storage situation sorted, and your worries will be over, spending thousands of dollars with us.

Yeah, I'm not familiar with any of those. Only two of the four are even available in the USA, and neither of those are very popular here (La Galera & Casa Turrent, both $7.00-ish cigars). With the US being such an important primary market for non-Cubans for so long, it might be best to see what's popular here that's also available in Europe now that NC's are making more inroads there..

 

[Hoakin81]

Thanks a lot guys, really appreciate the feedback.

So, i guess the general consensus is that I have a over-humidification problem. Did not expect that, quite the contrary to be honest.

Happy to wait the time necessary to let them achieve a balance which I assume will be when I see the RH drop closer to 65% that the Bovedas run. Also no problem to try the "let out in the air method " as well but aren't the suggested "few weeks" a bit much? I thought cigars would completely dry-out in a matter of few days out of a Humidor...

Yes, I know my stash is not that high-profile and the 4 choices so far were not the best. However, what do you think of the remaining choices?

 

[TheDutchest]

Thanks a lot guys, really appreciate the feedback.

So, i guess the general consensus is that I have a over-humidification problem. Did not expect that, quite the contrary to be honest.

Happy to wait the time necessary to let them achieve a balance which I assume will be when I see the RH drop closer to 65% that the Bovedas run. Also no problem to try the "let out in the air method " as well but aren't the suggested "few weeks" a bit much? I thought cigars would completely dry-out in a matter of few days out of a Humidor...

Yes, I know my stash is not that high-profile and the 4 choices so far were not the best. However, what do you think of the remaining choices?

View attachment 321999

The Olivia's I tried, they are nice but don't produce a whole lot of smoke or flavour the first third, in my limited experience with them, though there is a chocolaty note to them. Some cigares need to develop their flavours and become better in the second third. Thats something that could be why you tink you taste nothing. Your pallette also isn't really refined after 4 cigars to start tasting a whole lot of notes. I'm about 50 premiums in and I can just make out a creamy, citrussy or chocolaty flavour. Before that it all tasted like hot smoke and pepper 😂

I see you are in Germany, i think our climate is a bit different to the American climate aswell, I use a 72% Boveda pack and after one week it shows 60% on my hygrometer.

If you can find it, the San pedro de macoris ecuador or Brazilian are very budget friendly longfillers that are mild and sweet. They are good for developing your smoking habits and pallette without breaking the bank.

I hope some of this helps, don't give up, it's the search for something you like that's part of the beauty of this hobby. Don't set your expectations to high and you won't be that disappointed. And remember: "relax" if it feels and taste right for you, it is the right cigar.

 

[OneStrangeOne]

Thanks a lot guys, really appreciate the feedback.

So, i guess the general consensus is that I have a over-humidification problem. Did not expect that, quite the contrary to be honest.

Happy to wait the time necessary to let them achieve a balance which I assume will be when I see the RH drop closer to 65% that the Bovedas run. Also no problem to try the "let out in the air method " as well but aren't the suggested "few weeks" a bit much? I thought cigars would completely dry-out in a matter of few days out of a Humidor...

Yes, I know my stash is not that high-profile and the 4 choices so far were not the best. However, what do you think of the remaining choices?

View attachment 321999

It’s a lot harder to remove excess humidity than it is to add more. I’m going to assume that your Boevda are new so they are going to be very slow to remove the extra humidity.
My suggestion would be to take the Boveda out, put em in a ziplock bag or some sort of air tight container for now. Also assuming that the humidity in your house is lower than your tupperdor? Leave the lid off for 30 minutes to an hour close it up and see what the hygrometer reads the next day. Repeat every 24 hours until it gets to within a point or two of what you want, then add your Boveda’s.
if the house humidity is high then you will need to use some sort of desiccant silicate.
A good rule of thumb for lowering the rh is to allow one week per percentage point that you are trying to drop plus an extra week or two to stabilize.

 

[jzoub]

As was mentioned before, you seem to have a humidification problem with your cigars. One thing a cigar seller does not want to deal with is cracked or dry cigars, so they usually over humidify them. One way I combat this is I like to put newly purchased cigars into their own tupperdor for a week or so with a hygrometer to see what their RH is reading. After the reading is pretty steady, I introduce or remove humidity based on the cigar's current RH I get until I get the RH where I want it. The cigars that survive me not smoking them get introduced to my collection.