A few questions and a statement

[the camaro show]

Alright brothers so I have a few questions and a statement to make.

First the statement, so brothers I joined here because I wanted to learn as much as I could and be with other smokers who I could learn from. I feel I have learned so much already and met a lot of great guys. So I wanted to just say I really appreciate you guys and everything you guys have taught me so far and when I say what s this like or whats a good cigar please do not take it as I’m just bumming sticks because I do buy my own sticks and want to have a great journey.

Now the questions
So what’s the best way to fix a cigar that has a tight draw as I have had a few cigars like this.

How does resting a cigar change the flavor?

How long should you rest and age a cigar?

Like I said I want to learn from you

Post edited to remove dig at Glassman. Same rules appy to you Camaro, as they do yo Glassman and anyone else. End it.

 

[WatchmanUSA]

Now the questions
So what’s the best way to fix a cigar that has a tight draw as I have had a few cigars like this.

How does resting a cigar change the flavor?

How long should you rest and age a cigar?

Draw problems: Use the Google and search for PerfecDraw

I’m not sure of your definition of ‘resting.’ Resting is typically waiting a few days/weeks after buy a cigar before you smoke it. It’s done to let get new cigars acclimated to temperature and humidity after it has been purchased, shipped and moved around. Then there is the topic of aging. The subject is too large to get answers from a forum. Remember, the Google is your friend. Resting and aging are popular subjects. I bet in a few seconds at the keyboard you can find dozens of long and short articles and videos on resting and aging. Once you do some homework, you can ask more specific questions and get all kinds of opinions.

 

[VeLoRoK]

All of this has been discussed a bazillion times here before. Use the search. I know that when I'm new in a hobby, I don't want to always just read the old stuff, but have conversations with people about it, too. If that's the case, use the search, find your topic, and reply to a post to bring it back up and people will jump in and discuss with you.

 

[unfairtoast]

I love you @Glassman


Like I said I want to learn from you guys

Now the questions
So what’s the best way to fix a cigar that has a tight draw as I have had a few cigars like this.

I use a sharpened wire hanger

How does resting a cigar change the flavor?

https://www.famous-smoke.com/cigaradvisor/resting-premium-cigars

 

[the camaro show]

Thanks guys

 

[habano-j]

PerfecDraw. It's pricey for what it is but it actually works.
I don't think you'll find a solid answer one way or another about "resting" cigars here or anywhere on the interwebz, unless referring to CC's.
I personally only "rest" NC's long enough to get them to my preferred humidity (or because I just don't have time to smoke them fast enough). That's just my $0.02.
I watched a YouTube video last week where a guy bought 3 identical cigars from his B&M, smoked one that day, put one on a table out in the open in his garage for 2 weeks, and the 3rd in his humidor for a month. It was kind of a funny outcome if it wasn't staged....but who knows

 

[csk415]

PerfecDraw. It's pricey for what it is but it actually works.
I don't think you'll find a solid answer one way or another about "resting" cigars here or anywhere on the interwebz, unless referring to CC's.
I personally only "rest" NC's long enough to get them to my preferred humidity (or because I just don't have time to smoke them fast enough). That's just my $0.02.
I watched a YouTube video last week where a guy bought 3 identical cigars from his B&M, smoked one that day, put one on a table out in the open in his garage for 2 weeks, and the 3rd in his humidor for a month. It was kind of a funny outcome if it wasn't staged....but who knows

Wheres the link to that vid?

Plugged smoke, get you a pefect draw. Or make one out of a big straightened fish hook with a huge barb. As far as rest see answers above.

 

[the camaro show]

PerfecDraw. It's pricey for what it is but it actually works.
I don't think you'll find a solid answer one way or another about "resting" cigars here or anywhere on the interwebz, unless referring to CC's.
I personally only "rest" NC's long enough to get them to my preferred humidity (or because I just don't have time to smoke them fast enough). That's just my $0.02.
I watched a YouTube video last week where a guy bought 3 identical cigars from his B&M, smoked one that day, put one on a table out in the open in his garage for 2 weeks, and the 3rd in his humidor for a month. It was kind of a funny outcome if it wasn't staged....but who knows

Great answer

 

[habano-j]

Wheres the link to that vid?

Plugged smoke, get you a pefect draw. Or make one out of a big straightened fish hook with a huge barb. As far as rest see answers above.

Again, whether it was staged or not, who knows. If it wasn't, I find it a genuinely interesting experiment/outcome.

 

[Old Smokey]

IMO the purpose of letting cigars acclimate is to allow the tobacco to reach your preferred RH. Wrapper, binder and filler all the same Rh, whatever you deem best. Personally 63-65% seems to be the sweet spot.

As far as the perception you are here trying to get free cigars, ALL cigar forums have seen this multiple times and has left many leary and on guard. I am not going to look back and find a post of yours that made me leary, but I did get that impression. I hope my perception is wrong, but time will reveal your motives. You seem like a good kid, so just relax, read, research and if you can't find your answer, ask. Once you have proven yourself with good intentions Cigars MAY magically appear or they may not. It's all about building friendships and contributing to the brotherhood, not free cigars.

As far as plugged cigars, it happens. But in my experience a lower RH will sometimes make a difference. The tool mentioned above has good reviews by those who have used them.

 

[Mossome]

How does resting a cigar change the flavor?

How long should you rest and age a cigar?

When cigars are rolled, the tobacco is moistened to make it pliable. This moisture starts a “second fermentation”. A byproduct of this fermentation is ammonia. Ammonia is an unpleasant flavor in a cigar. To me it tastes like sucking on a penny. So, people will usually “rest” a cigar until the ammonia dissipates. How long does that take? Depends. Most NC manufacturers do the “resting” for you and ship them when they think they’re ready, but sometimes you’ll find they can use some more time. Check them every month or so until you think they are good. When you hear someone describe a cigar as harsh, often the cigar is still too young.
Aging, on the other hand, is something else entirely. How long you should age a cigar depends on what you want to get out of it. Bold flavors like pepper, earthiness, and coffee tend to mellow out and fade with age allowing more subtle flavors like fruits, nuts, and floral notes to be more prominent. If you like the more subtler flavors, you will see benefits in aging them. If you like your cigars full bodied and peppery, aging will work against what you’re looking for. Guys who like full bodied cigars like that will find that with some age these cigars taste bland to them, and refer to them as “aged out”.
Generally, aging is on the timeline of years, while resting occurs over months.

 

[the camaro show]

When cigars are rolled, the tobacco is moistened to make it pliable. This moisture starts a “second fermentation”. A byproduct of this fermentation is ammonia. Ammonia is an unpleasant flavor in a cigar. To me it tastes like sucking on a penny. So, people will usually “rest” a cigar until the ammonia dissipates. How long does that take? Depends. Most NC manufacturers do the “resting” for you and ship them when they think they’re ready, but sometimes you’ll find they can use some more time. Check them every month or so until you think they are good. When you hear someone describe a cigar as harsh, often the cigar is still too young.
Aging, on the other hand, is something else entirely. How long you should age a cigar depends on what you want to get out of it. Bold flavors like pepper, earthiness, and coffee tend to mellow out and fade with age allowing more subtle flavors like fruits, nuts, and floral notes to be more prominent. If you like the more subtler flavors, you will see benefits in aging them. If you like your cigars full bodied and peppery, aging will work against what you’re looking for. Guys who like full bodied cigars like that will find that with some age these cigars taste bland to them, and refer to them as “aged out”.
Generally, aging is on the timeline of years, while resting occurs over months.

Thank you that was very helpful and gave me the information I was looking for.

 

[Mossome]

Thank you that was very helpful and gave me the information I was looking for.

No problem. That’s what this forum is for.


Supposedly.

 

[ApeSmokes]

When cigars are rolled, the tobacco is moistened to make it pliable. This moisture starts a “second fermentation”. A byproduct of this fermentation is ammonia. Ammonia is an unpleasant flavor in a cigar. To me it tastes like sucking on a penny. So, people will usually “rest” a cigar until the ammonia dissipates. How long does that take? Depends. Most NC manufacturers do the “resting” for you and ship them when they think they’re ready, but sometimes you’ll find they can use some more time. Check them every month or so until you think they are good. When you hear someone describe a cigar as harsh, often the cigar is still too young.
Aging, on the other hand, is something else entirely. How long you should age a cigar depends on what you want to get out of it. Bold flavors like pepper, earthiness, and coffee tend to mellow out and fade with age allowing more subtle flavors like fruits, nuts, and floral notes to be more prominent. If you like the more subtler flavors, you will see benefits in aging them. If you like your cigars full bodied and peppery, aging will work against what you’re looking for. Guys who like full bodied cigars like that will find that with some age these cigars taste bland to them, and refer to them as “aged out”.
Generally, aging is on the timeline of years, while resting occurs over months.

A little disambiguation might be needed, regarding resting.

I have heard the term used as you described, and also to refer to the time a cigar needs to "settle in" to your preferred RH after purchase, shipment, etc.

The timeline for the two definitions probably isn't that far off, couple weeks to a month or so for the RH, depending on how much change you need.

Just adding this in case he hears someone talk about letting their cigars "rest" after buying from a B&M with wet humidor. They probably don't mean the cigars are in a sick phase in that case. They are just letting them be for a couple of weeks to adjust RH.

 

[the camaro show]

A little disambiguation might be needed, regarding resting.

I have heard the term used as you described, and also to refer to the time a cigar needs to "settle in" to your preferred RH after purchase, shipment, etc.

The timeline for the two definitions probably isn't that far off, couple weeks to a month or so for the RH, depending on how much change you need.

Just adding this in case he hears someone talk about letting their cigars "rest" after buying from a B&M with wet humidor. They probably don't mean the cigars are in a sick phase in that case. They are just letting them be for a couple of weeks to adjust RH.

Thanks Ape, so why do so many stores keep their rh high if most people prefer it lower?

 

[VeLoRoK]

Thanks Ape, so why do so many stores keep their rh high if most people prefer it lower?

Most people don't know what we know. I mean, we are right about rh but most people have the idea that cigars need to be stored at 70°/70% rh, so that misinformation keeps getting passed down by people that don't know what they're talking about (70/70 isn't really that bad, tbh, and the difference is only something those of us who know would notice). So most B&Ms aiming for a higher target than us to begin with. Couple that with people going in and out of the humidor all day, and they have to really crank the humidity up to compensate for what's lost through opening and closing the door. So everything pretty much ends up over-humidified. I find cigars both burn and taste better after I let them rest a few weeks after purchase.

 

[ApeSmokes]

Thanks Ape, so why do so many stores keep their rh high if most people prefer it lower?

Shrug.

Just guessing here, but many people that buy from B&Ms don't have humidors. They're just buying a handful of cigars, maybe for a special occasion or something. A high RH let's them last in the Ziplock until the wedding, or golf tournament, or whatever.

Alternatively, a simpler explanation may be it's no big deal to "fix" a cigar that was stored too wet (within reason).
Fixing one that was too dry for any length of time doesn't really work. So they're just erring on the side of caution.

Or they have it higher because people walking in/out, and handling the cigars. Wetter is probably less prone to damage from us customers picking them up and putting them back down 20 times a day.

 

[the camaro show]

That makes sense

 

[Unpossible_1]

All of this has been discussed a bazillion times here before. Use the search. I know that when I'm new in a hobby, I don't want to always just read the old stuff, but have conversations with people about it, too. If that's the case, use the search, find your topic, and reply to a post to bring it back up and people will jump in and discuss with you.

A bazillion? Are you sure? Have you counted? I was thinking closer to Two-hundred and fifteen thousand.

 

[Old Smokey]

A bazillion? Are you sure? Have you counted? I was thinking closer to Two-hundred and fifteen thousand.

Maybe he meant Brazillian?