Bitter cigars are driving me crazy, please help!!

[Mramex]

Hello, I consider myself an experienced cigar smoker and I have a large collection of good quality cigars. I have a 150 cigar Spanish cedar humidor with heartfelt beads keeping my humidity solid at 65rh and a temperature which fluctuates between 72 - 80 farenheit throughout the day. I am sure my humidity is correct as I have 3 digital hygros that were salt tested and all read 65rh on a consistent basis. Lately a large portion of my cigars are very bitter from start to finish. These are cigars I have smoked in the past that were not bitter when I bought them. Just as a for instance I have smoked two hemingway short stories over the last two days and both were bitter from start to finish, I have smoked this exact cigar many times before and never had this experience. My cigars are kept in their original cellophane and i do not see any mold or beetle holes/dust. I am at my wits end and really hope that you can provide me with some insight as to why this is happening to my precious smokes. Please help!!

 

[Dave]

Any chance it is you and not your cigars?

Not trying to be flip, just a thought. Only time I've had consistent flavor issues across lines is when I had RH drop that I hadn't previously noticed.

 

[twenty5]

I think bitterness is caused from too high of a humidity but as stated you have beads and 3 hygros. If I were you I would buy the Boveda calibration packet and use that to make sure that they are correct. I have seen salt tests messed up where you could be off by 10% in either direction if you are not 100% exact with it, which is nearly impossible. Boveda packet, throw it in a zip lock with the hygros, wait 24-48hrs, done.

Another thing you should look into is the bead color. The beads should be about 60% white in a humid environment, allowing for them to soak up a ton of moisture if need be.

If you take care of these and are still having problems, give a stick or 2 to someone at a lounge by you and see if they are experiencing the same off flavors. It could just be you.

 

[njstone]

If you smoke a cigar TOO FAST, then it will smoke too hot. If you smoke it TOO HARD, it will also smoke too hot.

If a cigar is smoking too hot, it will become bitter like 80% of the time, maybe even more.

So this would be my first guess. Next would be storage (cigars way too dry or too wet). Next would be draw: If a cigar has too tight of a draw, it will often build up tar too quickly and become bitter.

Some cigars just build up too much tar and get bitter anyway, especially towards the end. Purging often clears this.

 

[Mramex]

Do all of you think 65rh is okay for lets say a hemmingway short story to be smoked right out of the humidor without dry boxing or is the humidity to low for that type of cigar. Could it be my fluctuating temp? I know you guys think it is my palette but not all the cigars are bitter just many that I have smoked in the past that I know were not when I got them from Ci.

 

[twenty5]

Do all of you think 65rh is okay for lets say a hemmingway short story to be smoked right out of the humidor without dry boxing or is the humidity to low for that type of cigar. Could it be my fluctuating temp? I know you guys think it is my palette but not all the cigars are bitter just many that I have smoked in the past that I know were not when I got them from Ci.

65 is perfect if it is really at 65. The temps are a bit high, you shouldnt really let them get over 75ish for storage but I doubt that would affect flavor, thats more of a beetle thing.

 

[daniyal]

Could be you're smoking too fast or hard or the sticks you've had in storage for a while are going through what's know as a sick period. During this period they tend to lose all flavor and can be bitter. A lot of times you will taste what seems like ammonia coming from them.

 

[Mramex]

Could be you're smoking too fast or hard or the sticks you've had in storage for a while are going through what's know as a sick period. During this period they tend to lose all flavor and can be bitter. A lot of times you will taste what seems like ammonia coming from them.

How long does this sick period last, better yet how do I know if they are in a sick period and how long to store them to where they're okay to enjoy?

 

[Jfire]

I think bitterness is caused from too high of a humidity but as stated you have beads and 3 hygros. If I were you I would buy the Boveda calibration packet and use that to make sure that they are correct. I have seen salt tests messed up where you could be off by 10% in either direction if you are not 100% exact with it, which is nearly impossible. Boveda packet, throw it in a zip lock with the hygros, wait 24-48hrs, done.

Another thing you should look into is the bead color. The beads should be about 60% white in a humid environment, allowing for them to soak up a ton of moisture if need be.

If you take care of these and are still having problems, give a stick or 2 to someone at a lounge by you and see if they are experiencing the same off flavors. It could just be you.

This IMO couldnt be anymore of a spot on answer! Get the boveda test kit and report back to us. I still think its a humdity problem myself. I use to smoke boxes of Fuente SS at 65%. And being that u said they are bitter right from the start tells me it's not a "pacing of smoking" issue Imo. The other thing I can think of is they may be at 65% now but in the recent future the stayed at a much higher rh for several months. Meaning the humi is 65% but the sticks are still higher Rh%.
Regards,
Jfire

 

[Dave]

How long does this sick period last, better yet how do I know if they are in a sick period and how long to store them to where they're okay to enjoy?

"Sick period" has a few different interpretations. Some are pretty ambiguous and apply to development of flavors or a sense that some cigars may go 'flat' for a while.

I think most here are referring to the period between (about) 6 weeks and (about) 9 months after a cigar is rolled. Most will have some ammonia released during this period. You will know when you come across it.

I think that it is highly unlikely that you'll ever come across larger brand NC's that are in their 'sick period'. Manufacturers are well aware and keep them home for sufficient time to get through it. I've only found it on cigars that I've bought from shops where they're rolled on the spot and I don't get to them soon enough. I imagine that you could come across some very recently rolled CC's from time to time, too. Fortunately, they put the birth date right on the box for you.

 

[The EVP]

First thing I thought of when I saw the topic was, "He's smoking too fast." How long are you going between puffs and are you letting ash build up on the cigar? Cigars are like BBQ....LOW AND SLOW!!!! Take your time and let the cigar cool down between puffs as tobacco tends to get bitter when it burns at too high a temp. Letting the ash build up will also help the cigar burn cooler as it resticts the amount of air that gets to the cinders.

65% RH is fine but as others have stated, make sure that it realy is 65%. I second the Broveda Calibration kit. I would watch the temp though. 72F is pushing your luck with mold and possible bettle outbreak. See if there is a cooler spot in your house where you can keep your humi.

 

[Gravity]

Hello, I consider myself an experienced cigar smoker and I have a large collection of good quality cigars. I have a 150 cigar Spanish cedar humidor with heartfelt beads keeping my humidity solid at 65rh and a temperature which fluctuates between 72 - 80 farenheit throughout the day. I am sure my humidity is correct as I have 3 digital hygros that were salt tested and all read 65rh on a consistent basis. Lately a large portion of my cigars are very bitter from start to finish. These are cigars I have smoked in the past that were not bitter when I bought them. Just as a for instance I have smoked two hemingway short stories over the last two days and both were bitter from start to finish, I have smoked this exact cigar many times before and never had this experience. My cigars are kept in their original cellophane and i do not see any mold or beetle holes/dust. I am at my wits end and really hope that you can provide me with some insight as to why this is happening to my precious smokes. Please help!!

I have had this happen to me with the Hemingway SS, I had a box of them, all stored together, but a few of them were just bitter right from the start, no reasoning I could find. All the rest smoked great. I got another box, and there were a couple of stinkers in there too, but otherwise a great box of smokes.

I lean more towards SS just sometimes doing that. I've had them since with little to no problems, but every once in a while I strike a very bitter SS, will smoke the one sitting next to it and it's just fine. Nobody else has had this problem, until you coming across it.

Are other cigars having problems as well, or just the SS? I love those cigars, but that 1 in 25 just really turns me off of them sometimes.

 

[ctric]

I had a similar problem about a year ago. Once it started, it seemed that the cigars I smoked were bitter. I even purchased some sticks from my B&M shop and had the same issue.
Turns out it was a air freshener I was using in my car to get rid of the odors. I had noticed the bitter taste mostly from my lips and the front of my mouth. I stopped using the freshener in the car and after a few days the bitterness decreased and went away.
Not entirely sure this was the problem, but I am guessing the aerosol was getting on my lips and in my mouth.

 

[Mramex]

So I dry boxed two cigars from my humidor last night and smoked them today. One was a JDN Antano which smoked fine without bitterness and seemed to burn well with very little touchups. I also lit up a Cusano 18 which was so bitter I could barely smoke it, it burned straight and perfectly with no touchups but tasted horrible. I smoked a Cusano 18 about six months ago and it was not bitter at all and this one has been sitting in the humidor for the six months and tasted like bitter crap. This makes no sense, some cigars are bitter some are ok, it is almost like a bunch of my cigars have been spoiled somehow. This really sucks!!

 

[The EVP]

Cigars are a man-made product and there are going to be inconsistancies. In any box, it's not uncommon to find 2-3 that have an issue, whether it be an off taste, uneven burn from over/under filled, tight/loose draw. If it's that big of an issue, contact the manufacturer and see if they'll replace them but at the end of the day, it's just a cigar.

 

[Jfire]

So I dry boxed two cigars from my humidor last night and smoked them today. One was a JDN Antano which smoked fine without bitterness and seemed to burn well with very little touchups. I also lit up a Cusano 18 which was so bitter I could barely smoke it, it burned straight and perfectly with no touchups but tasted horrible. I smoked a Cusano 18 about six months ago and it was not bitter at all and this one has been sitting in the humidor for the six months and tasted like bitter crap. This makes no sense, some cigars are bitter some are ok, it is almost like a bunch of my cigars have been spoiled somehow. This really sucks!!

Dry boxing for a day may not help. Try 3-4 days. Also did u test the hygros yet with the boveda hygro kit? Also if there still bitter then after 3 -4 days of dryboxing....... it's not the humi but maybe the cigars or you.

 

[Talon]

Hello, sorry for reviving the month old + thread, but I didnt see if you solved your delima..

FWIW, Im just a noob,and fail in knowledge compared to others on this board,but here are some thing to consider.

*What type of cut are you using? A punch, standard Guilotine,or a v-notch (my favorite). The cut contributes to over all taste as the oils/tars/Vita N collect or move through.
* Speed and duration of draw. As others have said slow down you want cool smoke for best flavor. "Hot Boxing" a cigar is very bitter.
*Fire source Jet,Bic,Zippo,match, stave. all fuels will leave an odor trace behind some are more prevelant than others.
*Are you gently taosting the foot, or going right at it with a torch? Toasting the foot is key to a fine cigar experience.
What are you drinking with your cigar? competing flavors can cause great bitterness,also is your pallet clean when you begin to smoke?

What works for me...
1.First thing is I evenly toast the foot with stick matches (allow compound to burn off) or staves. I gently blow on the foot to assist the light.
2.I then V-Notch the cap
3.Next I blow through the cigar, I was told by doing this you exit the Oils/ Tar etc. out the foot prior to the first draw. Every exhale through the cigar after that, promotes extended cool burn when you set the cigar down. ie prevents re-lights (cuts down)
4.First couple of steady easy draws, if I did everything right, I'm rewarded with cool flavorful smoke. All I have to do then is set a slow pace,control for re-lights,and drink my favorite Port wine to complement.

 

[sleepyguy57]

I would like to try dry boxing a few sticks to see the smoking differences. I was wondering, how long should a stick be dry boxed before smoking and what is the max amount of time a stick should be be dry boxed. Currently, my sticks are kept at 65% RH but I want to experiment with lower RHs to see how it affects the stick. I would like to dry box more than one stick at a time to give me choices when I feel like lighting one up, but not so many that I end up over drying them.

 

[Dave]

I would like to try dry boxing a few sticks to see the smoking differences. I was wondering, how long should a stick be dry boxed before smoking and what is the max amount of time a stick should be be dry boxed. Currently, my sticks are kept at 65% RH but I want to experiment with lower RHs to see how it affects the stick. I would like to dry box more than one stick at a time to give me choices when I feel like lighting one up, but not so many that I end up over drying them.

This is a great idea. I guess it might depend on how often you enjoy a cigar. I think it would be a true learning experience to put a fiver of the same cigar (I suggest a maduro - maybe an LP?) into a small desktop humi with no humidification and a calibrated hygrometer. Smoke one each night for five nights noting current RH and jot down tasting notes. I'd love to hear your results.

I've never approached it nearly so well. I just find sticks that can be difficult at 65 and every once in a while toss one in an empty desktop for a couple days. If I'm lucky, I remember it is there, want that stick at that point in time and enjoy a perfect cigar. In the winter time, I may just set it oudside the humi for a day or two.

Depending on the ambient RH and temp, I think any cigar would be OK outside your humi for 4 or 5 days any time of the year, as long as it isn't sitting on a windowsill or next to the sauna.

One that I try to dry-box religiously lately is the JDN Dark Corojo. Couple days in a dry-box does wonders for them.

 

[wcintro1]

Mramex, It seems to me you're doing everything right. But a few things besides RH/Temp could be affecting your palate, so I'll try to keep it simple: Try smoking the same cigar but not the ones from your humidor. If you have the same experience, then is the cigar or you, not the RH/Temp factor. Please, don't get offended by me saying you. What I mean is that taste is subjective. So, if sometimes you smoke different or the same cigars on a daily basis, your palate could get beat up, so give it a few days to rest. It happened to me while working in a cigar shop, smoking different cigars until I couldn't tell the difference or they were just to harsh. Another thing, believe or not, could be your mood, food, drink and hopefully not, a health issue; medications can also affect taste buds. And remember, having a variety of cigars in the same humidor could affect the issue, thus the marrying of cigars. Try separating them in ziplock bags; they won't get affected.