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Cigars in Very Dry Climates

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Midland Texas
Moved to Midland Texas last September. At the time I had a wood/cedar humidor, but I couldn’t keep the humidity stable here. So I now have a Newair humidor that seals up tight. Use Boveda 69% packs and I’m consistently at 68/69, with temperature kept at 67 degrees.

has been really hot and dry for the last few days, temps from 100 to 103 with dewpoints around 31 for a humidity at less than 10%! My last two sticks have cracked the wrappers and kind of blew up starting within an inch of light-up. Never had this problem in Houston...

Suggestions?
 
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Dry box the cigars before you smoke them, have a humidor with a internal RH of like, 55-60Rh(a crappy small wooden desktop will do) and leave your "To smokes" in it for a few days before you smoke up.
 

BasicTek

I don't smoke cigars often... HaHa just kidding :)
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I keep my cooler at 65% with about 16 boveda's (2-4 per shelf) and rarely have that issue except on occasion smoking rott.

When a cigar blows up like that it seems the inside is to moist (but wrapper is dry) and the combination of heat and drawing on it makes it expand tearing the dry stiff wrapper. I've never dry boxed (to impatient) but I'd imagine that it would dry out the filler enough to produce similar results.

I've been able to stop the explosion by moistening the wrapper even after it starts. This seems to usually be an issue on tight packed cigars (and some CCs which I now keep at 62%).

Longer rest at 65% has usually worked out well out if you are impatient like me moisten the wrapper while you smoke.

To note I'm a newbie in smoking but I burn a lot rott (probably over 50 a month) and I'm very stubborn being able to smoke all but 2 to the nub.
 
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I think the dry box idea is headed in the right direction but Just out to curiosity you may take a cigar or two out of the NewAir and just let them sit on your desk for a couple of days. If the problem is the difference between internal moisture in the cigar and external humidity this may address that issue. The cigar may go up like a roll of cardboard but I think it's worth a try.

Also on the forum a while back there was a lot of discussion about running your cigar under a stream of water. Before you cut the cap, with the foot side down just pass the cigar under a stream of water from a running faucet. All you want to do is dampen the wrapper. The posters to the threads where pretty happy with the results.

Wish I could help but in SE Louisiana we very rarely get anywhere near the mid 30s
 
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