Uneven burn

[BORIStheBLADE]

So what makes a stick burn uneven?
The last handful of cigars I have smoked have burned uneven and 1/4 way through seem to wanna go out.

 

[jrohrer]

tough question....could be a number of things from what I understand

it could be an issue of straight construction, or a humidity problem.

I was smoking a monte #2 about a year ago which was in a travel humidor for about 4 days (with florists foam as humidification...I know, I know) and it wouldn't burn straight, and I had to relight it like 4 times. It was more hassle than pleasure, and it turned me off of these for about a month.

just my $.02....but I could be completely wrong, and I'm sure if I am someone will hopefully correct me

 

[Greg]

Also, poor lighting technique could cause an uneven burn.

Though it sounds to me like your cigars are over-humidified since they are going out after 1/4.

 

[tedski]

So what makes a stick burn uneven?

I agree with the above posts - but sometimes you just get an oddball cigar.

The Partagas Cifuentes I had a few days ago was well constructed = with a nice smooth draw, no soft spots and the wrapper had only some small veins. It had been sitting in my humidor for several weeks @ 67-68%. It had an even light and burned well for about an inch. Then it burned at a 45 degree angle for the rest of the smoke.

Go figure ...

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

It might be from being over humidified. I don't know whats going wrong with my setup though.
I have a tupperware box I have been using for my smokes, its about 1000 cubic inches and I have a 65% 2 ounce tube of beads. In this container I only have a handful of smokes because I have been trying different singles from the locals every week so I can figure out which ones I want to buy in bulk.
I have been testing my hygrometer up against a 65% Boveda pack in a smaller tupperware container and at 70f the hygrometer reads 67%.
In my main humi the hygrometer holds steady at 69%-70%.

So can the RH being 3%-4% higher cause my burn issues?
Maybe I need more sticks in my humi?

What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

[Research-Colin]

I think so. I think that the more dry or moist the cigar is the less likely it is to burn evenly. Overly humidified cigars will burn better where it can get going and less well where it is moist.

Another thing is that I've found cigars which have been on the wood rather than on the cigars in the humidor are more prone to burn issues but it doesn't seem to be a problem very often.

 

[Mickeyray5]

So laying in the tray can make them burn different?

 

[Headbanger]

A handmade product carries these traits unfortunatly. I hate bad burn issues as well. So long at not plugged is just something we have to deal with. The need for factories to push product out and train new rollers we catch some bad ones.

 

[Headbanger]

Oh, you are fine on RH. No worries on any of your numbers.

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Gummi Bear]

Try rotating your cigar in your hand as you smoke. Put the unburned part toward the bottom. It seems like it would work better toward the top, but actually the opposite is true.

I had a discussion about this same thing with an old fella at the local B&M a year or so ago, and that's the advice he gave me. Sure enough, it worked.


If your cigar starts tunneling, it's too darn wet. But just being aware of your cigar's burn can usually be fixed pretty easily. It's not very often that you should need to fix, or re-light a cigar.

 

[Rich K]

Yeah, putting the unburned part at the bottom is surprisingly effective. For the longest time I thought it would work the other way, but when I started really paying attention I figured it out. To throw a loop into things, when I smoke in a bit of wind it's sometimes better to have the unburned part at the top! I don't really understand it, but it seems to work for me.

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

Ya, I usually put the unburned part towards the top. I'll try it the other way when I get another smoke.

 

[oneaday]

a couple of the channels could be plugged, not enough to noticewhen drawing on the cigar, however it will produce an uneven burn. These are the cigars that burn uneven all the way down to the nub and need constant retouching.

 

[mwilson788]

I think my college years spent smoking other things rolled in tobacco wrappers has helped me with this problem. It's almost second nature to me to correct an uneven burn as soon as it creeps up. Evidence of a mis-spent youth? Probably.

Quick fix:

Wet your finger and place it where the uneven burn begins. It stops the problem immediately. Granted if you're puffing on it like you're trying to get a golf ball through a garden hose the problem will return though.

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

I think my college years spent smoking other things rolled in tobacco wrappers has helped me with this problem. It's almost second nature to me to correct an uneven burn as soon as it creeps up. Evidence of a mis-spent youth? Probably.

Quick fix:

Wet your finger and place it where the uneven burn begins. It stops the problem immediately. Granted if you're puffing on it like you're trying to get a golf ball through a garden hose the problem will return though.

you mean wet the side where its burning to slow that area down?

 

[siepattu]

you mean wet the side where its burning to slow that area down?

Yes. Just slightly below the ring.

 

[CWS]

you mean wet the side where its burning to slow that area down?

Yes. The smoke rising reduces oxygen to the burn. Less oxygen = slower burn. If you have the slow burning side on top, its fighting the smoke for oxygen. If you flip the slow burning side down it receives more oxegen, less smoke and burns a little faster. This is why its good to rotate your cigar while smoking.

I too also use the doobie method to slow a runner or fix an uneven burn. A little spit and all fixed.

 

[kirscovitch]

if your gonna be smoking hand rolled cigars, burn issues will arise from time to time. nature of the beast.

just my .02

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

thanks for the tips.
Since we are talking about cigars going out is there any wrong way to revive one ?