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What causes a cigar to unravel?

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I take the utmost care of my cigars and once in a while I'll have one unravel. I wonder if a cigar experiences a dry time durring its life if it may cause shrinkage that it doesn't recover from after it is returned to proper RH. Any theories on this?
 

smokinj

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I take the utmost care of my cigars and once in a while I'll have one unravel. I wonder if a cigar experiences a dry time durring its life if it may cause shrinkage that it doesn't recover from after it is returned to proper RH. Any theories on this?
Thats a good question Bill. I do know one thing, I hear a massive storm is headin toward Tucson :devil:
 

Clint

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I have been smoking and aging cigars for over 17 years now, and can honestly say that I have never had any of them unravel.

Some get funky at the foot end from absorbing too much humidity too quickly, but even those stay intact.

Anyone else?
 
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No idea I've had some smokes that looked like they would unravel before lighting and held up perfectly then again I've had smokes that looked ultra smooth to the eye but started to unravel after lighting.
 

Moro

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Only when I had no idea of how to cut and used to unband out of "ettiquete". Other than that, if the wrapper isn't broken, it's yet to happen again.
 
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The Maddy I smoked tonight didn't do it until I smoked it down about 3/4 of an inch. (I just realized it was right about where the band ended. HHMMMM)It didn't unravel from the cut end, it was the lit end. This cigar only has a band on the foot. It must be removed to smoke it. This rarely happens to me but I thought we could get to the bottom of this.
 
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I've had the same thing happen on a RP Edge. It's not you it's the way they're rolled. They have cheap easy caps on them compared to DPG and Tats. With a DPG you can pretty much cut anywhere reasonable on their triple caps and not worry about unraveling.
 
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The only cigar I saw unravel to the point it wasn't smokeable was a Monte #2, it started to unravel from the lit end. I'm thinking that's mostly due to inconsistent storage or humidity spikes while storage.
 

rick12string

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Sometimes I wonder if it happens when the humidity gets too dry or the cigar goes from a let’s say a 70% humidor to 65% humidor and the wrapper dries too quickly and loosens the glue. After I switched to the 65% beads I had that happen to a couple of cigars but not all. Also, it didn’t totally unravel it was more like the wrapper peeling off at various spots. It happened to a buddy of mine last weekend smoking an Oliva G Cameroon Torp that was kept at 65% but I wonder if it was actually drier than that. He was able to smoke it OK but the wrapper just kept peeling off until he got half way through the cigar. I wish I had a better answer but I hope this helps somewhat.
 

Mitch

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I think it mostly has to do with how dry the air is around you where you go to smoke it. I've had verry few problems down here in South Florida and had big issues when on vacation up North.

It used to be common for people to stick their cigars in their mouth to get the wrappers wet before smoking. It was said to keep the wrappers together and I've tried it and it does work. Don't see people do this very often these days, but once in a while I catch someone.

Just dont do it with a 6 X 56 ring monster in a bar unless you are prepaired to have a guy offer to buy you a drink.
 

Mitch

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The only cigar I saw unravel to the point it wasn't smokeable was a Monte #2, it started to unravel from the lit end. I'm thinking that's mostly due to inconsistent storage or humidity spikes while storage.
Sounds like the cigar roller put the wrapper on from the wrong end.
 
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I think it mostly has to do with how dry the air is around you where you go to smoke it. I've had verry few problems down here in South Florida and had big issues when on vacation up North.

It used to be common for people to stick their cigars in their mouth to get the wrappers wet before smoking. It was said to keep the wrappers together and I've tried it and it does work. Don't see people do this very often these days, but once in a while I catch someone.

Just dont do it with a 6 X 56 ring monster in a bar unless you are prepaired to have a guy offer to buy you a drink.
I have to agree with Mitch, here. I have more trouble in dryer climates and in colder climates. I can't say I've had one unravel entirely, but what I've been reading seems to describe what I would explain as a small split and unravel below the lit end. I would say that humidity change or even overly humidified sticks cause the problem more so than dry cigars- and the greater difference you have in the atmosphere in humidity, the worse it seems to be.

Try dry-boxing your cigars for just about an hour before you smoke, you may see a difference. When I have a split-unwrap happen while smoking, I lick my thumb and apply some moisture to underside of the the rising wrapper, then gently smooth it back down. Doesn't always work, it has helped.

Bear
 
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Ooh damn I didn't catch the part about the lit end being the unraveling end. Nevermind my post I'm a dolt.

To address the cold and dry I keep my cigars at 65% and don't have any problems with cigars unraveling in the (now finally warming up) PA. The one cigar I had unravel was a RP Edge but like I said in my first post it was from the head not the foot.
 
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