ChanceSchmerr Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Hey everyone, Back home after almost a week in Halifax (and I think my shenanigans, drinking and such therein would put Ken to shame!), I came home looking to recooperate and found the replacement box to my earlier Diplomaticos #1, the box that i was told was 2001 but was actually 2000. Excited to no end, I cracked open the box of this ARA MAR 01 cigars, so at least the year itself was right! So far, so good - a nice box press, good aroma and no tent pegs to be felt. Then, I started to lift out the cigars individually to inspect...and was met with what appears to be some sort of resin, I almost thought it was blood at first! Closer inspection of all the cigars in the box show that every cigar in the top row has this resin on it in varying degrees, but only on the bottom of the cigars (the face which contacts against the cedar divider), AND every cigar on the bottom row has it on the top facing of each cigar, again the parts that contact the cedar divider sheet. So, what the heck is this, has anyone seen it before? are my cigars likely smokable, or damaged, or what? If smokable, will they now taste like resin? I'm emailling the retailer again......I would love any help or advice anyone can offer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rock Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Hey everyone,Back home after almost a week in Halifax (and I think my shenanigans, drinking and such therein would put Ken to shame!), I came home looking to recooperate and found the replacement box to my earlier Diplomaticos #1, the box that i was told was 2001 but was actually 2000. Excited to no end, I cracked open the box of this ARA MAR 01 cigars, so at least the year itself was right! So far, so good - a nice box press, good aroma and no tent pegs to be felt. Then, I started to lift out the cigars individually to inspect...and was met with what appears to be some sort of resin, I almost thought it was blood at first! Closer inspection of all the cigars in the box show that every cigar in the top row has this resin on it in varying degrees, but only on the bottom of the cigars (the face which contacts against the cedar divider), AND every cigar on the bottom row has it on the top facing of each cigar, again the parts that contact the cedar divider sheet. So, what the heck is this, has anyone seen it before? are my cigars likely smokable, or damaged, or what? If smokable, will they now taste like resin? I'm emailling the retailer again......I would love any help or advice anyone can offe I would take a guess that it is the tar from the ceder and I don' t think it would hurt you if you smoked it. I saw it a couple of times on some NC punch cigars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv2fly Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Had this on some Opus X with ceder wrap. Smoked fine... I found no problems. Tasted like an opus. Of course that is just me and my palate may not be that developed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stargazer14 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Yup, Blood Stogies. I don't know where you got them, but i wouldn't sleep well smoking and enjoying one of those. "In relation to cigar trading, blood cigar (also called a converted cigar, conflict cigar, hot cigar or a war cigar) refers to a cigar rolled in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, invading army's war efforts, or a warlord's activity, usually in Cuba or Bayonne, NJ" PM me for my address and I can dispose of them in a safe and discreet manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rckymtn22 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 No point in dealing with Canada Customs so just send them east for safe disposal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CigarmanTim Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I also had this on an Opusx once...under the cedar but clearly on the wrapper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 From the retailer - not sure if I believe it.... Thank you for your mail and photos. Regarding the resin I have been down to check on our stock to see if other boxes have this resin on them and some of them do. This can happen with older boxes - it is simply the glue that is used to bind the wrapper and over time it can dissipate onto the bottom of the cigars and the top of the bottom row. A bit like a vintage bottle of red wine can often have sediments in the bottom. This does not mean it is an undrinkable wine, on the contrary but it does mean it has aged. You can say the same about these cigars. The resin is absolutely harmless to the cigar, quite alright to smoke them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Chris I can assure you I have smoked through more horse hair, beetle bodies, body sweat, yesterdays chicken and rice and the occasional booger left in a good Cuban cigar. While my health is not perfect my maladies are those of poor genetics and a less than strict diet, not of resin, or beetle **** on cigar leaves. I suggest you take a moment to really think about the hot sweaty conditions possible in a galera; the torcedor's hygiene and other factors that could affect the cleanliness of your next hand rolled cigar. If that does not stop you from smoking then you are hooked. What you see on these cigar is likely nothing compared to what you have likely smoked and gone unnoticed from cigars in the past. I have seen this many times. Whether it is box glue or the cigar oils trapped by the box pressing the cigar into a rectangle makes little difference in the taste of the cigar. If you want something to worry about think of the galera washroom and ponder over the posting of signs indicating that all employees must wash their hands before going back to work! Relax amigo... those cigars are just fine! -R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigger Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 From the retailer - not sure if I believe it....Thank you for your mail and photos. Regarding the resin I have been down to check on our stock to see if other boxes have this resin on them and some of them do. This can happen with older boxes - it is simply the glue that is used to bind the wrapper and over time it can dissipate onto the bottom of the cigars and the top of the bottom row. A bit like a vintage bottle of red wine can often have sediments in the bottom. This does not mean it is an undrinkable wine, on the contrary but it does mean it has aged. You can say the same about these cigars. The resin is absolutely harmless to the cigar, quite alright to smoke them Not so. It's probably sap from the divider sheet, as has been mentioned. and it's probably ok. Whether what's quoted was written out of ignorance, or intentional deception, it's one of the reasons why >90% of my cigar purchases are made from our hosts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thechenman Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I question the response of you supplier and side with those BOTLs who say it is sap from the cedar sheet. The reason I say this is like many of them, I have had this experience with cedar sleeved cigars made by Arturo Fuente. Anejos and Opus cigars often suffer from this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuraiJack Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 That color looks like cedar sap, but I have never seen it on a cigar, only come out of the sides of a humi. The response from the retailer seems like BS to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I have seen this before, not common but also not rare. The same pattern of resin is found on cedar which is used in Humdors but is too green. It bleeds. Same colour, same pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsaunders9 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Maybe a dumb question but did the divider show any signs of sap bleed out on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samb Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Chris I can assure you I have smoked through more horse hair, beetle bodies, body sweat, yesterdays chicken and rice and the occasional booger left in a good Cuban cigar. While my health is not perfect my maladies are those of poor genetics and a less than strict diet, not of resin, or beetle **** on cigar leaves. I suggest you take a moment to really think about the hot sweaty conditions possible in a galera; the torcedor's hygiene and other factors that could affect the cleanliness of your next hand rolled cigar. If that does not stop you from smoking then you are hooked. What you see on these cigar is likely nothing compared to what you have likely smoked and gone unnoticed from cigars in the past.I have seen this many times. Whether it is box glue or the cigar oils trapped by the box pressing the cigar into a rectangle makes little difference in the taste of the cigar. If you want something to worry about think of the galera washroom and ponder over the posting of signs indicating that all employees must wash their hands before going back to work! Relax amigo... those cigars are just fine! -R Never thought of that until now, but EWW!!! Lol, Im hooked, because that sure wont stop me from smokin em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 Thanks for the comments, everyone. I am pretty certain it is indeed Cedar Sap from looking at it closely and from the comments here. I will test it out by smoking the most resin-y cigar in the box after they have rested for a month, and see if it imparts any flavour to the cigar at all. Given that it is a 2001 box, would it make sense to postulate that this box of cigars just had a cedar sheet that was rushed into use without letting it rest to dry out a bit? The divider itself showed almost no signs of sap on it itself. I am also unhappy with the almost patronizing response from the retailer....I just want this Diplo 1 journey to be over with so I can move on and not have to think about this retailer again - I know I wouldn't get this kind of product or patronizing phony-explanation from Rob, Lisa or Smithy! And Ray has a great point - there is probably much worse crap in some cigars I have smoked in the past, and that doesn't bother me that much (am I hooked, or just crazy?). Now I gotta think about the employees and their dirty hands I will post a review of that sap-covered cigar in a month once i smoke it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
android Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 No worries...they will be just fine. I have seen this before and it did not cause any problems during smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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