Interesting Cigar Failure Modes

[PapaDisco]

Just this week I had two interesting wrapper failures in PSD4 cigars, both from the same "three-pack-tube" box, but probably not originally so (explained below). Just as I was finishing the first third, the wrapper in the middle of the cigar started to flake off. It wasn't the whole wrapper, it just looked like a tissue thin layer of the wrapper, sort of like flaky pastry dough. The cigar maintained its integrity in both cases and easily smoked to the nub. One got pretty strong and harsh at the very end, the other did not. It was kind of ironic because that same night at the club I took note of a couple of other members smoking non-CC's with wrappers that were disintegrating in rather flamboyant style. Perhaps this was Karma coming back to bite me for my schadenfreude? Or perhaps my double fail was a result of previous over drying.

The stock of PSD4's I've (up until now) acquired on my way through the Hong Kong airport at the Duty Free shop there. They have wonderful (looking) walk-in humidors (and they also charge you out the yin-yang! ). However they do have a nice selection and it's a tempting stop for those of us living in CC impoverished regions. I only recently learned that their walk-in "Humidor" actually has no humidification at all! And the warehouse down below has neither humidification nor temperature control! Of the PSD4's I'd bought there, I've always had to sort through the tubed-3-packs because the stock was in such poor condition: dried out, busted wrappers, splits, etc. It would take three boxes to make one good box. Funny that the other cigars I bought there (Cohiba robustos, SVI's, Monte 4's by the 25, Punch Punch in tubes) were never so roughed up. Mostly it was just the PSD4's. I'd bring the cigars home, packed in a baggie with a damp paper towel for the flight, and let them sit in my Humi for a couple of months before attempting to smoke. Early on I busted a couple of wrappers by keeping the Humi too damp and also uncapping the tubes. I switched to a lower Humidity (69% Boveda's) and leave the cigars capped and boxed now (to slow down the humidity exchange) and everything since has worked fine (and things seem to smoke better below 70Rh than above IMHO).

Anyway, I'm guessing that these two PSD4's were just terminally damaged from the start. Even though they had been gently brought back to proper humidity over 3-4 months, and even though there was no evident damage to the wrapper on lighting, they were likely an example of a dried out cigar that couldn't be saved.

The only odd thing was the way the wrapper flaked off in that super-thin way. Could the problem perhaps have been a funky leaf at assembly? Both cigars smoked fine, but were not the best tasting PSD4's ever.

What's the strangest cigar fail you guys have ever seen?

[UpInSmoak]

I've had plenty worst failures than what you described. Cigars are and can be delicate. If it was smokable to the nub, I wouldn't even consider it a failure. Chalk it up as a sub par smoking experience. We all have them.

And btw, I find PSD4s to be very inconsistent. I have about a 50 percent hit rate on them. Half are good, half are forgettable. My 2 cents.

[PapaDisco]

Yeah, as failures go this one wasn't bad. I was more intrigued with the way it disintegrated. When I've blown a wrapper on a PSD4 in the past it really blew open. This was a really fine flake off which was odd.

[PapaDisco]

IMO putting cigars into a baggie with a damp paper towel is a pretty big mistake and could be what damaged your sticks.

Yeah I sure learned that lesson early on! Bought some dry sticks and thought I'd be extra nice to them by adding extra humidity with a very damp paper towel. A couple of them burst open and looked like a joke exploding cigar (but on the cap end, not the foot). These particular PSD4's I knew better, and was very gentle on the rehumidification, (left them in their tubes and box, bagged them at the store with only a very, very slightly damp towel for the flight), but maybe even that was too much. The problem with flying with cigars is that the aircraft air is just about the driest stuff on earth and really seems to suck the moisture out if you accidentally leave the baggie unsealed.

Hutch: it was a cold, dry day, but still; "dry" in San Francisco is all of RH 50, which ain't that bad I think.