Question on cracking and spliting

[MarkofStark]

Hey all, so the other night I had a HPU ep.2 (which I found fantastic dispite the following) and it was sitting in my humi for a few months. When I took it out I saw the first layer of the wrapper was cracked, no biggie so I lit up and enjoyed myself. First thing I noticed to my untrained eye was that there seemed to be a small area thicker once I sliced it, the draw seemed a bit off too, but not by much so I chalked it up to my imagination and continued.

As I was enjoying the cigar I noticed a few other parts of the wrapper cracked on the first layer, again no biggie but I didnt notice it before. Once I got to the halfway point (ash stayed on all the way to 2/3rds btw) I saw a very clear split that continued until I was finished.

So I was wondering, could this be a overly dry cigar I picked up? Could it have a dry wrapper and overfilled so once the heat started going it expanded and split?

I am more curious than anything.

[Orion21]

A thin-ish wrapper with too much filler that took on moisture and the wrapper cracked in the humi. As you smoked the cigar and the moisture trying to escape the warming tobacco cause more breaks in the thin-ish wrapper. It happens.

[ramon_cojones]

either too dry and brittle (which is usually not the case with those who are new to cigars as they tend to keep them overhumidified) or rapid change in humidity causing to swell and crack, sometimes they burn through the cracks and sometimes cracks keep expanding,

[Oscar300]

I took a cigar out the other day, moved it into the kitchen, gave it 20mins and it split open and burst. Smoked all ok, just blamed the weather, shame but tasted great!!

[lovesmallrg]

I had this happen several times or more this past summer. Summers here are 90's and high humidity, Even with the AC running constantly humidity in the house is higher than in the humidor.

I smoke outside, and one small crack got larger, and larger and eventually the cigar got crooked at that point due to one side swelling.

Looked funny, but smoked fine. I wish I had taken a pic.

I had enough issues with it that I changed to a totally different type of bead that works somewhat differently.

No issues since I stabilized everything. However, now humidity is much less as we enter winter.

[garbandz]

over moist sticks will swell and split the wrapper.anything I get in cello gets 2 days or more on a desk out of the box to dry out.

if it is very dry or cold where you are smoking the wrapper can dry out and split.Cameroon wrappers are the worst for this.

generally wrapper leaf is very thin.

I always wet down my sticks when it is cold or dry outside, helps to stop this problem.

[MarkofStark]

its about 21-22C on my humi at around 68%. Its teh only one in my humi that was like that, the wrapper did seem very thin though.

[PapaDisco]

over moist sticks will swell and split the wrapper.anything I get in cello gets 2 days or more on a desk out of the box to dry out.

if it is very dry or cold where you are smoking the wrapper can dry out and split.Cameroon wrappers are the worst for this.

generally wrapper leaf is very thin.

I always wet down my sticks when it is cold or dry outside, helps to stop this problem.

How do you wet them down? Mist bottle? A thorough licking? Running it under the faucet?

[Smallclub]

Running it under the faucet?

Yes, exactly. It works perfectly for my Piedra's.

There are several threads about this practice:

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=111140&hl=wetting&st=30