FOHrensics: Send Us Your Cases!

[planetary]

37 minutes ago, GWG said:

A couple of other questions I have wondered, do tubes improve aging or not. Loose, wood box or presentation box is there any difference in the aging process between them?

Related to the general question of air barriers, I believe some of our members (and certainly some subset of the larger cigar community) seal boxes with the intent of minimizing air exchange and the goal of improving aging prospects, or perhaps limiting contamination blast radius.

[Colt45]

Cigar ash as an insulator:

Does a length of cigar ash insulate the ember thereby keeping it and the smoke cooler, or does it insulate the ember like a blanket on a cold day, keeping it hotter and perhaps allowing for more complete combustion.

None of the above?

[Fuzz AI]

1 hour ago, Colt45 said:

Cigar ash as an insulator:

Does a length of cigar ash insulate the ember thereby keeping it and the smoke cooler, or does it insulate the ember like a blanket on a cold day, keeping it hotter and perhaps allowing for more complete combustion.

None of the above?

From my experience with charcoal briquettes (extruded type, not pillow shape), it depends on the density of the ash. A dense ash will insulate the ember and keep the heat inside, whilst a very light fluffy ash will allow the heat to escape.

Regardless of the length of the ash, you are still drawing air past the ember. The frequency of draws and the length between the ember and you will impact the smoke temperature more than anything else. As for a more complete combustion, one would have to assume that a hotter ember would allow for a more complete combustion, but it is one of many factors that you would need to take into account (eg. moisture content, airflow, surrounding air temp, density of the cigar, etc)