Bad tunneling. Help!

[Edward7]

So I have a desktop humidor that is around 76 capacity. I picked it up at the Partagás factory LCDH in Havana in late May and since then been using a “weather proof” tupperware container from the container store that has a soft foam gasket for sealing the lid. I use about 6 69% boveda packs in the big container and one 69 packet in the bottom of my desktop and I’ve never really had consistent burn issues. The RH on the digital hygrometers register between 65 and 67 at any given moment and my home is fairly dry being in Los Angeles. My gf prefers it warmer so the ambient is maybe around 72-76 degrees and so I keep the cigars in my closet where the ac keeps it cooler. So it seems like it should be ideal right? 

But lately every cigar I light which I pull usually from their original dress boxes stacked in the plastic container (desktop holds more EL’s and RE’s that I’m “aging” if you will) starts great and about 3 mins in starts to zipper down and burn very unevenly. In the past I could let it rest for a short while and it would catch up but now it just tunnels and the wrapper never burns even if I try to light it with a torch or soft flame. Anyone have any ideas?

[fitzy]

I’ve had a lot less burn issues storing my Cubans at 65% and keeping anything I’m going to smoke in the next month or so at about 58%. 

[slowsmoke]

How much cooler is your closet than where you are smoking?

Some cigars are just poorly made and it is bound to happen.  But this seems to happen to me in phases, with several cigars in a row, and it happened more often when I kept my wineador at lower temps.  I think if the cigars are more than a few degrees cooler than the ambient temp, and then you pull them out into an environment where the ambient humidity is fairly high (say low 60's or high 50's), you can get a bit of condensation which soaks the wrapper, and leads to tunneling.

I am no expert though.  Just my observation.

[Hedgehog]

I use the same weatherproof tupperware containers from The Container Store.  But I use about a half dozen 62% Boveda packets instead and my calibrated hygrometers register about 62-64% with those packets.  I think it's helped a little.  

[WABOOM]

It'll take a couple months to get them down to 65%

[Edward7]

1 hour ago, slowsmoke said:

How much cooler is your closet than where you are smoking?

Some cigars are just poorly made and it is bound to happen.  But this seems to happen to me in phases, with several cigars in a row, and it happened more often when I kept my wineador at lower temps.  I think if the cigars are more than a few degrees cooler than the ambient temp, and then you pull them out into an environment where the ambient humidity is fairly high (say low 60's or high 50's), you can get a bit of condensation which soaks the wrapper, and leads to tunneling.

I am no expert though.  Just my observation.

Thanks for the responses guys. 

As for ambient, it’s low humidity during the day time here. It’s as low because of AC if I have that on. Outside at night is probably the most humid lately. 

I definitely don’t let them acclimate post journey here though. I’m usually smoking ROTT when the package arrives and usually I have no issues doing that even. 

[Toast & Taste]

Outdoor humidity in LA should not cause you any issues.

You might try dropping your storage humidity down to 62 ish, but I think you have a run of bad sticks...

Qualifier: I don't know anything, just opining. I live on the  U. S. Gulf Coast and burn multiple sticks per day almost every day. During the summer we get 50000000000000000% humidity and I have not experienced any unusually high tunneling. I store at 62 to 64 percent rh and 70 degrees farenheit.

Big Al 

[99call]

When you light your cigars, do you take puffs with a direct flame on the cigar?.  I've seen incredibly experienced cigar smokers do this, and it makes no sense to me. 

They often very diligently light, even sometimes with long cedar strips, then right at the end, they turn their cigar into and oxy propane torch, and draw a flame thrower through the centre of the cigar.  I've often argued that this sets a concave inward burn from the outset, and can cause tunnelling burn issues. 

[Derboesekoenig]

4 minutes ago, 99call said:

When you light your cigars, do you take puffs with a direct flame on the cigar?.  I've seen incredibly experienced cigar smokers do this, and it makes no sense to me. 

They often very diligently light, even sometimes with long cedar strips, then right at the end, they turn their cigar into and oxy propane torch, and draw a flame thrower through the centre of the cigar.  I've often argued that this sets a concave inward burn from the outset, and can cause tunnelling burn issues. 

This bothers me probably WAY more than it should. YOU TOAST IT not char the hell out of it. Ugh.

To each their own I suppose. You have your way and I have my way.

You usually see this with all these fancy instagram entertainers or whatever they call them nowadays. They think they know what they're doing because they have a lot of money.

[99call]

38 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

This bothers me probably WAY more than it should. YOU TOAST IT not char the hell out of it. Ugh.

When lighting a cigar, the only thing i'm a fan of, is logic, 

Not a fan of the toasting nonsense, plus the enthusiast I see doing this, nearly always mess it up and let the flame scorch the side of the cigar. 

The only things I stick to is, no petrol lighters, no sulphur matches, and no direct flame whilst drawing

[nKostyan]

When you light your cigars, do you take puffs with a direct flame on the cigar?.  I've seen incredibly experienced cigar smokers do this, and it makes no sense to me. 

They often very diligently light, even sometimes with long cedar strips, then right at the end, they turn their cigar into and oxy propane torch, and draw a flame thrower through the centre of the cigar.  I've often argued that this sets a concave inward burn from the outset, and can cause tunnelling burn issues. 

+ This can still spoil the taste of 1/3 due to overheating of tobacco when burned with excess oxygen

Might still be a cigar lying long on one side (face) moisturized and more, then burns not exactly. It is desirable to turn 180 degrees on a regular basis.

 

[Edward7]

3 hours ago, 99call said:

When you light your cigars, do you take puffs with a direct flame on the cigar?.  I've seen incredibly experienced cigar smokers do this, and it makes no sense to me. 

They often very diligently light, even sometimes with long cedar strips, then right at the end, they turn their cigar into and oxy propane torch, and draw a flame thrower through the centre of the cigar.  I've often argued that this sets a concave inward burn from the outset, and can cause tunnelling burn issues. 

I never do that because when it happens on accident, I notice the flame runs up to hotter drier part and keeps burning up the wrapper exactly where you don't want it to. I use a ligne 2 and use the upper half to slowly burn the cigar until I can draw smoke. Then I check to see if the edges are actually lit up and keep repeating until I have as even of a starting ember to put the lighter down. Torches are more surgical but you can taste the tar from the much higher heat burn. doesn't matter much since it goes away quickly. I use a cheap torch for when I'm golfinf or any other time wind is an issue.

2 hours ago, 99call said:

When lighting a cigar, the only thing i'm a fan of, is logic, 

Not a fan of the toasting nonsense, plus the enthusiast I see doing this, nearly always mess it up and let the flame scorch the side of the cigar. 

The only things I stick to is, no petrol lighters, no sulphur matches, and no direct flame whilst drawing

Haha this is annoying for sure when the tall yellow flame licks up the side and leaves a nice black mark on an inch of wrapper. It definitely happens to me, especially if there's a tad bit of a breeze.