What causes this?

[Philc2001]

I pulled this out of the humidor yesterday, and it was in my travel case overnight, so I went to smoke it today, and found this split.

 

I lit it and smoked it anyway, and it smoked fine, I was expecting a weird burn, but it was fine. My humi is set to 64RH, and I haven’t had any other cigars split. First time I’ve ever seen a cigar do this. I am guessing I banged the travel humi around a bit, but haven’t seen anything this.

 

 

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[El Presidente]

It looks like it has been dropped at some time.  Maybe dropped in the case?

[Derboesekoenig]

Wow, that is a first. Did you, by chance, throw it against a concrete wall? Heh...I've seen minor splits before, a lot of times when smoking sticks that have gone through several environmental changes. But nothing even close to that.

[JohnS]

Yes, it could have been dropped, for sure. Also @Philc2001, check your humidor is really at 64RH. It might in fact be lower, this cigar was very dry and overnight it attracted some extra moisture, like a sponge, and hence the split along a hairline crack on the wrapper. Personally, I don't think this is the case and this has happened due to dropping, but I'd be inclined to squeeze test your other cigars in your humidor to check that they're not too dry.

[MD Puffer]

It looks like an old tree trunk struck by lightning.  

The only thing I could imaging would either it being dropped or experiencing a dramatic and rapid humidity change.  

[Philc2001]

Interesting dilema. I had two cigars in the travel case, and the other cigar was perfect, I smoked both of them today. I did the squeeze crackle test. I swapped into two other hygro gauges, and all 4 gauges are showing RH is rock steady at 64RH. It may have been banged around some yesterday, maybe, but it certainly was nothing obvious. It was very wet and rainy all day yesterday and today, so perhaps they absorbed some moisture, but the two cigars burned flawlessly and tasted great. So the mystery remains unsolved.

[Fugu]

Crushed cigar, no doubt about that. First and second turns of the wrapper, and as it looks even part of the binder are cracked at the exact same line. Mechanical impact, not a moisture thing. Perhaps crushed when closing the lid of your travel humidor (if hard-shell) or been put under external pressure (when soft-shell)? Would you let us have a look at that your piece of equipment?

[Toast & Taste]

"Case Pressed " ?

Big Al 

[kalibratecuba]

Could be from the shifting Teutonic plates.

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[Derboesekoenig]

17 minutes ago, kalibratecuba said:

Could be from the shifting Teutonic plates.

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Tectonic? What's a teuntonic plate? ?

[kalibratecuba]

Tectonic? What's a teuntonic plate? 

Yowzer! The brand of dinnerware my girlfriend bought this morning.

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[SirVantes]

8 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

Tectonic? What's a teuntonic plate? ?

Meissen porcelain 

[aphexafx]

10 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

Tectonic? What's a teuntonic plate? ?

[rabidraccoon]

1 hour ago, Fugu said:

Crushed cigar, no doubt about that. First and second turns of the wrapper, and as it looks even part of the binder are cracked at the exact same line. Mechanical impact, not a moisture thing. Perhaps crushed when closing the lid of your travel humidor (if hard-shell) or been put under external pressure (when soft-shell)? Would you let us have a look at that your piece of equipment?

I agree with the impact not rapid moisture. Usually with the rapid moisture the filler and binder expand and it makes a hairline crack in the wrapper.

[1fastmach1]

Looks like someone used this stick for a hammer.  Glad to hear it still smoked well.  

[Philc2001]

2 hours ago, Fugu said:

Crushed cigar, no doubt about that. First and second turns of the wrapper, and as it looks even part of the binder are cracked at the exact same line. Mechanical impact, not a moisture thing. Perhaps crushed when closing the lid of your travel humidor (if hard-shell) or been put under external pressure (when soft-shell)? Would you let us have a look at that your piece of equipment?

No, they were not crushed. They were in solid aluminium cigar tubes, which are cushioned top and bottom inside, and lined with a thin sheet of cedar. The tubes are crush proof, and fit into a leather outer carrying case. 

[SCgarman]

Believe it or not I had one similar to that one. Have no idea how it happened. Was not dropped. Only has happened once in 30+ years of cigars. Perhaps an enigma!

[wineguy]

I had a few dozen PLPCs in my old desk top which I no longer use(have an aristocrat now) and one that was deep in the stack inexplicably looked like it had been chewed or shredded and all the others were fine.  I had the humidor over populated with 65 bovedas and no other cigar ever had an issue.  Maybe just a strange variance,

[Fugu]

12 hours ago, Philc2001 said:

No, they were not crushed. They were in solid aluminium cigar tubes, which are cushioned top and bottom inside, and lined with a thin sheet of cedar. The tubes are crush proof, and fit into a leather outer carrying case. 

Coming noticed or unnoticed by yourself - it was damaged by force at some point in time. Mechanical impact, there is no doubt about it.

My take on it - likely then, and since it seems to be the backside, it was already cracked by the moment you took it out of its box (coming from a dress box as it looks, unless someone stepped on it  ) and you transferred it unnoticed to the tube. Once expanding from the box press within the tube the crack became more conspicuous.

A second possibility would be a cut from opening the box, i.e. too carelessly / deeply cutting seals (papeleta) or stickers, and thereby scratching one of the two outmost sticks (see pic). But since in yours the cigar's underside seems affected - rather unlikely. Or - is it in fact the cigar's right side we are looking on? (right side when frontally looked at the cigar's face; on closer inspection it seems so), - then likely a cut. Yours then having been the rightmost stick from the db-top-row.

 

[cigaraholic]

It looks like the Montecarlo fault?

[Squarehead]

Ask Rob to sent you a cigar welding rod.He should receive one with every master case ordered

[BuzzArd]

I had several of a box of RG88s burst, but not in such a prett, straight line along the right side.  It was damned annoying....

A couple of years ago I also experienced several cigars cut from aggressive box opening as Fugu mentioned. Always the far right stick on its very right lateral edge.  

But this shouldn’t have happened being in a tube. Unless it was cut and you didn’t notice and you loaded it in tor tube yourself...?   

[BrightonCorgi]

I had the same, but it was Customs cutting open a few cigars checking for drugs about 20 years ago.

[Smallclub]

On 1/27/2019 at 11:32 PM, JohnS said:

Also @Philc2001, check your humidor is really at 64RH. It might in fact be lower, this cigar was very dry and overnight it attracted some extra moisture, like a sponge, and hence the split along a hairline crack on the wrapper. 

This.

[Philc2001]

11 hours ago, Fugu said:

Coming noticed or unnoticed by yourself - it was damaged by force at some point in time. Mechanical impact, there is no doubt about it.

My take on it - likely then, and since it seems to be the backside, it was already cracked by the moment you took it out of its box (coming from a dress box as it looks, unless someone stepped on it  ) and you transferred it unnoticed to the tube. Once expanding from the box press within the tube the crack became more conspicuous.

 

This is a possibility I guess. I hope there aren't any more like that.