Tunneling

[Nature]

For a couple months now, about every third or fourth cigar suffers from tunneling. It is frustrating as all get out! It greatly reduces the flavor profile and just does not provide to the overall satisfaction.

Backround:
Cigars stored in a winedor in the basement. Fairly constant temp about 66-68 deg.
RH currently at 62-64 and steady. Prior to about a month ago it was at 66. I would think the slight decrease in RH would have no or the opposite effect.

What are your experiences and cures for tunneling?
I am beginning to wonder if it’s my smoking technique or storage conditions.
Typically, the only effective remedy is to let it go out and cut off about 3/4 inch or whatever is necessary to get beyond the burned out portion and start over. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

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[Brimy]

How often do you rotate you stock?
Are you seeing this from a particular section of your wineador?
It looks like the inner portion of that particular cigar is dryer than the wrapper.
Do you dry box?
I haven't experienced that issue.

[Regiampiero]

Yea, I've had that issue in the past, but I came to the conclusion that manufacturing was to blame. Sometimes the rollers just dont have a good day, or the blend is too heavy on volato in the filler. Ether way its frustrating, but all you can do is grab another stick and keep on moving on. No reason to doubt your set up when most of them smoke fine.

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[Nature]

How often do you rotate you stock?
Are you seeing this from a particular section of your wineador?
It looks like the inner portion of that particular cigar is dryer than the wrapper.
Do you dry box?
I haven't experienced that issue.

I don’t rotate, at least intentionally. My winedor doesn’t have drawers, but I use Spanish cedar trays. They get rotated when I pull out 3-4 trays and put them back in random order on the shelves. I do have a recirculating fan on a timer for 30 min every 12 hours. The cigars in each tray do not usually get changed around, unless I am searching for something and remove several cigars. They don’t always make it back into the same tray. I’ve changed nothing in my setup except for the fan, but that has been 6-12 months ago. Been using silica kitty litter for about 8 years, and this winedor for about 3-4. My silica is in 3 different trays/boxes dispersed throughout- top shelf, bottom, and a middle shelf. Maybe some fresh silica is in order? IDK, humidity readings have been very stable with little variation. I do not dry box. That is too much planning. It is more of a grab and go based on my mood.

[Old Smokey]

I have experienced tunneling a couple of times over the years and chalked it up to poor rolling or me not paying attention to the cigar and was smoking to slowly and all but the center went out. I would do the same as you described and let it go out and then cut a section out until I got passed the tunnel and relit. If I remember correctly that seemed to work.

[Brimy]

Do you find the tunneling with a particular kind of wrapper?
If your rH has been stable then I don't think your media is the issue.
The question is why is the wrapper & outer leaves staying so wet that they won't burn?

[SoCal gunner]

Same here Mark, and its more so from recent B&M purchases. That and canoeing seems up too.

[WNYTONY]

Have only seen it on the odd stick every now and then but I do tend to keep an eye on the wrapper and force it with touch ups if I see one side or the whole just doesn't look like it's burning well. Like others said - probably just handmade product and inconsistent at times.

[Nature]

Same here Mark, and its more so from recent B&M purchases. That and canoeing seems up too.
Perhaps it is a quality / storage in transit issue. I know I’ve heard, and I think you mentioned it, there have been long delays in shipments. Perhaps they got all dried out sitting in a container somewhere and just need more time to fully rehydrate / acclimate in the humidor. I will have to pay more attention if it happens more with recent purchases.

BTW, my recirculating fan got messed up and was moving air 8-10 hours a day in various intervals and durations. It’s one of those cheap timers with the pins on a dial you push in to set on times. Something got set on it or bumped into it and randomly pushed a bunch of pins in.

I know too much circulation or constant running fan in a smaller humidor isn’t good from prior experience.

[Nature]

Do you find the tunneling with a particular kind of wrapper?
If your rH has been stable then I don't think your media is the issue.
The question is why is the wrapper & outer leaves staying so wet that they won't burn?

I don’t think the wrapper is necessarily wet, just less dry than the interior.

[Brimy]

I don’t think the wrapper is necessarily wet, just less dry than the interior.

Absolutely!
But it's wet enough not to want to burn. The question is why?
Maybe you should try dry boxing one and see what happens.

[jrfoxx]

Never really had it happen very many times, but since I raised the rh in all my tupperdoors to 65%, i have had far less issues of any kind, and definitely no tunneling

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[Tombstone]

I would try dry boxing. Get the wrapper drier than the interior. Have you been smoking faster? other thought that cones to mind is are you getting loose particles falling out the tunnels? Word on the street is with the supply being a little wonky you could see a resurgence of the tobbacco beatle. Do you hear popping when smoking?

- - - Updated - - -

I little less common ideas but something to keep in mind.

[jrfoxx]

Yea, I've had that issue in the past, but I came to the conclusion that manufacturing was to blame. Sometimes the rollers just dont have a good day, or the blend is too heavy on volato in the filler. Ether way its frustrating, but all you can do is grab another stick and keep on moving on. No reason to doubt your set up when most of them smoke fine.

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I used to have this problem fairly regularly in the past, but when I increased my rh from 62% to 65% it hasn't happened again, and that was about 6 months ago.

May just be coincidence though as your rh is pretty close to the same.

I kinda suspect its a manufacturing issue as well, and have just gotten lucky with more recent production sticks

[chain_gang]

Mark, saw you had another tunneling issue. Ran into my own issues on the past couple days - trouble lighting the filler, and a draw issue that seemed fine till I lit it.

Think these issues could be due to high humidity and temps outdoors?

I believe my cigars are smoking better at night, when it's less humid and more cool. Gonna stick with nighttime smoking when outdoors for awhile.