Don Carlos issues---what could be the problem?

[Indyhp]

I'm hoping the collective wisdom and experience here might help me figure out something of an enigma.

Maybe three-quarters of the cigars from a box of Arturo Fuente Don Carlos No. 2 I have are having construction issues. I got the box in July and has been in my end table humidor at a rock-solid 65% ever since. I've smoked may half the box and the cigars tend to split their wrappers by the second or last third.

What causes the binder and/or filler to expand and split the wrapper? More or less humid tobacco on the inside of the cigar maybe, but the whole box has been in a stable humidor for 6 months.

It's especially puzzling because I've smoked a bunch of these and other Fuente cigars and other than the occasional tight draw, they all have a characteristic perfect burn, until this box.

A couple of months ago, I moved the box from the bottom shelf to the top thinking maybe a slight change in humidity top to bottom might help, but no cigar.

So, I'm thinking I probably just got a bad box from an inexperienced roller, maybe, which is frustrating considering these are not cheap cigars. Or, maybe the cigars were way too wet or way too dry when I got them and they still haven't stabilized? Can you guys think of any other possibilities?

Thanks for the discussion.

[TreySC]

What's the weather been like when you have issues? I've had it happen to me some, but it is usually in colder weather and on cigars with what seems like thinner wrappers. Most notable Fuente Hemingways.

[Indyhp]

I haven't noticed any connection with weather. When I got the box, it was summer, hot and humid. Now its winter, cool and dry, mostly. But, I've been having the problem since the first one.

My house is climate-controlled 360 days a year and is 72-78 in the summer and 65-69 in the winter and hovers around 50% humidity year-round, though that shouldn't matter if the humidor is keeping up, which it does.

[TreySC]

OK, I thought you meant you got the box in July and they've just started having problems. I got nothing then.

[tjhemp]

Yeah I've had similar issues at times with many different brands and for me it has always come down to smoking them out in the cold outside air. For me once the outside temps come up the problem goes away. Sorry that probably doesn't help your situation.

The only thing other than cold I know of that can do that to a cigar is too much RH. Is it possible they started out much higher in RH and have not fully acclimated. I know if they are kept inside the box together it can take much longer than one expects to get the RH to come down.

Just my two cents. Good luck with it. Hopefully the rest will treat you better.

[Indyhp]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Old Smokey]

DC's seem to have a thin wrapper which also makes splitting easier. You might try storing the rest of them at 62rh and see if that helps.

[AlanS]

Take one out the night before you smoke it and let it acclimate to the atmosphere, see what happens?

[Chewbacca]

Well, tobacco by nature draws moisture from the ambient environment. The binder and filler are much thicker than the wrapper, they draw liquid faster than the thin wrapper can adjust to the change, thus the cracked wrapper.

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[Merovius]

As Old Smokey said, fragile wrapper to begin with, dry cold weather will contribute. Wetter is better to prevent cracking.

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