Some questions from a frustrated newbie

I have a few of those OXO containers that I use as well. I really just toss a boveda or two in each and leave them. I don't even check the rh on them as they are about as airtight as it gets. I use 65% packs, but thats just me.

The larger ones work great for large RG sticks.

Don't forget, you can coat your cedar trays, boxes, sheets, or lids with 100% distilled and a virgin applicator, and get that RH up REAL quick.
Then, the Bovedas work to bring things down, rather than bring things UP.....

I think the whole '1 puff a minute' thing is overthinking things entirely. I've known guys that love to smoke their sticks napalm hot: I used to smoke with a guy who would literally do 2 to my 1. I'm quite a slow smoker by comparison, and I don't care if I have to apply a fresh match to an almost extinguished cigar because of it.

Sounds to me like you have a stick with a crappy burn. Happens to us all, and I generally just forget about it and move on...

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Originally Posted by bobajob

I think the whole '1 puff a minute' thing is overthinking things entirely.

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I don't agree. When people say that they're saying that most find that taking approximately one puff per minute keeps the cigar cool enough to avoid getting harsh yet still allows it to continue burning. There are all sorts of variables that will change the optimal time between puffs (rH, puff "technique," ambient conditions, RG, etc.), but it's a good starting point. Without some sort of guidance you just end up answering the question of, "How fast should you smoke?" with, "Whatever works best for you," which isn't an answer, it's just restating the question, which is useless.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that the best way to smoke is to use a stop watch and take a puff exactly every 60 seconds and that it's obvious that there will be a lot of variation. However, more often than not, people find that they get the best results when taking a puff about once a minute or so. That's very useful information when you don't know if the best way is to puff every 5 seconds or every 5 minutes. It really narrows down the time frame for experimentation.

I am guilty of having a stopwatch going! Although, partly it was because otherwise I would have no reference of how frequently I was puffing, and partly to time the total amount of time it took to smoke the cigar.

I will go with longer, slower and less frequent draws on the next one :)

Put the watch away and relax its all good! Don't over think this Enjoy it every chance you get.

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Originally Posted by fiddlegrin

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While letting the cigar rest between puffs, you might want to try holding it like a pen, somewhat close (approximately 3/4" to 1") to the (burning) foot. This way one can monitor the temperature of our cigar and develop a surprisingly accurate sense of if we are smoking it too fast (too hot) or, too slow (so cool we can perceive that it is about to go out)

Best wishes, Dafiddla

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I smoked a robusto yesterday and noticed that I was actually holding it like a pen about 1/2" from the cherry to monitor temperature.