A friend of mine with whom I smoke on occasion seems to have reoccuring problems of uneven burns. I usually give him a bargian cigar to smoke and I don't really care what he does to it, but when we have a premium together, I hate to see it destroyed.

The burn has gotten better ever since I corrected his lighting technique. He was practially inhaling the flame into the cigar. We can be smoking the same cigar, but he has to constantly put a flame to his to keep it even where mine will be perfect.

The only other theory I have is that he's herfing on it too fast. He's usually done about 10-15 minutes before me, but that could just be due to having a flame on it constantly. Any suggestions? I can't watch another premium die a horrible death.

My friend has the problem too. Instead of taking one or two nice long puffs, he takes 6-7 really short ones. It seems to always burn bad on him. Ever since I pointed it out, he and the cigar seem to be doing better.

KC

Not sure if this matters but usually when I have the uneven burn it is because I am smoking it quickly. I then start rotating the gar bewteen every coupla puffs. Maybe it just slows me down but the burn corrects itself.

a lot of times, you can't avoid an uneven burn. it doesn't reflect the quality of the cigar in any way...it's just the nature of the beast. some leaves are oilier than others, naturally. furthermore, certain parts of a leaf may contain more moisture than other parts. best advice: keep a lighter onhand at all times, as touch ups will more than likely be needed. also, i tend to store my cigars at a humidity level between 65 and 67 percent, which has been helping.

Ditto what i.am.steve said regarding the lower humidity helping with the burn...69

I think touching up does help
Some cigars tend to correct, some tend to get squirrely
I definitely think the component tobaccos can make a big difference, hence the utility of giving cigars time to stabilize

Most cigar smokers that were/are cigarette smokers tend to smoke the gars too fast. This will lead to an uneven burn and worse cause the gar to taste terrible or at least not to its full potential.

Ask him to "Slow" down and take it easy with the gar.

Regards,


B

Mine burn crooked when I herf too fast. I'm trying to slow down and it has helped. Now, I'm just "double herfing." I take a small puff, then when it's lit up, I take another. Seems ok so far.

Doug

cigars that burn unevenly are usually the result of lack of rotation in the humidor, moisture tending to settle towards the bottom.

as far as the uneven burning, i suggest a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day.

I frequently see guys complaining about uneven burn. Here's a brief summary of a post I made on another board:
Uneven burn is usually due to one of (or a combination of) the following factors:
1. Smoking too quickly, discussed above. You should wait about 1 minute between puffs. The cigar will burn cooler, taste better, and last longer. With a proper RH, the stick shouldn't go out between puffs.
2. Uneven humidity levels between the wrapper, binder, and filler. Different leaves hold moisture differently. For example, ligero is a very thick, roughly textured leaf which holds a lot of moisture (relative to other leaves.) Since ligero is frequently on the inside of the stick (you can sometimes see this at the foot - ligero is very dark after fermentation, almost black), it will take longer for the moisture in the ligero to equalize(relative to the wrapper and binder) to a proper smoking RH. "Wet" ligero tastes "peppery hot," or like tobasco sauce. To me, it tastes unpleasant compared to when it is at a proper RH.
3. Poor quality tobacco/inexperienced rollers, especially in big ring gauge cigars. Only the most experienced rollers have the talent to roll the big gauges. If a particular brand/size that you smoke is constantly burning poorly, then it's the fault of the manufacturer(assuming #s 1 and 2 don't apply.) You have to decide if this is a problem to you - if the price is right, fine, otherwise, ditch that brand. Life is too short to smoke crappy cigars.

I frequently see guys complaining about poor burn due to an improper/uneven cut or a poor light. IMO, cut and/or light doesn't affect the burn. I've thought about all the times that I got a really poor cut/light while driving 65 MPH, talking on the cell phone, etc....and got an even burn. So I decided to experiment, using quality cigars that have been reliable in the past. I cut them at severe angles, lit one side of the cigar, lit a cigar by inhaling the flame, etc....things that you really shouldn't do. Guess what - in my tests, it doesn't matter. The cigar may burn unevenly for the first inch or so, but it should catch up by itself. I know there will be some who disagree with me, but try it for yourself.

Hope this helps.

I'm not sure about the 1 minute rule. I've noticed some sticks are ideal 'trainers' for people switching from cigarettes or trying a handmade cigar instead of swishers or really bad mixed/sandwich fillers. I never appreciated the many ways a smoke can go wrong until I punch cut a punch london club maduro and tantric smoked that baby. Large ring guage smokes seem to go slightly wrong and stay slightly wrong (unless they tunnel badly), but the smaller ones can go bad a lot quicker. If your buddy is killing the same stick as you try giving him a smaller ring guage cigar and cutting it so he really tastes the smoke. That definately slows down the need to hit it six times for your one and I find it lets ppl know when their cigar is headed south. One other thing, you might want to consider what you guys are drinking w/ your cigars because for a lot of people that seems to make all the difference in the world.