Quick question- My cigars go out before the halfway mark

What gives?

I bought a sampler from CI and every cigar I've tried goes out not even halfway through. It goes out on its own.
I take a puff every 30-60 seconds and they still never make it past half the cigar before they want to go out.

They start out with an even burn too. Latest was a 5 Vegas Classic. Very nice cigar, really enjoyed it. But it got close to the halfway point and went out.

My humidor has been running high temps lately. It's warm down here and no AC on yet. Ya think that could be the reason?

Right now it reads 77 degrees 67% humidity.

Off the top of my head, the humidity level sounds fine. It's possible you're not puffing vigorously when you do puff to really keep it going. It's also possible you're not cutting enough to get a good draw. What kind of cut or punch and method are you using are you prepare the cigars to smoke?

With the 5 Vegas i actually saw a red ember each puff so I don't think it's the puff. I got lots of smoke too

Here's the cutter I been using. I cut just before the end of the cap.

I use a butane torch lighter. I slowly roll the cigar while the flame barley touches the cigar until it starts to burn or blacken then i take the cigar to my mouth and finish the light.

I've been lighting using this method

hey jason, is it getting humid in your neck of the woods yet? that could also be a reason that might be affecting it.

I wouldn't say so Boris. The humidity in the humidor has been steady at 66-70%

only thing is the temp fluctuates between 70-80 degrees. Over night it gets cool then by dinner it's warm again. I've yet to turn the AC on in the house.

Its just strange that every cigar from the sampler has not burned past halfway.

Is that a tattoo I see on your arm?

Toothpick said:

I wouldn't say so Boris. The humidity in the humidor has been steady at 66-70%

only thing is the temp fluctuates between 70-80 degrees. Over night it gets cool then by dinner it's warm again. I've yet to turn the AC on in the house.

Its just strange that every cigar from the sampler has not burned past halfway.

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I actually meant the RH outside. I'm wondering if its too humid out if that might be having an effect on the way they smoke. Also how long have you had the sampler? I know some places tend to keep their cigars extra wet to try and compensate for the shipping time. If you haven't let them sit for awhile, they still might be acclimating and may still be a bit wet.

Boro62 said:

I actually meant the RH outside. I'm wondering if its too humid out if that might be having an effect on the way they smoke. Also how long have you had the sampler? I know some places tend to keep their cigars extra wet to try and compensate for the shipping time. If you haven't let them sit for awhile, they still might be acclimating and may still be a bit wet.

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I don't know for sure what the RH outside has been. Today it's 90% though because it rained over night. First time it's rained in awhile though so I'd say probably 40-60% average.

I've had the sampler for at least 2 months by now. I use the 69% Boveda packs so I can't see the RH in the humidor fluctuating much or being way off.

Just one of those things that can't be explained I reckon.

Are they all the same makes and models? If they are different makes and models and and they all go out at the same point my guy tells me it may be technique. It may be subconcious and unrealized, but you might be slowing down your puffs more than you think.

Maybe make a concious effort to take some extra big puffs after the 1/4 and 1/2 mark, get the ember burning good again, and see if it makes it past the 1/2 mark. A few big puffs like this, when you are having problems keeping it lit to begin with shouldn't put it at risk of burning hot on the inside.

Or just relight it.

Whiskey Badger said:

Are they all the same makes and models? If they are different makes and models and and they all go out at the same point my guy tells me it may be technique. It may be subconcious and unrealized, but you might be slowing down your puffs more than you think.

Maybe make a concious effort to take some extra big puffs after the 1/4 and 1/2 mark, get the ember burning good again, and see if it makes it past the 1/2 mark. A few big puffs like this, when you are having problems keeping it lit to begin with shouldn't put it at risk of burning hot on the inside.

Or just relight it.

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They are all different makes and models. I never noticed the cigars putting off much smoke when resting so it could be my technique.

Any advice on relighting? I mostly don't have this problem but I could have one go out on me. I would want to relight properly but if you google for it you get people talking about relighting another day after purposely putting it out, rather than relighting immediately when it has failed to stay lit.

If a cigar does go out I ash it, and then take that opportunity to clear it by blowing through it, and relight. No special technique is needed at that point just keep the flame off the cigar as you did before.

I know guys will save half a cigar and smoke it later or another day, but to me they always taste sour. I'm currently smoking a bowl off Hamborger Veermaster I started 2 days ago, so that is not me being pretentious.

captaincaveman said:

Any advice on relighting? I mostly don't have this problem but I could have one go out on me. I would want to relight properly but if you google for it you get people talking about relighting another day after purposely putting it out, rather than relighting immediately when it has failed to stay lit.

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I've heard mixed emotions on relighting a cigar. Obviously you can do whatever you want with your own cigar.
Some have said never to relight.

Others have said it's ok to relight if you let the cigar go out on it's own. And to relight, cut off the charred end and then light as you would a new cigar.
I've done this a handful of times. I should note that each time the cigar has tasted bad.

How long are you letting it set between puffs? I have some cigars I can forget for five minutes with no problems, and some that will go out in less than a minute. Relative humidity plays a big factor, if it's humid where you're smoking, it will cause your stick to flame out rather quickly without regular puffs.

Argonaut said:

How long are you letting it set between puffs? I have some cigars I can forget for five minutes with no problems, and some that will go out in less than a minute. Relative humidity plays a big factor, if it's humid where you're smoking, it will cause your stick to flame out rather quickly without regular puffs.

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30-60 seconds

Commander Quan said:

I know guys will save half a cigar and smoke it later or another day, but to me they always taste sour. I'm currently smoking a bowl off Hamborger Veermaster I started 2 days ago, so that is not me being pretentious.

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I had a cigar that just wasn't working for me recently. I wasn't enjoying the taste. It went out and I decided not to continue, but on the off chance that I might want to give it another try later I put it in the cutter and lopped off enough that it looked fresh and clean, and blew to clear it then stuck it in a bag.

I didn't put it in the humidor though, afraid it could spoil others.

Toothpick said:

I've heard mixed emotions on relighting a cigar. Obviously you can do whatever you want with your own cigar.
Some have said never to relight.

Others have said it's ok to relight if you let the cigar go out on it's own. And to relight, cut off the charred end and then light as you would a new cigar.
I've done this a handful of times. I should note that each time the cigar has tasted bad.

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Do you mean if it failed to stay lit and you want to keep smoking it, or do you mean saving it for another day? Either way I see no reason not to try unless you've tried it with the same model before and it was truly icky. There's nothing to lose.

captaincaveman said:

Do you mean if it failed to stay lit and you want to keep smoking it, or do you mean saving it for another day? Either way I see no reason not to try unless you've tried it with the same model before and it was truly icky. There's nothing to lose.

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I've never relit a cigar that has failed to stay burning. These that are going out I just say screw it. They haven't impressed me enough to really care to relight. I'm just worried if I buy cigars i actually like that they will do the same. Then I'll be bummed.

The few cigars I did relight I let go out on their own and came back to them later in the day. They tasted funny. But I didn't clear them....maybe that's why

What brands of cigars are these? CI has great sampler deals, but some come with some pretty low quality sticks thrown in with the good ones.