Do some Cigars just get hard?

WaterDemon

So I was looking around for an answer, didn't really see anything. It seems like some of my cigars are getting rather hard. They are about as hard as a pencil...but I have other ones that were as nice and slightly soft as the day I got them. I have a bunch of My Father Corona sized cigars and they are rock hard, and then I have some other corona sized cigars that aren't, same humidor and the humidity is usually around 70/70 degrees. Some of my bigger stogies are also getting there, around the cap area. I had a CAO MX2 tonight, the cap part was hard, the rest of it was slightly softer and it smoked alright... didn't notice any dryness, burn was good...etc. I'm going to go thru my bigger humidor tonight and double check on some, but I know the humidity is fine in there. I might just switch to an electric humidifier soon for the big humi(300ct), any suggestions? I'm using pretty much all Boveda packs, 69Humidity. Thanks!

Gray4lines

With the bovedas and at that humidity, I wouldn't think a lack of moisture is the problem. Some cigars are just packed tighter than others, even some of the same line will be harder than others. Maybe when you got them, they were actually OVER humidified??

When i buy smokes from a b&m or even ccom, they seem to have more squish than i like. I think in the mail, especially in the summer with the humi packs, they get a little too damp and have more give than at say 65%-69%. I know they are at the rh i like (65ish) when theres very little give and when your roll them in your fingers up near the cap theres a slight crunch/pop of the tobacco.

Diamondog

This is quite standard...as long as you trust your equipment and you calibrate semi regularly....I used to worry about a cigar being plugged because it was hard, not the case....sometimes you get a dud but most times they are fine....cohiba sig vi's get like this, almost rock hard but they almost always smoke perfectly...

WaterDemon

Ok, I checked my bigger humidor, Some of my cigars that have been in there for awhile since like April-May are slightly hard, the others have a slight squish. These are the ones with cello around them. My cigars that have no cello on them seem to be fine with some give when i squeeze them slightly. I smoked one of my Est. 1844's that have been sitting in there for about 6 months and it smoked fine...even though it was hard. Idk, first time I've had cigars sit this long, kind of freaks me out.

Gray4lines

Lol! I wouldn't worry unless you notice consistent burn problems. Sounds like they are healthy! Always good to be cautious though

Unthought_Known

I had a Cain Daytona Torp on Saturday, and it was hard as a rock. It was stored in my bigger humidor with mid 60's humidity, and none of the other cigars around it were nearly as hard, so I figured it was just the way that individual cigar was. It smoked fine, with no burn problems and no draw problems.

Rhamlin

I had a 5Vega AAA with over a year on it the other day that was like that. Rock hard and the wrapper looked wierd. But it smoked and tasted normal

interpim

Sometimes, when they are near really pretty girl cigars

jgibv

interpim:

Sometimes, when they are near really pretty girl cigars

LMAO

jthanatos

jgibv:

interpim:

Sometimes, when they are near really pretty girl cigars

LMAO

There is a NUB joke here somewhere. I am not going to make it, but I feel the need to point out it exists...

phobicsquirrel

jthanatos:

jgibv:

interpim:

Sometimes, when they are near really pretty girl cigars

LMAO

There is a NUB joke here somewhere. I am not going to make it, but I feel the need to point out it exists...

lol, well now that you said it like that it wouldn't work.

buckeyecigar

interpim:

Sometimes, when they are near really pretty girl cigars

Thats what she said

CAcigarguy007

If the cigar is kept at proper humidity it will naturally shrink and get a bit hard. This is a good sign of aging (must stress, so long as the humi is working properly) that occurs (generally) at about a year of stable rest. Actually, my best cigars tend to have free floating bands. This means that long term stable rest has occurred and I think you'll find that cigars like this smoke well and more importantly taste better (more balanced/more nuance) than their fresher counterparts. No need to worry this is part of the aging process, when the bands free float she is ready to smoke!