02/01/2023
Dangers of excess moisture.
Damp ci**rs are caused by storing or exposing ci**rs to excessive humidity, usually anything above 70-72 percent, which is the point at which ci**rs begin absorbing moisture rather than losing it to the surrounding air. Humidity is highest early in the morning when the temperature is closest to the dew point – the temperature where water v***r condenses into liquid. Humidity peaks during summer and falls during winter. Humidity also varies greatly depending on location. The average humidity in Las Vegas is only 30 percent, while in New Orleans, it’s 76 percent. During the summer, humidity there can reach 90 percent. Inclement weather is also a danger. Ci**rs absorb moisture very quickly in heavy rain, even if you’re standing under an awning. As little as five minutes in a rainstorm is enough to ruin an otherwise fine cigar.
When ci**rs become damp, the to***co leaves swell and it becomes difficult to draw smoke through them. The excess moisture also affects the burn rate. Instead of slowing down, often one side of the cigar will burn faster than the other, a phenomenon known as “tunneling.” An even burn is important because most ci**rs contain more than one type of to***co, normally dispersed throughout the cigar in layers to add flavor. Ci**rs might start out light, become rich, then earthy, or nutty, or spicy as the more of the cigar is smoked. When tunneling occurs, your draw becomes uneven. Flavors mix when they weren’t intended to or the taste of one to***co overwhelms the rest. Instead of a rich, multifaceted experience, your smoke become one-dimensional and dull.
A damp cigar also emits considerably more smoke than one with proper moisture. The thicker smoke not only clings to you more strongly, stinking up your clothes, but it can overload your sense of smell. A good smoke relies as much on your nose as it does on your taste buds. Cigar maker E.P. Carrillo considers the two to be inseparable. Your taste buds are only capable of detecting four different flavors – sour, salty, sweet, and bitter. Everything else is detected by your nose, and the two work in harmony to provide richness to everything you eat, drink, and smoke. When your olfactory senses become overloaded, your ability to enjoy a cigar is effectively deadened.
