Humidity question

[Kip]

Question:

What role do y'all think the ambient humidity has in the actual experience of smoking itself? NOT the conditions the tobacco/cigar has been stored/kept/exposed to....but the actual conditions when you take out a cigar and light it up? While smoking my cigar this morning - the Tat Belle Encre Reserva in preparation for tonight's show - I noticed something "off." I'm very familiar with this cigar, and have had quite a few of them....but today just wasn't....quite...."right." The only real change is a front that came through last night did a couple of things. It dropped the temp, but only by a few degrees. The major change is the humidity. It dropped from a typical 70-80% down to about 40% (right now). The smoke had an airy, dry effect on the palate and the flavors were muted to say the least. Just wondering what current thinking is about how much of an impact just this environmental change has?

I do know that cigars taste *radically* different when I'm back in TN visiting family, especially in the winter. Do any of you experience the same when venturing into different climes?

I'm going to go smoke another cigar and see if the difference is noticeable as well. Y'know...in the name of science....gotta have a control, right?

[Kip]

For further information, I have no congestion, nor any other known variables. Food and drink taste the same. Everything else seems pretty familiar.

[IWinchester]

I absolutely think ambient humidity plays a big role. On the summer up here in MT the humidity is usually around 40-50%, but drops to near zero in the winter. Cigars seem to lose all taste in the winter, unless I'm smoking inside.


Kid Corona

[kurtdesign1]

An Australian merchant told me that their typical humid summers can cause drastic construction problems. The longer you burn, the more saturated the tobacco becomes. The wetter the tobacco, the more heat and steam, resulting in oft overheated sticks and burned out palates.

Related: do you guys think that your "dry" climate times are more related to how unprepared you are for the different smoking technique required after the change? I know I've enjoyed cigars in both dry and moist environments. Thoughts?


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[Kenhorne21]

I was recently in Las Vegas and thought it was just me but all the cigars I had out there tasted, well... Not good at all. I live in Rhode Island so this was odd to me.


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[kurtdesign1]

I'd guess that the environmental change dried out the cigars.


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[IWinchester]

I still think it has to do with the ambient humidity. My regular humidor has very little fluctuation, but cigars I smoke regularly definitely taste different. I need to do more research though, as perhaps temperature is playing the bigger role here


Kid Corona

[kurtdesign1]

Were sayin the same thing, Ian. The cigar is dried out more than you're use to, which causes a different taste.


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[Kip]

I was getting at something a little different. When I take out a cigar from my humidor it should be used to a 65% environment. MOST of the time, that's close to the ambient conditions on the patio (which run 70-80 typically). However, last Friday, the ambient RH on my patio was 35-40%. I was contemplating whether or not that in itself changed the flavor of the cigar - the amount of moisture in the air acutely affecting the smoke composition. The cigar, coming immediately out of a controlled environment, presumably hadn't changed much in the 90 seconds from humidor to patio.

[Zedman05]

Being that I have been to Cuba 3 times, and smoked a bunch of cigars there, then came back home and had some the next day, I can say that personally for me the humidity change is a huge factor. We have some of the driest air here, and thus causes issues in the winter. I know for a fact that my cigars that I purchased in Cuba 3 times now from the same place/box all taste different when they get back. I find the cigars taste better on the ISOM, and that isn't just me having the experience affect my judgement, I just taste more flavors and richness when down a couple thousand feet and near the ocean.

Cigar F^iend