Tar Buildup - ?

[jwr0201]

Need some sage input here, as this has me stumped.  Was enjoying a PLPC last night and about half way through, an extremely bitter taste suddenly came through and held for the next few draws.  Thought about tossing it, but decided to re-trim the head.  That did the trick and all went back to it's usual great taste.  Only have had that occur once before and on that occasion I saw a very small bead of black at the cut head.  Both times, I had used a V-cut from a quality cutter.  That taste is not to be forgotten - something akin to toxic sludge!  Cigars are kept at 68 deg. f and 62%, with excellent draw and burn.  What could possibly be the cause of this horrible taste and accumulation at the cut?

BTW, no cat litter, no cats in the house and the dogs don't mess with the wineador, so couldn't be a dog-rocket thing!  So... 

[Corylax18]

What temp/humidity were you smoking them at? Even if they are stored correctly drawing warm/moist air through a hot cigar can cause this. I have only noticed tar building at the head when I used a V or too small punch cut. I like to open as much of the head as possible to spread the smoked out across the largest surface area. I rarely have this issue storing and smoking most of my cigars in very dry Colorado, but I notice it more when I go to tropical locals like Hawaii, Mexico, Cuba, etc. If you are having trouble getting enough moisture out of the cigars try Rob's refrigerator trick, it has worked for me.

[Doctorossi]

Yep, that's tar coming through. It can often be caused by smoking in very cold environments that cause a significant differential between the burning end of the cigar and the rest. I've only ever had one cigar that I couldn't save from this with some judicious trimming of the head.

[BuzzArd]

Also, for me it means slow down....  

[soutso]

I've had stages of where this happens to me a lot and then doesn't for a long time. I have begun to suspect that it's the ambient conditions. (Temp and RH) I actually suspect that the ambient conditions can influence the taste of a cigar too. I've always promised myself to one day record the ambient conditions befire lighting up and take notes of the experience. 

Clipping the head a little works well and yes slow down how often you draw and make the draw a light one. When I can't clip further I actually very lightly and gently toast the head with my jet flame, careful to not touch the head. You will see that the moist tar burns up quickly and you won't need to toast the entire head. This works well for me too. 

FYI I store at 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 60RH. 

[Spanishcedar]

4 hours ago, BuzzArd said:

Also, for me it means slow down....  

^This works for me...

2 hours ago, Foulhook said:

Purge when the build up occurs. The first few draws after a purge are my favorites 

^This does not work well for me but many people do swear by it.

[garbandz]

I have this problem when I cut a small opening in a cigar.

Punch or slit cuts limit the path or the smoke and cause a buildup of unwanted tar at the cut.

also the buildup is greater if you smoke too fast.

Surprised to hear a PLPC caused this.

[Wonmotyme]

^This does not work well for me but many people do swear by it.

I swear every time I purge, when I go for my next draw my darn cigar goes out



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[Chellams]

I swear every time I purge, when I go for my next draw my darn cigar goes out



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This happens nearly every time I purge my cigars as well. Glad to know I'm not alone


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