Quote Originally Posted by DeeDubya View Post
I have a half lb of 65% beads in my large coolador but the hygro always shows 70%. Lately I've heen having some wrappers split within a few minutes of lighting up. For me, too high RH would cause wrappers to bust. Which do I believe, the hygro (70%) or the beads (65%). I think I'm going to let things dry out a little. I've got around 15 full boxes at stake in this cooler. BWA? Anyone?
Wrappers split because moisture builds up in the cigar as you smoke it. This moisture expands the tobacco in the bunch, placing pressure on the binder (maybe) and the wrapper. The moisture builds up because tobacco leaves with a moisture content equivalent to roughly 65% RH or more block moisture. Thus, the binder blocks the transfer of moisture, but the wrapper is getting dry (and brittle) because the ambient RH is sucking the moisture out of the wrapper. The dry wrapper tries to constrain the expanding cigar, and sometimes gives way with quite a "pop."

Thus, the major factor affecting wrapper splitting is the difference between the storage RH/Temp and the RH/temp of the environment that you smoke in. In addition:
- some wrappers are just not as thick/strong as others, e.g., a thick sun-grown broadleaf wrapper is less likely to split compared to a thin shade-grown Connecticut.
- if there is too much reliance on the mold to shape the cigar bunch when the cigar was made, then the binder won't resist the cigar expanding as you smoke it, placing more stress on the wrapper.
- an oily wrapper or binder is going to block the release of moisture.
- all other things being equal, heavier cigars - those packed with tobacco - are going to expand more than cigars rolled with less tobacco, i.e., a premium is more likely to split than a bundle smoke.
- ligero absorbs and retains more moisture. The more ligero, the more the cigar will expand during smoking.

The old-school solution is to slobber all over the wrapper before lighting to make the wrapper more pliable. Now some folks dry-box for a couple days (cello off, and cut the cigar for faster and more even drying.)

Myself, I smoke a lot more Maduro in the winter ... and keep one humi in the low 60's RH (62%RH at the moment)