brand new, looking for help

[pgjones]

hey gang, i'm brand new to cigar enjoying visiting local cigar shops, learning the trade, and most of all enjoying a good smoke.
here's my question, and i thank you for any input/advice:
i feel like i'm not keeping my cigar lit as well as i should, i'm having to relight a average sized cigar (5.00x54) several times. i've watched online tutorials to learn how to light a cigar and i think i'm getting it lit well.
i keep my cigars in a box but i've yet to invest in a humidor, so they are stored in a cigar box (a cuban monte cristo box which i purchased while in mx, which is where it all got started).
you think they're too moist, soaking up too much of this eastern nc humidity? i don't know.
they also seem "hard" to smoke, by that i mean hard to draw.
my cigars are in my box any where from 1 to 2 weeks.
just trying to figure it out and get some perspective from a few seasoned aficionados
thank you kindly

[mrtr33]

Welcome to the boards.

I'd first figure out if it was a UE (user error). Visit your local tobacconist (preferably one with a lounge you can smoke in), and fire one up. Does the cigar continue to go out then? If so, it's you. Take more frequent puffs. Once you've tried a few sticks, you'll quickly learn how different sticks (usually) draw, and that will indicate to you how to smoke them. In my experience, smokes with looser draws allow you to take breaks between puffs - cigars with tighter draws, you have to puff more often to keep them burning right.

If this isn't the problem, and you aren't quite ready to dive into the expense of a humidor, just get a small cooler (there's an explanation how to set a cooler up as a humidor here on the boards). You don't have to get a large chest freezer cooler, just something that's air-tight. Go ahead and spend the $15-$20 on some beads from Heartfelt. You can always reuse those on down the road should you decide you'd rather have a humidor than a coolerdor. As for the humidity level you keep your sticks at, they can be anywhere from 62-75% humidity. It's your own personal preference, and one you'll just have to learn by experience.

Other tips others have shared with me: when smoking, and you notice your cigar is burning unevenly, turn it so that unburned side is up - this could help even the burn out a bit. You may be tempted to just burn that end with your lighter, but I strongly discourage that practice. Cigars with narrower ring gauges need to be smoked slower than big fat cigars. Be patient. This takes time. Enjoy.

[Roger]

Ditto on MTR33s comments. I have a coolidor with heartfelt beads and it works fantastic. More often than not I check the lit end of the cigar to see if I got the whole end lit. Sometimes it takes a bit of time. But I blow on the lit end of the cigar to see if the whole surface is red, if not I keep lighting and puffing on it until I get the whole thing lit, then I usually have an even burn and an enoyable smoke. Welcome to the boards, where are you from and what do you do? What kind of cigars have you tried so far? I like CAO, AF, Cain and Carlos Torano cigars.

[buzz]

Welcome from AZ.

They might be too wet, which would likely cause both the staying-lit issues and the tight draw. Try "massaging" the cigars a little bit before lighting them to loosen up the draw. Do the cooler setup with heartfelt beads and a digital hygrometer. Have fun searching the forum here, there's tons of info available.

-Buzz

[pgjones]

thanks mtr33, roger, and buzz - great stuff, helpful, and i will keep in touch with my progress. thank you!

[Mangyrat]

To high humidity may be your problem but also look in to a draw poker.

Some cigars are just to tight and have a hard draw like buzz said try massaging them to loosen them up some or use a draw poker.
Also you can dry box your cigars for a few days before smoking if you think they are to moist.