HELP for a cigar smoker rookie?

[RetiredMP1SG]

First, thank you for reading this posting. My humidor is about 5 years old...and for the first time, my cigars are all oily. Any advice? Are they bad? Is it time for a new humidor? Did I do something wrong?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you again!

RetiredMP1SG

[badwhale]

What do you mean by oily? Wet, or actual oil? You're going to have to elaborate on your situation more.

How are they smoking? Do the burn correct, and taste good, or the opposite?

Welcome.

[RetiredMP1SG]

Thank you for the welcome!
All of the cigars in the humidor are oily to the touch, leaving an oily residue on the fingertips. I haven't smoked any of them since I didn't know if this was a bad situation or not. The last smoke I had was September 24, and as I continued to check the humidity level, I noticed them starting to turn oily. I rotated them, and noticed that rotating them hadn't helped. I'll smoke one today so I will be able to answer the other questions you had.

Thanks again.
RetiredMP1SG

[badwhale]

I've never heard of something like you're describing. What kind of cigars are they? Maybe they have painted wrappers that is lifting due to high humidity?

[ashauler]

What do you use for humidity control? PG solution?

[Shelby07]

I was thinking the same thing as badwhale. Sometimes cigar makers will spray the wrapper with a dye to make them darker or make the shade more consistent. This might be what you are seeing. I've had these cigars appear oily and at times the dye would actually come off on my fingers.

Do some research into the cigars you have. You should be able to find out if this is the case. If this is what you are seeing, don't worry about it. They are ok to smoke.

Good luck.

[craig]

When painted on cigars, diluted petroleum jelly is "oily to the touch" and can "leaving an oily residue on the fingertips." Some 'vintage' cigars were infamous for leeching oils (not plume) when stored for a few years. Coincidence?

Note that I am not saying that using a bethune or painting cigars is a bad thing. Sometimes a cheap cigar that smokes great gets a little help - sometimes a lot of help. Sometimes a great cigar gets a little help - Opus X wrappers get stored in sherry or port barrels IIRC.