jeebling wrote:80325: Alec Bradley Black Market, The Vandal, Toro 6 x 50
I like the mellow flavor in this cigar but they continue to be a disappointment. They haven’t burned well and I’m convinced that it is due to how the tobacco is rolled or maybe it’s because the binder and filler are not properly matched. Good flavor for a milder cigar but it is on my “do not buy” list.
It's possible that those cigars are too wet from being stored at 70 RH (or higher), where most online vendors keep their warehouses. When I first started buying cigars from CBid, many had burn issues, like you're describing. I'm assuming that those ABBMs were purchased here. I would smoke them soon after they were delivered, and they didn't burn well.
When I posted here about the problem, some helpful vets suggested that I let the cigars rest for several weeks in a humidor closer to 60-65 RH. They said the old "70F/70RH" industry wide wise men tale is wrong...a lower RH will produce a better burning cigar. So I lowered the RH in my humidor and storage containers to the low 60's...using 65RH Heartfelt beads and 65RH Boveda packs.
I was also advised to "dry box" cigars that come directly out from 70RH storage for immediate (within a few days) consumption, to reduce their moisture content. Dry boxing is putting cigars into an empty cigar box for a few hours to a few days. I accelerated the process by putting in the empty box a few small desiccant bags, because ambient RH here can be 60-70. Be careful not to dry them out too quickly...sudden decreases or increases in RH can crack the wrapper leaf of a cigar, due to expansion or contraction of the tobacco leaves. The cigars performed much better when they were drier...
