Canoeing Its not just a boat

A fellow cigar smoker asked me a question about his cigar burning more on one side than the other. I told him it was canoeing. Being a Newbie, he gave me a look like a dog would give you when you ask him a question, he tilted his head to the side and sort of whimpered. He recovered from the puppy look and asked me more about canoeing and this is what I told him.
You can not prevent canoeing 100% due to so many uncontrollable variables such as plant grown, humidity while drying and construction, however there are things you can do to cut down on this issue after you get them into you possession.
If your cigars are over humidified (over 70%) they have a tendency to canoe. If you have a good supply of cigars and they sit for more then 2-3 months on one side in your humidor they can also canoe. If you light your cigar and do not light it in the middle or do not rotate it while lighting it, it can canoe. Lower end cigars have a tendency to canoe as well, due to lower quality of leaves, construction and inexperienced rollers.
As I say anything hand made can canoe it is impossible to account for all the variables like sun-light, construction, humidity, quality of leaves etc. so if you rotate your stock every few months by a half turn or a flip and keep your humidity between 65-70% and rotate your cigar when lighting you should cut down on the percentage of cigars canoeing.
good Luck and Happy smoking.
Cigar Ash

Cigars Storage: What's in a Degree?

We all know by now that our *sticks should be stored at 65-70 Degrees Fahrenheit and 70% Humidity depending on your preference. I prefer my cigars at 70/70, I like mine a bit on the moist side because I think it adds to the flavor and makes them taste richer, rather then the dryer side which makes them taste & smell like burned leaves from your back yard.
So this is what we know the experts say 65 to 70 Degrees and 70% Humidity equals a good result, but the tricky part is you don't want to be too much more humid them 70 that causes a whole different set of problems.
Once the humidity gets up past 71-72% that's when trouble shows up in the form of cigars swelling, splitting ends and if gone on unchecked mold (the Bad kind). When lighting an over humidified cigar they are hard to keep lit and have a soggy feel and smell to them. They also have a tendency to flake off their wrapper or unravel. The high humidity will also cause cigars to *canoe which is never a good thing.
So remember Hygrometers are a must and the rule of thumb is 65-70 degrees & 70% humidity. If you have a Analog Hygrometer you want it to display between 65 and 70. If you have a Digital Hygrometer you want it to read 65-70 in the temperature and 70% in the humidity.
We hope that helps some of you Cigar fans out there and remember you comment and questions are welcome anytime, and if you would like to contribute to The Cigar Stop Blog please let us know.
Good luck and Happy Smoking.
Cigar Ash

*Sticks: A Cigar or Cigars
*Canoeing: When a lit cigar burns more on one side then the other resembling a canoe.