Tonight I puffed a large Connecticut - 6.5 x 54. Halfway through I was interrupted and knew I would would be away for half an hour or more. So, I clipped the stick behind the burn and set it aside. I blew the smoke out of the cigar after I clipped it. A little while - maybe 45 minutes later - I re-lit it. Do you ever do this and do you think it changes the flavor?
I do that from time to time and some times I get a little harshness in the first puff or two but then it settles back into what I was smoking before I let it go out.
Honestly, I am still a newbie with my 2 years, and back then after watching some of the videos on YouTube, regarding how to "conservate" the half smoked cigars, like you Koop mentioned. I have tried one time, but I hated it because I have felt the harshness but beyond that I could taste only the bad, "ash taste".....
So ever since I am smoking the whole or not smoking at all...
I did similar early on but quickly realized it was not good. Tasted terrible. Smoking a Cigar takes time so it's better to set aside the longer sticks for when you have more time and find something smaller. Maybe a petit corona, nub or similar.
Once but never again after that, never regained its flavor. :biggrin:
Thnx for confirming my experience guys.. I thought its just my palate.... but what we can see on YouTube as well is rubbish... :-D
I have tried it but that stale ashy taste has already infiltrated the rest of the cigar so I would rather just call it a casualty and start another cigar once I am ready.
Interesting question. What about it going out makes it taste bad? And how long would it take for a cigar to taste bad once it's out? If you're smoking and it goes out for whatever reason; lack of attention, less than perfect roll, perhaps too moist, whatever, then most smokers just relight when needed and smoke on. So what's the difference between that and relighting 5 minutes later, or 10 minutes later, or and hour, or a few hours or a day later? After how much time after going out does it taste bad, or harsh or ashy, and why so?
I smoke cigars after they have gone out from 5 minutes to 24 hours and the results are sometimes good and sometimes not so good. Many times it depends what my expectations are at the moment. If I finish a cigar but feel like smoking a little more, I light a cigar that I did not finish the day before, usually 2.5-3" worth and many times that works out just fine and tastes just fine too. Other times it does not taste so good. I think it tastes worse if I finish a milder or medium smoke and then spark up a leftover med-full bodied smoke. The opposite has better results.
Some smokers put their cigars down for a few hours, or smoke a pipe bowl inbetween, and then swear when they relight their cigar it tastes even better. I remember this discussion here on the site many years ago. I believe it was Larry (ljlemer) who had this experience. Anyhow, if it works for you then why not, and if it does not then pass.
I've had them go out (as we all have) and I've been interrupted and let them go out - or clipped them as well (as we all have). What I have found to be true is what most of the guys are saying "it just does not seem to regain the original flavor or desired taste ever again". There's also something I've noticed to be true (in MHO)....If you clip one or relight one after being out for several hours - it seems to be more like the original stick if it's clipped in the first third. If it has burned much further along, well, the oils and tars seem to solidify at the draw end and upon relight "just taste nasty".......So they pretty much get "chunked"..........thus - if I'm smoking a high dollar stick or a favorite "premium" then it's best not to interrupt me - LOL.
As I have said I did not do it so much, but for example, a few weeks ago I was in India ( monsoon time), and one evening I was light-up a short robusto, and due the humidity, it went out 4 times. Although I was re-lighting it immediately, by the 4th I was putting it down as it was fully ashy taste.
I think the humidity, but also the amount of smoke the cigar produce could be the key, and how much it was rested.... I mean if the smoke of the cigar is strong, and the weather is humid, than easier, faster the ashy taste diffused into the leaves.... but this is just my logic