Anyone else have problems with Taboo cigars?

I eagerly got the 10 stick sampler as one of my first purchases when I got home a few months ago to give them a try. I tried the HSG a few weeks ago and it was very problematic - couldn't get it to light or stay lit once lit. I asked about it in the Beginner's Thread and couldn't pinpoint a cause, so I chalked it up to an isolated bad stick.

I decided to give the Dominican Maduro a spin tonight - had almost the exact same problems. Couldn't get it to light. When I finally did, it would not stay light. It ended up being a pretty frustrating cycle of relighting, purging, constantly drawing to keep it lit, rinse and repeat. As you can imagine, wasn't a very pleasant experience .

My humidor is (and has been) about 67% RH. I'm no pro, but even with my imperfect lighting technique I've smoked a few sticks from the same humidor between the two bad Taboo sticks with no problems. So what do you guys think? Are they finnicky cigars that don't put up with beginners? Or could I have gotten a cruddy batch?

[loki]

anything could be possible. I've smoked probably 20 different cigars from them and while i don't remember the exact experience, I'd say they are no more or less prone to touch up then any other cigar i've enjoyed. How long have they been in your humidor? were the cigars dry when you got them?

I'll tell ya one thing, the costa rician maduro they have will take a giant rubber ball (the kind we all had as kids and you got at KMart) square to the foot while being smoked with only light wrapper damage after

Originally Posted by loki

anything could be possible. I've smoked probably 20 different cigars from them and while i don't remember the exact experience, I'd say they are no more or less prone to touch up then any other cigar i've enjoyed. How long have they been in your humidor? were the cigars dry when you got them?

I'll tell ya one thing, the costa rician maduro they have will take a giant rubber ball (the kind we all had as kids and you got at KMart) square to the foot while being smoked with only light wrapper damage after

They've been in there for probably 2 1/2 months now. I doubt they were dry as they were my first purchase so I was really careful to keep them in good shape. The only reason I'm thinking it may be the sticks is because it's 2 sticks now and I haven't had a problem with any other cigars they live with.

[alley00p]

I've bought a lot of sticks from Taboo, with very few problems! Give Rob or Patrick a call and let them know about your problems. I know the few problems I've had were handled promptly and to my complete satisfaction!

I've smoked quite a few HSGs, and never had a problem. I do know from Rob's emails, that they have just had a fresh supply of cigars come in. Perhaps they are still a tad wet. If you have a spare humidor or an empty cedar cigar box, try "dry-boxing" the sampler for a few days. That may fix your problems.

I just received a Taboo "sampler" package a few days ago,and I always let any of my sticks rest for a week or two, before smoking them. YMMV

[md4958]

Originally Posted by alley00p

I've bought a lot of sticks from Taboo, with very few problems! Give Rob or Patrick a call and let them know about your problems. I know the few problems I've had were handled promptly and to my complete satisfaction!

I've smoked quite a few HSGs, and never had a problem. I do know from Rob's emails, that they have just had a fresh supply of cigars come in. Perhaps they are still a tad wet. If you have a spare humidor or an empty cedar cigar box, try "dry-boxing" the sampler for a few days. That may fix your problems.

I just received a Taboo "sampler" package a few days ago,and I always let any of my sticks rest for a week or two, before smoking them. YMMV

Charlie offered some good advice here. It sounds like your sticks are too wet. Are you certain your hygro reading is accurate? When was the last time you changed the batteries and re-calibrated it (assuming its digital of course).

Tobacco is quite hygroscopic, meaning it will suck up moisture in the air. This moisture can make cigars so wet that the tobacco refuses to ignite. Wet sticks can take forever to dry out to the point where they smoke decently, and if your humi is in the high 60s RH% it will take even longer. Try the dry boxing, and if that cures the issue then you know what the problem was. Dry boxing simply means leaving your cigars in a environment that has a lower RH% than your humidor. Could be another humidor, an empty cigar box, or just on the counter. A couple or few days usually does the trick, but it may take even longer depending on the humidity.

If you still have a problem, call or email the Taboo team, their customer service is excellent.

If his hydro was off wouldn't he see this problem across all his cigars?

Originally Posted by md4958

Charlie offered some good advice here. It sounds like your sticks are too wet. Are you certain your hygro reading is accurate? When was the last time you changed the batteries and re-calibrated it (assuming its digital of course).

Tobacco is quite hygroscopic, meaning it will suck up moisture in the air. This moisture can make cigars so wet that the tobacco refuses to ignite. Wet sticks can take forever to dry out to the point where they smoke decently, and if your humi is in the high 60s RH% it will take even longer. Try the dry boxing, and if that cures the issue then you know what the problem was. Dry boxing simply means leaving your cigars in a environment that has a lower RH% than your humidor. Could be another humidor, an empty cigar box, or just on the counter. A couple or few days usually does the trick, but it may take even longer depending on the humidity.

If you still have a problem, call or email the Taboo team, their customer service is excellent.

[md4958]

Originally Posted by Addiction

If his hydro was off wouldn't he see this problem across all his cigars?

Good point Bryan, he did say the others are smoking fine.

[Scottw]

I've had a few and never had a problem

Originally Posted by Scottw

I've had a few and never had a problem

Only had a couple of them and I didn't have any problems. They were good cigars.

[Kreth]

The only issue I've ever had is with the Twists. Sometimes they'll burn a little uneven because of the two wrappers. But they taste so good it's worth the hassle.
Posted via Mobile Device

[bvilchez]

Never any issues except with the Twists like Kreth but very few

[Taboo Cigars]

Originally Posted by Chingo

I eagerly got the 10 stick sampler as one of my first purchases when I got home a few months ago to give them a try. I tried the HSG a few weeks ago and it was very problematic - couldn't get it to light or stay lit once lit. I asked about it in the Beginner's Thread and couldn't pinpoint a cause, so I chalked it up to an isolated bad stick.

I decided to give the Dominican Maduro a spin tonight - had almost the exact same problems. Couldn't get it to light. When I finally did, it would not stay light. It ended up being a pretty frustrating cycle of relighting, purging, constantly drawing to keep it lit, rinse and repeat. As you can imagine, wasn't a very pleasant experience .

My humidor is (and has been) about 67% RH. I'm no pro, but even with my imperfect lighting technique I've smoked a few sticks from the same humidor between the two bad Taboo sticks with no problems. So what do you guys think? Are they finnicky cigars that don't put up with beginners? Or could I have gotten a cruddy batch?

pm sent requesting more info.

The Lanceros have been the only known problem with staying lit. On the shipment we received this week, we increased the rg from 40 to 42 and this has made a huge difference and they are very tasty. We only have them in SFO/BC, not HSG at this time.
Also, we call in our local customers on every shipment for extensive visual and actual smoke/quality control testing. (We seem to have plenty of volunteers since everyone smokes for free! lol) Since we have been doing this, we are confident that 99% of all Taboo Cigars shipped to you are in superb condition. We also started packing all shipments in our humidor so they smell humidor fresh upon arrival to your home or office. Taboo has grown at a steady rate this last year and we are currently increasing the size of our humidor to meet the demand for our cigars.
As always, we take care of all of our customers like family and I am waiting on a reply from our friend here. If you are not completely satisfied with our service or product, please contact us immediately. Your business is very much appreciated.


Have a wonderful day Inmates and may God Bless our troops!
Rob, Patrick and Dan

Rob (US NAVY, USS OHIO SSBN726B)
Patrick (AIR FORCE)
Dan ( ??........ Wolfman?)

[CigarNut]

I just got my sampler pack from Taboo the other day, and they all arrived fresh. I had one right away and put the others in my humidor to rest and the one I had was very nice!

[Taboo Cigars]

Oh yes, we may be launching our new website today or tomorrow. I ask all of you "review experts" to please post reviews on our new website. Every product can be review and rated 1-5 stars. I thank you in advance for your time! Cigar Asylum will be the first forum to know when it is ready and expect to see some very nice Auctions. We will have multilevel pricing so, the coupon %'s won't be as high, but the prices will still be great due to the new pricing structure that you will see.

Thanks

[hornitosmonster]

Never had any issues with Taboo cigars. Were the cigars close to your beads/humidifier? If you do not rotate them around I find that the closest cigars to humidifier source tend to be a tad bit more wet then the others.

Originally Posted by hornitosmonster

Never had any issues with Taboo cigars. Were the cigars close to your beads/humidifier? If you do not rotate them around I find that the closest cigars to humidifier source tend to be a tad bit more wet then the others.

This one was actually the farthest (well relatively, it's a small humidor) and had been left in the cello.

Taboo - thanks for the PM, I will check it right now.

[ZenSilk]

The only problem I have had is with the Twist PC's, the problem was that they weren't as amazing as the Twist Robustos.

The HSG Lancero, one of the best sticks in the Tabbo lineup imo, can occasionally have some burn problems, but I have never had a taboo go out on me fortunately.

[J-Man]

I've had some sporadic draw issues with SFO's. Not bad enough to stop buyin' 'em...

[cigarlvr]

Every Taboo that I have smoked from Taboo has been out of this world AND TOP Quiality. Rob and his staff at top notch and pull no punches. These guys love there cigars and are very picky when it comes to the quiality of the cigars and the happiness of all of us. I have been dealing with Rob for over 2 years and he has to be one of the sincerious BOTL retailers that I deal with. Congradulations on your new web page!

Just wanted to give everyone an update - Rob was quick to address the issue. Even if I never smoke another cigar, I think he's made a life customer out of me. It's refreshing to know customer service isn't dead afterall! Thanks a lot Rob.

I'm also going to take the suggestions offered in the thread. I just switched out the humi-bag for a Heartfelt stick that everyone seems to recommend. I'm also going to dry-box the sticks. Thanks again for all the input.