What is a fine and what causes them?


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I am often asked this question. A fine is an archaic term for losses of tobacco due mishandling and neglect. Mold is a fine... Breakage is a fine... A few years ago I decided to resurrect the term and include it in my writing here.

I decided to borrow this picture from another thread. I thought that it might be interesting to hear what the membership thought went wrong here.

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I can quickly think of maybe 5 or 6 reasons.

What do you think it was? If you want to include it, please say who you believe is at fault, if anyone.

-Piggy

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Appreciate you improving my vocabulary :)

The few ideas that come to mind for me are humidity fluctuations (e.g. expansion and contraction of tobacco) and/or mishandling the sticks causing a small crack and its subsequent spread. Being new here and not wanting to point fingers this early in the game, I am going to blame the postal service. They always mess things up!!!

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Looking at the picture closely I think the band was likely applied too tightly or the cigar was rolled with wet tobacco and then was banded properly and the expansion of the wet filler (for whatever reason) caused it split around the band.  

My reasoning is if the cigar was dropped it would likely be cracked the entire length or have smaller cracks along the length.  This seems to clearly be a problem with the construction.  

Ultimately the fine was caused by HSA as the cigar shouldn't have left the factory with an either too tight band or with wet rolled tobacco. Yet another example of poor construction leading to an unsmokeable product.  

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Perhaps the leaf was cracked when it was rolled, or before it was rolled. As it dried/humidity changes/handling/etc. it continued to crack more and eventually split.

At any rate, I'd patch it up with a mixture of scotch and well chewed gummy bears, then herf it down.

Big Al

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This is from severely applied pressure, culprit being the end user, specifically from bending over, preparing to launch a canoe on a river via back pocket incident; furthermore, this could not have happened at the factory level due to the high quality of control.

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       * Happens to mine due to not being humidified enough. And a too warm environment inside the box.

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Mine usually comes from bouncing around in my drawers and overhanding when trying to arrange by size, type, etc. It may start as a small crack, but over time takes the whole wrapper out.

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That picture is of my cigar I received in the mail, when I opened the securely packaged cigars it was so hot. I let the package come up to room temp in my basement and then opened up the box to find the explosion. The vendor immediately reimbursed me for the cigar.

I asked for inspection of the cigars before they left...do you think they actually looked? Or did this happen during transport with the high heat?

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Ray, I have often read this word in your writings and have been meaning to ask you what you mean specifically. 

I interpreted it specifically as small cracks on the wrapper that appear as a "fine line". They can even be missed upon a quick inspection. They split and open up as you smoke the cigar. 

I suspect the fine lines occur when you store too dry. 

Finally, I blame you Ray. It's all your fault.

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Given the linear crack along the length of the cigar I would guess this was caused by expansion due to over-humidifying and heat. The cigar was likely too wet before shipping, and then from the heat in the delivery truck it likely expanded until the wrapper exploded. That's a common fine for over-humidifying. 

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John Hurt style Alien breakout caused by intergalactic strain of beetle.

Thunder & Lightening '75-'15

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