Thread: Cigars & Humidors

the advice i was given by the fellow that owns a factory locally where i shop and smoke. (the best hand rolled beauties ever!) told me to leave them wrapped until shortly before smoking and if they're in a humidor be sure it is meant for the number you have. i.e. don't use a 100 cigar hum. for 10 cigars. i enjoy an array of different flavors and styles so i tend to leave mine wrapped. but then again i usually have no more then 20 at any one time. i just don't smoke that many to justify a large collection. as was mentioned before it is personal preference like so many other things in life.

The local shop is habaneros… www.habaneroscigars.com

they have great stuff!

Thanks speed_pigeon, I'll check out their site! Thanks again to everyone else who has posted as well, your insight is appreciated!

Originally Posted by SteveS

It sounds to me like your hygrometer is inaccurate. If your cigars were really at 70-72 percent, they wouldn't dry out. If I were you, I'd do a salt test to calibrate your hygrometer.

I have two gel humidifiers in my large 150 cigar humidor and a digital hygrometer. This keeps my cigars at 68% humidity and in great shape. I do rotate the cigars now and then. When I buy new ones they go on the bottom. I have a 50 cigar size humidor that has my "Sunday Smokes". That is my high end cigars. It has one water type sponge adjustable humidifier and digital hygrometer. This setup keeps these prize stogies in prime shape. My daily smokes 100 also has a similar set up to the 150 setup. I don't have a digital hygrometer in it, but the standard brass one seems to work okay.

I found that rotating the cigars from top to the bottom about once a month makes a big difference in keep them in shape. I also make sure there is breathing room and that they are not packed tight in the humidors.

I've been smoking cigars for about 40 years and have tried various ways of keeping them and I have found that keeping the wrapper on is the best way to go about it. A good cigar can be fragile and the wrapper helps protect it. I currently number in the thousands of cigars and have CAD bad.
It is best if accumulating a bunch of cigars to make a a build in humidor in the basement if possible. At my old house I had a steam room that converted rather easily to a walk in humidor. In this house I store them in a closet which I still need to wrap in cedar. And you can use a humidifier with a built in sensor to keep the humidity level at it's proper level.
Ted

Originally Posted by SteveS

He, he, haven't you heard of CAD? I aspire to have only 200 cigars.

Dude I hear you there

I undress them. but like said there is no right answer that I have seen. The handling is a fact but if you handle carefully no problem if you toss them in your pocket golf bag etc. leave them on. To me this is the worst AD. Once you start you can not stop. someone mentioned pictures that would be cool

I have a budding collection of cigars ...

Humidity beads. Buy them. 'Nuff said.

Also, for those tinkering with the idea of - to buy or not to buy - a humidor ...

A cooler is a 'cool' alternative to a humidor. Just remember, even a small cooler holds quite a few smokes. I use a cooler to put some time on bundled smokes that I pick up from time to time. I bought a medium sized cooler and it can hold quite a few boxes of smokes and even more bundled smokes. I'd estimate it could hold 500 bundled cigars with ease.

I use a 300 count humidor for my good smokes.

Yep, I probably wont buy another humidor or a cooler for cigar storage. This way, I am limited on what I can and can't buy due to storage.

I have a disorder called 'impulse buying'. My storage limitations curb this disorder.

~Robert

I also use a cooler in addition to my humidor. It's called the coolerdor.
Basically you take some green florists foam and put it in small plastic
containers with holes drilled into the tops of the cover. It's a nice place
to store boxes of cigars before they make their way to the humidor.

A great place to buy a humidor is www.cheaphumidors.com You can get a
really good deal on a quality humidor. The one I got was real cheap
because there was a scratch on the back corner. It's one of those deals where you can barely notice the defect.

Oh, wrappers off here.

John

It's threads like these that tempt me to start again...

run away!!!

Originally Posted by Don

... To me this is the worst AD. Once you start you can not stop.

You're right. The big problem is the constant consumption of what you buy (like wine, whisky, etc). The inventory is always going down, so you have to be in the buying mode just to stay even....and once you're in that mode....well we know what happens.