Thread: Cigars & Humidors

I was in Kobe just the other day and stumbled across a fine store that had a great collection of cigars, has to be the best one I have seen in years. They even had a nice collection of Cubans and I asked if they sold cigar boxes but they said they give them free when you spend X amount of $, but since it was close to closing time the owner let me pick one and have it for nothing, probably coz I was spending too long trying to decide which of the dozens of cigars I should choose. I then decided to see if there is one in my city and there was a small one so I decided to buy a Monte Christo which was in my price range and the lady also gave me 2 empty Backgammon cigar boxes for free.

1 cigar is my limit at the moment, I can't wait to smoke it. I have never had a Cuban before, though there was a good Cuban cigar shop in my city back home but it has closed down due to all these new smoking in public places, advertising Cubans and other cigar material which "encourages" people to start smoking. The laws there I think are getting out of hand, but there is one cigar store in another city which keeps getting harassed by the ministry of health.

You guys are a bad influence on me and are really going to get me in serious trouble with the wife.

I love cigars. I just bought a 2nd humidor this weekend along with a box of Romeo Y Julieta's Reserva Real Toro's....Great Mild smoke BTW. You can never have too many cigars, I want more LOL

Billy

I think there IS A RIGHT ANSWER TO THIS.
Leaving a cigar wrapped or unwrapped is an individual preference.Humidity will permeate the wrapping of a cigar..the cellophane..so it is true that you leave em wrapped.
IF you store unwrapped cigars and they TOUCH a cigar of another type/style/flavor...the oils from one cigar will agglomerate with the other cigar and CHANGE the flavor and personality of all uncellophaned touching cigars. The oils migrate from one cigar to another. It does take some UNDEFINED time to do this. IF you have 200 cigars and you have MIXED them with other types they will become changed even if you smoke a cigar a day...

So I suggest: DON"t let uncellophaned cigars touch another brand/type. That's why dividers are supplied with big humidors.
Unwrap or leave em wrapped at your whim as they get and keep humidity ~ the same.
Ageing a cigar does matter. I had a box of cigars that I HATED!!! I stashed them in the back of my humidor and forgot about them. In several years I stumbled upon them and they were terrific tasting...
For maintaining humidity I think the Heartfeltindustries.com beads are about the best technology we have today.
I don't use them exclusively because I have migrated from 50/50 glycol/distilled water to other types of beads to the heartland. I find Heartfelt the best/easiest, most stable. Here's my humoidor that I've had for ~ 18 years. A stripped upright lab freezer. Good airflow. Good tight seal for humidity control, big space. I had a heating pad inside to regulate temperature..found that I didn't really need it. Stored in my basement in Jersey. A humid/dry hot/cold area..Basement is fairly stable.
Inside
In the picture of the inside of the humidor upper left is a pan of glycol 50/50 distilled water and a floral foam block. Still in service!


On the door


Some travelers that I have. They are bulletproof, hold an amount of cigars for my trip and maintain humidity well.



Tom

Very nice setup!!

John

In the picture of the inside of the humidor upper left is a pan of glycol 50/50 distilled water and a floral foam block. Still in service!

Looks like Tom has pretty much the same set up as I've got. Two things to mention to anyone who wants to go big for a humi: non-working freezers and refrigerators can be had for free at your local appliance store (and you'll have a selection to choose from); a large humi needs internal air flow to keep all the sticks at the same humidity. Large fancy wood humis have fans to do this. It's quite easy to add some computer fans to your chosen appliance and run them off a cheap programmable timer. Cigar maintenance is cheaper than the cigars themselves.

Wayne, a full humi is a happy humi

Now this is the kinda thread I have been waiting for. NICE

Originally Posted by Huskysibe

I love cigars. I just bought a 2nd humidor this weekend along with a box of Romeo Y Julieta's Reserva Real Toro's....Great Mild smoke BTW. You can never have too many cigars, I want more LOL

Billy

I just picked up some Romeo Y Julieta's Special Edition 2007's Havana.......Oh Yeah..........

Lynn

Originally Posted by TOB9595

I think there IS A RIGHT ANSWER TO THIS.
Leaving a cigar wrapped or unwrapped is an individual preference.Humidity will permeate the wrapping of a cigar..the cellophane..so it is true that you leave em wrapped.
IF you store unwrapped cigars and they TOUCH a cigar of another type/style/flavor...the oils from one cigar will aglomerate with the other cigar and CHANGE the flavor and personality of all uncellophaned touching cigars. The oils migrate from one cigar to another. It does take some UNDEFINED time to do this. IF you have 200 cigars and you have MIXED them with other types they will becomne changed even if you smoke a cigar a day...

So I suggest: DON"t let uncellophaned cigars touch another brand/type. That's why dividers are supplied with big humidors.
Unwrap or leave em wrapped at your whim as they get and keep humidity ~ the same.
AGing a cigar does matter. I had a box of cigars that I HATED!!! I stashed them in the back of my humidor and forgot about them. In several years I stumbled upon them and they were terrific tasting...
For maintaining humidity I think the HEartlandindustries.com beads are about the best technology we have today.
I don't use them exclusively because I have migrated from 50/50 glycol/distilled water to other types of beads to the heartland. I find heartland the best/easiest, most stable. Here's my humoidor that I've had for ~ 18 years. A stripped upright lab freezer. Good airflow. Good tight seal for humidity control, big space. I had a heating pad inside to regulate temperature..found that I didn't really need it. Stored in my basement in Jersey. A humid/dry hot/cold area..Basement is fairly stable.
Inside
In the picture of the inside of the humidor upper left is a pan of glycol 50/50 distilled water and a floral foam block. Still in service!


On the door


Some travellers that I have. They are bulletproof, hold an amount of cigars for my trip and maintain humidity well.



Tom

Stash envy!!!!!!



Lynn

Eric,
You should be buying razors... LOL.
If you store differents ropes. Store them in the cellophane IMHO. Otherwise, lose the plastic.

Martin