Cigar education..... Help me out
#1
08-06-2009, 07:21 PM
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Peters, MO (outside STL)
Posts: 4,266
Cigar education..... Help me out
So I really enjoying having a cigar and have them fairly regualrly. Probably once a week or so, but I never buy bundles ect. I have been looking at cheap humi's so I could buy a small bulk to have on hand. A few questions
I do not know anything about Cigars....lol I just enjoy them
Can someone give me a basic rundown on a decent humi? Is something like this a piece of shit? I really like the look of that one.
120 ct UNIQUE CIGAR HUMIDOR - CLEAR TOP AND FRONT VIEW - eBay (item 290337303378 end time Aug-06-09 17:28:00 PDT)
Also, What are the basics of cigars? I like mild type ones that smoke for 45 min to an hour ect. Recently I have had a few Romeo y Julieta recently and like them. I also am a fan of Acid Cigars, my favorite Cigar I can remember having was a Acid Extraordinary Larry. I loved it!
Anyway, so basic Cigar talk is all Im looking for and some info to help me on my way. Thanks guys!
I do not know anything about Cigars....lol I just enjoy them
Can someone give me a basic rundown on a decent humi? Is something like this a piece of shit? I really like the look of that one.
120 ct UNIQUE CIGAR HUMIDOR - CLEAR TOP AND FRONT VIEW - eBay (item 290337303378 end time Aug-06-09 17:28:00 PDT)
Also, What are the basics of cigars? I like mild type ones that smoke for 45 min to an hour ect. Recently I have had a few Romeo y Julieta recently and like them. I also am a fan of Acid Cigars, my favorite Cigar I can remember having was a Acid Extraordinary Larry. I loved it!
Anyway, so basic Cigar talk is all Im looking for and some info to help me on my way. Thanks guys!
#2
08-06-2009, 08:35 PM
You are honestly better off just buying them as you smoke if you have easy access to a cigar store. Maintaining a humidor is a pain in the ass if you aren't diligent about it. I am sure others will disagree, but if you are a casual smoker and don't plan on keeping it full, you are better off buying as you go IMO.
#3
08-06-2009, 08:41 PM
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Peters, MO (outside STL)
Posts: 4,266
You are honestly better off just buying them as you smoke if you have easy access to a cigar store. Maintaining a humidor is a pain in the ass if you aren't diligent about it. I am sure others will disagree, but if you are a casual smoker and don't plan on keeping it full, you are better off buying as you go IMO.
#4
08-06-2009, 10:35 PM
I opened the first cigar shop on the south side of Atlanta back in the day, I gotta thing for cigars... 
Jarod is right, the easiest thing to do is simply keep a few on hand, unless you're up for maintaining a humidor.
Now... if you are dead set on getting a humidor, I applaud you. The easiest way to maintain a humi nowadays is to buy an electronic humidifier, or if you don't want to spend the cash on that, get the humi-crystals. You simply put water in these things once a month and your good to go. They're actually made out of some type of lawn product I believe. Can't remember...
I've got more cigars on hand than I can count. Most of them are several years old. I end up buying five or six at my local shop, and smoking on those through out the week. Wanna know where I keep those? In the bag that I bought them in, under my kitchen sink. Its a great place to store smokes temporarily. I've got 3, 250 count humidors slammed full within eye shot of me right now. Got all of the humidors from the manufacturers when I had my shop.
At any rate... Basics... Hmmm... Do not define how heavy you like a smoke right now if you're just really getting into it. Most people make their cigars harsh and they don't even realize it. You know what ring gauge you like, which is good.
A very basic and very important thing to know... Never, never, never, let the flame touch the cigar when you're lighting it. Do not make it worse by lighting with a zippo. Once that flame touches the tobacco, the junk in the fuel from the lighter will taint the flavor of the stick, making a cigar potentially harsh in taste and scent. Hold the stick perfectly upright at the very tip of the flame, the hottest part, without touching; and toast it until the face is blackened. Take your time, make it a ritual, and enjoy it.
Once toasted, stuff it in your gaping maw, and rotate the stick of the very tip of the flame, without touching, until flame leaps from the end of the stick. Turn the stick over, checking to see that it is evenly lit... enjoy...
If you want to get really geeky... drag no more than once a minute, and hold the stick parallel to the floor.
The only real important basics are to know what ring gauge you like, and lighting correctly!
As for the humidor in that auction... it will serve your purpose, IF you pay attention to the humidor. A box like that will not hold humidity at a constant very well, and it will allow the cigars to dry if you do not check it religiously. Frankly, I don't know many that are good about checking their boxes religiously, simply because the point of a humidor is to let the smokes age. Opening and adjusting fluid levels in the humidification unit doesn't make for a stable environment. A rectangular piece of tupperware, with a damp paper towel and a slice of apple does a better job of keeping humidity stable than one of those boxes. No joke. Under the kitchen sink does a good job as well...
If you're going to take this up as a hobby, and I highly recommend that you do, you'd do well to find a Davidoff box, or some other higher end humidor. I'm a huge fan of Davidoff or Dunhill humidors. Not a fan of Davidoff cigars, I am a HUGE fan of anything Dunhill. I digress... spend the extra cash on a good humidor, and they will take great care of your smokes.
Jarod is right, the easiest thing to do is simply keep a few on hand, unless you're up for maintaining a humidor.
Now... if you are dead set on getting a humidor, I applaud you. The easiest way to maintain a humi nowadays is to buy an electronic humidifier, or if you don't want to spend the cash on that, get the humi-crystals. You simply put water in these things once a month and your good to go. They're actually made out of some type of lawn product I believe. Can't remember...
I've got more cigars on hand than I can count. Most of them are several years old. I end up buying five or six at my local shop, and smoking on those through out the week. Wanna know where I keep those?
In the bag that I bought them in, under my kitchen sink. Its a great place to store smokes temporarily. I've got 3, 250 count humidors slammed full within eye shot of me right now. Got all of the humidors from the manufacturers when I had my shop. At any rate... Basics... Hmmm... Do not define how heavy you like a smoke right now if you're just really getting into it. Most people make their cigars harsh and they don't even realize it. You know what ring gauge you like, which is good.
A very basic and very important thing to know... Never, never, never, let the flame touch the cigar when you're lighting it. Do not make it worse by lighting with a zippo. Once that flame touches the tobacco, the junk in the fuel from the lighter will taint the flavor of the stick, making a cigar potentially harsh in taste and scent. Hold the stick perfectly upright at the very tip of the flame, the hottest part, without touching; and toast it until the face is blackened. Take your time, make it a ritual, and enjoy it.
Once toasted, stuff it in your gaping maw, and rotate the stick of the very tip of the flame, without touching, until flame leaps from the end of the stick. Turn the stick over, checking to see that it is evenly lit... enjoy...
If you want to get really geeky... drag no more than once a minute, and hold the stick parallel to the floor.
The only real important basics are to know what ring gauge you like, and lighting correctly!
As for the humidor in that auction... it will serve your purpose, IF you pay attention to the humidor. A box like that will not hold humidity at a constant very well, and it will allow the cigars to dry if you do not check it religiously. Frankly, I don't know many that are good about checking their boxes religiously, simply because the point of a humidor is to let the smokes age. Opening and adjusting fluid levels in the humidification unit doesn't make for a stable environment. A rectangular piece of tupperware, with a damp paper towel and a slice of apple does a better job of keeping humidity stable than one of those boxes. No joke. Under the kitchen sink does a good job as well...
If you're going to take this up as a hobby, and I highly recommend that you do, you'd do well to find a Davidoff box, or some other higher end humidor. I'm a huge fan of Davidoff or Dunhill humidors. Not a fan of Davidoff cigars, I am a HUGE fan of anything Dunhill. I digress... spend the extra cash on a good humidor, and they will take great care of your smokes.
#6
08-07-2009, 12:03 AM
All good advice above, I really enjoy a good Romeo Y Julietta or a Punch or H. Upmann once in awhile. I don't smoke them enough to use a humidor so I'm no help there. I've actually ruined a box of Cohibas for a golf trip. Left the box out for a few days. I've learned my lesson at least.
#7
08-07-2009, 12:11 AM
Brian, you are killing me bro.
I'm a cigar lover but unfortunately I have been smoking cigars less lately - my pipe has been seeing more use. I tried a humidor once but gave up on it due to the maintenance necessary to keep it working effectively.
Give me a CAO, La Gloria Serie R (56 ring), MC #2, Fuente and I'm a happy man.
I'm a cigar lover but unfortunately I have been smoking cigars less lately - my pipe has been seeing more use. I tried a humidor once but gave up on it due to the maintenance necessary to keep it working effectively.
Give me a CAO, La Gloria Serie R (56 ring), MC #2, Fuente and I'm a happy man.
Last edited by Alex; 08-07-2009 at 12:35 AM.
#8
08-07-2009, 04:58 AM
My first humidor was a flat piece of Tupperware with a cut-off corner of a brand new kitchen sponge and some cedar moth balls thrown in. With its tight, plastic seal, it retained humidity for months at a time with out maintenance.
When I got more serious, I bought a proper wooden one and YES they require maintenance. As I like Habanos which should be aged for at least a few months before smoking, a proper humidor is essential for me. I've had more than a few cigars dry out, especially in the winter when the air gets dry. One of the most important things you can do is to keep your humidor full, or almost full of cigars. Humidity is stored in the cigars, as well as in the wood of the interior. For this reason, most good cigar shops keep their for-sale humidors in their walk-in humidor. If you get one through the mail, the interior may well be dry and will require humidifying before use in order to prevent the interior from sucking the moisture from your valuable smokes.
When I got more serious, I bought a proper wooden one and YES they require maintenance. As I like Habanos which should be aged for at least a few months before smoking, a proper humidor is essential for me. I've had more than a few cigars dry out, especially in the winter when the air gets dry. One of the most important things you can do is to keep your humidor full, or almost full of cigars. Humidity is stored in the cigars, as well as in the wood of the interior. For this reason, most good cigar shops keep their for-sale humidors in their walk-in humidor. If you get one through the mail, the interior may well be dry and will require humidifying before use in order to prevent the interior from sucking the moisture from your valuable smokes.
#9
08-07-2009, 08:28 AM
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Peters, MO (outside STL)
Posts: 4,266
I opened the first cigar shop on the south side of Atlanta back in the day, I gotta thing for cigars...
Jarod is right, the easiest thing to do is simply keep a few on hand, unless you're up for maintaining a humidor.
Now... if you are dead set on getting a humidor, I applaud you. The easiest way to maintain a humi nowadays is to buy an electronic humidifier, or if you don't want to spend the cash on that, get the humi-crystals. You simply put water in these things once a month and your good to go. They're actually made out of some type of lawn product I believe. Can't remember...
I've got more cigars on hand than I can count. Most of them are several years old. I end up buying five or six at my local shop, and smoking on those through out the week. Wanna know where I keep those? In the bag that I bought them in, under my kitchen sink. Its a great place to store smokes temporarily. I've got 3, 250 count humidors slammed full within eye shot of me right now. Got all of the humidors from the manufacturers when I had my shop.
At any rate... Basics... Hmmm... Do not define how heavy you like a smoke right now if you're just really getting into it. Most people make their cigars harsh and they don't even realize it. You know what ring gauge you like, which is good.
A very basic and very important thing to know... Never, never, never, let the flame touch the cigar when you're lighting it. Do not make it worse by lighting with a zippo. Once that flame touches the tobacco, the junk in the fuel from the lighter will taint the flavor of the stick, making a cigar potentially harsh in taste and scent. Hold the stick perfectly upright at the very tip of the flame, the hottest part, without touching; and toast it until the face is blackened. Take your time, make it a ritual, and enjoy it.
Once toasted, stuff it in your gaping maw, and rotate the stick of the very tip of the flame, without touching, until flame leaps from the end of the stick. Turn the stick over, checking to see that it is evenly lit... enjoy...
If you want to get really geeky... drag no more than once a minute, and hold the stick parallel to the floor.
The only real important basics are to know what ring gauge you like, and lighting correctly!
As for the humidor in that auction... it will serve your purpose, IF you pay attention to the humidor. A box like that will not hold humidity at a constant very well, and it will allow the cigars to dry if you do not check it religiously. Frankly, I don't know many that are good about checking their boxes religiously, simply because the point of a humidor is to let the smokes age. Opening and adjusting fluid levels in the humidification unit doesn't make for a stable environment. A rectangular piece of tupperware, with a damp paper towel and a slice of apple does a better job of keeping humidity stable than one of those boxes. No joke. Under the kitchen sink does a good job as well...
If you're going to take this up as a hobby, and I highly recommend that you do, you'd do well to find a Davidoff box, or some other higher end humidor. I'm a huge fan of Davidoff or Dunhill humidors. Not a fan of Davidoff cigars, I am a HUGE fan of anything Dunhill. I digress... spend the extra cash on a good humidor, and they will take great care of your smokes.
Jarod is right, the easiest thing to do is simply keep a few on hand, unless you're up for maintaining a humidor.
Now... if you are dead set on getting a humidor, I applaud you. The easiest way to maintain a humi nowadays is to buy an electronic humidifier, or if you don't want to spend the cash on that, get the humi-crystals. You simply put water in these things once a month and your good to go. They're actually made out of some type of lawn product I believe. Can't remember...
I've got more cigars on hand than I can count. Most of them are several years old. I end up buying five or six at my local shop, and smoking on those through out the week. Wanna know where I keep those?
In the bag that I bought them in, under my kitchen sink. Its a great place to store smokes temporarily. I've got 3, 250 count humidors slammed full within eye shot of me right now. Got all of the humidors from the manufacturers when I had my shop. At any rate... Basics... Hmmm... Do not define how heavy you like a smoke right now if you're just really getting into it. Most people make their cigars harsh and they don't even realize it. You know what ring gauge you like, which is good.
A very basic and very important thing to know... Never, never, never, let the flame touch the cigar when you're lighting it. Do not make it worse by lighting with a zippo. Once that flame touches the tobacco, the junk in the fuel from the lighter will taint the flavor of the stick, making a cigar potentially harsh in taste and scent. Hold the stick perfectly upright at the very tip of the flame, the hottest part, without touching; and toast it until the face is blackened. Take your time, make it a ritual, and enjoy it.
Once toasted, stuff it in your gaping maw, and rotate the stick of the very tip of the flame, without touching, until flame leaps from the end of the stick. Turn the stick over, checking to see that it is evenly lit... enjoy...
If you want to get really geeky... drag no more than once a minute, and hold the stick parallel to the floor.
The only real important basics are to know what ring gauge you like, and lighting correctly!
As for the humidor in that auction... it will serve your purpose, IF you pay attention to the humidor. A box like that will not hold humidity at a constant very well, and it will allow the cigars to dry if you do not check it religiously. Frankly, I don't know many that are good about checking their boxes religiously, simply because the point of a humidor is to let the smokes age. Opening and adjusting fluid levels in the humidification unit doesn't make for a stable environment. A rectangular piece of tupperware, with a damp paper towel and a slice of apple does a better job of keeping humidity stable than one of those boxes. No joke. Under the kitchen sink does a good job as well...
If you're going to take this up as a hobby, and I highly recommend that you do, you'd do well to find a Davidoff box, or some other higher end humidor. I'm a huge fan of Davidoff or Dunhill humidors. Not a fan of Davidoff cigars, I am a HUGE fan of anything Dunhill. I digress... spend the extra cash on a good humidor, and they will take great care of your smokes.
My first humidor was a flat piece of Tupperware with a cut-off corner of a brand new kitchen sponge and some cedar moth balls thrown in. With its tight, plastic seal, it retained humidity for months at a time with out maintenance.
When I got more serious, I bought a proper wooden one and YES they require maintenance. As I like Habanos which should be aged for at least a few months before smoking, a proper humidor is essential for me. I've had more than a few cigars dry out, especially in the winter when the air gets dry. One of the most important things you can do is to keep your humidor full, or almost full of cigars. Humidity is stored in the cigars, as well as in the wood of the interior. For this reason, most good cigar shops keep their for-sale humidors in their walk-in humidor. If you get one through the mail, the interior may well be dry and will require humidifying before use in order to prevent the interior from sucking the moisture from your valuable smokes.
When I got more serious, I bought a proper wooden one and YES they require maintenance. As I like Habanos which should be aged for at least a few months before smoking, a proper humidor is essential for me. I've had more than a few cigars dry out, especially in the winter when the air gets dry. One of the most important things you can do is to keep your humidor full, or almost full of cigars. Humidity is stored in the cigars, as well as in the wood of the interior. For this reason, most good cigar shops keep their for-sale humidors in their walk-in humidor. If you get one through the mail, the interior may well be dry and will require humidifying before use in order to prevent the interior from sucking the moisture from your valuable smokes.
EXACTLY the kind of advice I was looking for, CHoke, never knew about the "proper" way to light it. Ill have to try that next time. I picked up a Don Diego last night fwiw
The humi advice is well noted. What kind of maint. is required? Is it just making sure you have the right amount of water in it ect? I like the sound of the once a month crystals as well. Choke, where do you live? If I am in the area for work, I should swing by for a smoke with you...
And lets see a few pics of your humi's!
#10
08-07-2009, 04:34 PM
"What kind of maint. is required? Is it just making sure you have the right amount of water in it ect?"
Yep, it's all about keeping the humidity level right. If your humidifying device goes dry, you won't see a huge tumble in the reading on your hygrometer, as the cigars and interior of the box retain moisture which will slowly bleed off. I usually see only a minor dip in the instrument reading when it's time to rehydrate. As a buffer, I also took a whole, new kitchen sponge, put it on the inside of a sandwich baggie and keep it on top. It's helped to prevent any dryouts. It's important to note that if you use a sponge in any way, make sure the sponge and any droplets of water NEVER touch any of your cigars, as they may expand and crack the wrapper.
Yep, it's all about keeping the humidity level right. If your humidifying device goes dry, you won't see a huge tumble in the reading on your hygrometer, as the cigars and interior of the box retain moisture which will slowly bleed off. I usually see only a minor dip in the instrument reading when it's time to rehydrate. As a buffer, I also took a whole, new kitchen sponge, put it on the inside of a sandwich baggie and keep it on top. It's helped to prevent any dryouts. It's important to note that if you use a sponge in any way, make sure the sponge and any droplets of water NEVER touch any of your cigars, as they may expand and crack the wrapper.