Cigar Humidification Tip #1
The other night one of the gentlemen I was smoking cigars with asked me what he should do about this (Cuban) Cohiba he had. To my horror, the Cohiba has not been properly humidified in a couple of months. This, I told him, was a problem and it is a problem for many people who smoke cigars infrequently. Letting a cigar dry out leads to cracking of the leaves, the cigar smoking too quick, harsh flavors and an overall bad experience.
For his case, which is that he has this one cigar and it needs some TLC, I told him to:
- Get a plastic sandwich bag (i.e. Ziploc)
- Put the cigar in the bag
- Put a Boveda Humidification pack with 69% relative humidity (RH) in bag with cigar because it is foolproof – it keeps the environment at that humidity level for as long as it still has juice left
- Close bag and let rest for a month in a place that doesn’t have wild swings in temperature (like a desk drawer or in a closet – someplace safe) and it’s best to find a place that is around 70°F
- Every few days check to see if the Boveda pack is completely spent (if you touch it and it’s hard then it’s no longer providing any humidity) and if it is spent put a fresh pack in the plastic bag
- After a couple months of doing this the cigar should hopefully be ready to smoke again – feel the cigar to determine if it’s good to go; if it no longer feels dry to the touch and you cannot hear the tobacco leaves cracking when you roll the cigar with your fingers then it’s good to go
Is this the right advice? Should I have told him to start out with a Boveda pack that maintains a 65% humidity level and then go up to the one with the 69% humidity level as a way to ease the cigar back to health? Is there a better way to do this?
Obviously, my solution isn’t all that elegant but I think it should get the job done and the cigar will be saved.
Building up your Stockpile of Cigars
How should you build up your stockpile of cigars? Should you go with samplers or with boxes or buy single sticks? Should you rely on friends or should you get a monthly shipment from some shop online or should you go into your local tobacco shop and personally inspect every stick?
The first thing I can think that you should do is assess how often you actually smoke cigars. If smoking a cigar is an occasional treat you have once every couple of weeks you might be better served going into your local cigar shop and picking out a cigar the day you plan on smoking your cigar.
I suggest this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, since you aren’t smoking cigars too often that means you probably don’t keep up with all the different cigars that much either. So use the experience of someone you trust; either a smoking buddy or the cigar shop’s purveyor. The other reason is that if you don’t smoke cigars too often that will probably mean you don’t pay close enough attention to how you are storing your cigars. Let the professionals do it then.
But what if you smoke regularly or at least three or four times a week? If that is the case then I would suggest getting a humidor and learn how to use it. Now onto your stockpile of cigars.
I have mentioned in the past that you shouldn’t make a big investment (“big investment” is different for everyone) in a cigar you aren’t familiar with. With that being said, I wouldn’t ignore those cigars either because I truly do think that a big part of cigar smoking is finding out as much about different cigars as possible. Or, to put it more bluntly, I value connoisseurship (even though I can’t spell that word without spell check!).
What is true for investing in stocks is true for investing in cigars: diversification is key. That means diversity of size, strength, tobacco, and cigar makers. Using investment lingo for a second time, I think it is perfectly fine to overload some categories. If you really love full bodied cigars from Ashton then you should have a nice portion of your stockpile from that grouping. Maybe something like 15% of your cigars though, not much more.
A good way to start building a stockpile is by buying samplers. There are brand samplers that will feature different lines and sizes from a single cigar maker and this is a good place to start when you are first exploring a new brand. CAO, for example, has a nice brand sampler with a DVD that talks about their company (they are very good marketers and, I think, great cigar makers – even though they just recently got bought out).
There are also samplers for particular strengths, sizes and probably even regions. These are fine as well because you get a little snapshot of what can be had with different types of cigars.
Even though I do like samplers I need to caution you about going this rout. When you get a sample you don’t get to decide much. You don’t pick your size or strength or wrapper or cigar maker. In order to get a deal you are giving up control over what you are buying to a very large extent. Sometimes it is even the case that you aren’t getting any money off by buying the sampler.
Buying single cigars is another way to go. It is probably the most costly option but you get the most flexibility with this method over buying samplers or boxes. This method is going to require a lot more work though. You will have to do some research to get a little understanding of what it is you are actually buying. Whether this is through the web at a site like mine (which is a good place to start!) or by picking the brain of a friend or trusted purveyor you are going to have to invest a little more time here.
The best type of research, though, is through actually smoking and keeping records of the many different kinds of cigars you smoke. Once I started actually taking notes on the cigars I smoked I got a much better understanding of what I liked in a cigar. You don’t have to take copious notes either, I don’t, but just note the different flavors in a cigar and things like draw, burn, appearance/construction, and your overall impression and/or score for each cigar.
Once you figure out which cigars you like you then need to figure out which other cigars are similar and buy those cigars. Then branch out. If you like medium bodied cigars then you can branch out by buying cigars from Arturo Fuente that are medium-full bodied. If you like robustos the most you can branch out by buying coronas (smaller) or pyramids (pyramid-like shape).
Basically, start with what you like and take many small steps and a couple big steps away from that point when you are building up your cigar stockpile. There will always be a situation for every cigar and, if you find out you don’t particularly like a certain cigar, it won’t be that big of a deal because you probably only have a couple of those cigars anyway.
The last thing that needs to be considered is when to buy a box of cigars. If you are someone who can easily afford to spend over $100 and not be upset if those cigars just aren’t to your liking then this would be the quickest way to go when building up a stockpile. For the rest of us we need to be a lot more judicious.
Obviously, you need to know you actually like the cigar. You will also need to take into consideration how many other cigars you can buy and store along with having this box of cigars. If you don’t have at least enough humidor space to store 50+ cigars (at least, more like 100+ even) then you should definitely think twice about buying a box of cigars. A box, which is usually between 20 and 25 cigars, will take up quite a bit of space and unless you are fine with totally ignoring my diversification advice you will be smoking the same cigar frequently for a while without much variety.
Really, the only time you should buy a box of cigars is if you have the extra space, love the cigar and have a large enough budget to make a purchase like this. Otherwise, you are better off buying cigars in smaller quantities.
One last thing before I let you go. Once you start depleting your stockpile you will need to continuously replenish it. If you find out that you really like a certain cigar then buy a couple more of those and a couple that are similar in a couple of different ways (maybe with just a different size or with a different wrapper or a different cigar maker).
This is actually the really exciting part of the whole process because this is when you transition from being a casual cigar smoker to a bon-a-fide cigar smoker. This is the time you actually start thinking about the cigars you are buying instead of just going out there and buying whatever “looks” good. When you reach this point you may not be good enough to write for Cigar Aficionado but you at least will know what you are talking about.
In summary, smoke a lot of cigars. Find out which kinds of cigars you like based on strength, wrapper, cigar maker, size, or some other measure. Make most of your purchases in that category (while not making more than 15% of your stockpile a single type of cigar from one cigar maker) but branch out into other categories as well (you never know where those diamonds are). Then, as you start to get some more space in your humidors fill that space with cigars you think you will like based on your observations of the cigars you have been smoking. It does take some work but I have found that it is worth it.
When to Buy a Box of Cigars
Is buying a box of cigars really that big of a deal?
Well, if you are like me and you don’t have an endless supply of cigar money, then yes, it is a big deal. I smoke a couple of cigars a week, maybe three or four once in a while. A box of cigars should last me well over half a year, if not more than a year. I’m still going to smoke other cigars so the box just goes into the rotation.
That means that I would be smoking a cigar from that box once every two weeks. Beginning to see the possible problems?
Beyond all the other concerns you might have over buying a box of cigars the biggest concern should be whether you like the cigar or not. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this point.
RULE #1: Make sure you like the cigar!
RULE #2: Have some place to store those extra cigars!
A while ago I bought a bundle, probably 15 or so cigars, of some brand I have never heard of. Actually, they might have been seconds, I can’t remember anymore. All I know is that they have this red cloth band and they look like they were dyed.
Guess what. They sucked. I just got through the last one the other night and while it does have its moments the final result is that it is just harsh, has a bad aftertaste and the draw can get tight at times. I figured this out after smoking a couple of them.
But I still had more than ten left. That means I have been smoking a cigar I don’t like for almost a year now. I absolutely dreaded opening up my humidor and seeing one of those red banded skunks on top.
All right, that means our NUMBER 1 RULE of buying a box of cigars is that you need to know you like the cigar. If you don’t like the cigar then you will make cigar smoking a chore, something I do not want to see happen to you and definitely not to me again.
Another important thing to consider, maybe just as important as the first rule, is whether or not you have a good humidor. Do you? Do you really know if your humidor is good? Is that hygrometer in there lying to you telling you the humidity level is 70 when it actually is 80 or 60?
If you have a bad humidor even if you buy a box of Petit Edmundos you will end up with bad cigars. That means the NUMBER 2 RULE of buying a box of cigars is that you need to have a good humidor. Monitor that box because it has cigars in there that are worth a lot of money.
Anything else? Not that I can think of right now. Just make sure you like the cigar and have the means to store them before you make an investment in a box of cigars.
This is The Perfect Draw Blog!!!
Hello, my name is Travis Lindsay. I have been smoking cigars since the summer of 2006 and I have to tell you that I love everything about cigars.
Well, that’s not completely fair because I not only love cigars but everything that makes up the cigar lifestyle. But the most important thing I have gotten from smoking cigars is the camaraderie with other cigar smokers and that is why I decided to start this blog and the accompanying community at cigarcommunity.theperfectdraw.com.
This community is a place where cigar smokers can go online to talk about everything that has to do with cigars. Write about your most recent cigar, upload pictures from your most recent cigar weekend with friends, post a video of a cigar roller at your wedding, and much more.
Basically, I don’t want to put any limits on this community because cigar smokers are such a diverse group of people with vastly different views. Nothing is off limits on this blog, on the Cigar Community, or on any other part of the site that we will be unveiling in the months to come.
So come on in, light up your favorite cigar and make yourself at home at The Perfect Draw!
