Cigars

[4fun]

I smoke at least once a month, nothing like a good cigar in the right atmosphere. While walking around Little Italy in NY, drinking on the deck with friends, even while riding the lawn mower. The real cohiba's knock me on my but. I guess I'm not a just a wuss. I like cigars that are a little lighter.

Monticristo #2
Gloria Cubana
El ray Del Mundo

 

[christod1]

Now that's a thread!

I quit cigarettes 5 years ago but do indulge in a cigar once a month or so. I started out with really mild smokes (Punch torpedos) but have since graduated to stronger maduro cigars. There is a cigar shop that I love by my house. It's an old converted house where they made an entire bedroom into a humidor.

I drink 12 year glenlevit for a normal cigar and 21 year glenlevit with a special cigar.

I even made my own humidor out of an old cigar box (off the shelf humidors are frigging expensive!!)

Nice humidor, but mate you need to get the plastic covers off the cigars. The need to mature in the humidor at the correct temperature and humidity otherwise they taste like !@#$.

 

[fz6nick]

Smoking a CAO MX2 maduro right now..... it rocks!!! :rockon:

 

[fz6nick]

Im not sure about how big of a difference leaving the cigars in plastic makes. Air can go in and out because its not vacuum packed. Also, they store cigars in cigar shops with the wrappers on.

Nub 460 Habano....killer

 

[CHEMIKER]

Nice humidor, but mate you need to get the plastic covers off the cigars. The need to mature in the humidor at the correct temperature and humidity otherwise they taste like !@#$.

Thanks for the input! I'm just getting into cigars and until I get more free time to really study it I'm doing the best I can.

I keep the humidity in the humidor at 72% which is perfect from what I understand. Except for hot days, the temp stays at about 72F too.

There is logic to the wrappers, please feel free to let me know if I'm way off:

The cigar shops keep them in wrappers for long periods, so I figure right there they must not be that bad. Also, there is a distinct nonzero moisture vapor and gas transmission rate for most plastics, especially films which means that over time in a humidor they should get plenty of moisture and breathe just fine. For this reason, I feel (and might very well be wrong) that maturation will not be slowed by wrappers. And knowing what I know about plastics I'm not worried about leaching of the monomer or plasticizer into the cigar fouling the taste.

The reason that I leave the wrappers on is that it will slow the drying out when I remove them from my humidor to go camping.

 

[fz6nick]

Thanks for the input! I'm just getting into cigars and until I get more free time to really study it I'm doing the best I can.

I keep the humidity in the humidor at 72% which is perfect from what I understand. Except for hot days, the temp stays at about 72F too.

There is logic to the wrappers, please feel free to let me know if I'm way off:

The cigar shops keep them in wrappers for long periods, so I figure right there they must not be that bad. Also, there is a distinct nonzero moisture vapor and gas transmission rate for most plastics, especially films which means that over time in a humidor they should get plenty of moisture and breathe just fine. For this reason, I feel (and might very well be wrong) that maturation will not be slowed by wrappers. And knowing what I know about plastics I'm not worried about leaching of the monomer or plasticizer into the cigar fouling the taste.

The reason that I leave the wrappers on is that it will slow the drying out when I remove them from my humidor to go camping.

Your humidity and temp are perfect. In fact, my humidor instructions actually says keep them in the wrapper, so your logic is right, sep you dont need to mature them forever to smoke. Your ready to smoke when you buy em! Hopefully you can get into them soon!

 

[CHEMIKER]

Just realized that working on my thesis and smoking don't have to be mutually exclusive. I have a laptop and wireless internet and we just bought nice patio furniture. Ahhh, 80 degrees, nice smoke, scotch, thesis...

This is the life...

Smoking a La Gloria Cubana Reserva Figurados. Wrapper had 16.99 written on it, ouch. Like I said I was one of those guys but not now that I'm learning from you guys!

 

[christod1]

Your humidity and temp are perfect. In fact, my humidor instructions actually says keep them in the wrapper, so your logic is right, sep you dont need to mature them forever to smoke. Your ready to smoke when you buy em! Hopefully you can get into them soon!

I totally disagree. They have to be out of the rapper to mature. The reason the humidor has to be around 72 ( 68 to 74 anyway) is for the cigars not to dry out and for them to be able to hold some moisture. Cigars are like wine. When they correctly matured they taste great. If they haven't been matured in the right environment then they taste like grass. I have never seen a cigar shop storing cigars in the rapper or tube and I would never buy from a shop like that. What I did is I have been building up a stock over 5 years. I separate the old and new cigars and keep track how long I have had them so I know which ones are mature enough to smoke. About 6 months ago I purchased various Cohiba cigars. I smoked a Cohiba Siglo 2 (I didn't have a matured Siglo 2 at the time) which I just received and it tasted terrible. After 6 months I smoked another Siglo 2 which I had in the humidor for 6 months. There was no comparison what so ever. It was great. So smooth...