Humidors and specifically cigars have been a huge influence on my life since I was a very young boy growing up in the Midwest. If you went to the effort of scrolling to the bottom of this website then you probably already saw my brief bio in the bar in that abruptly ends this website. I am in fact a self proclaimed cigar lover. I have mixed feelings about using the term cigar aficionado that in my opinion gets thrown around a little too frequently and a little too carelessly.
What does it really mean to be a cigar aficionado? If you're like most people this term conjures up images of fat cats sipping martinis on their yachts and talking about the high end Cuban cigars that they just had flown in. Although I don't shy away from showing off my cigar knowledge I much more consider myself part of the common man's group of cigar lovers who appreciate a puff from a bargain bin cigar special nearly as much as a fine rare expensive blend. This love affair with cigars eventually landed me in the industry that I adore so much. Anyone who has worked around cigars or has spend the effort to amass any kind of collection knows the importance of good humidors. Humidors can be compared to wine cellars. In much the same way that fine wines are aged in wine cellars fine cigars are stored in humidors that come in shapes and sizes. While wine cellars are really a luxury for only the rich humidors can be owned by anyone from a kid in a fraternity house, to a bachelor pad apartment, to an old man living in a multimillion dollar mansion. Humidors are not simply storage space the way wine cellars are but instead serve a very practical and necessary service. Moderating humidity around a cigar of any type is essential for preserving its longevity.
When properly stored cigars should be kept in humidity ranging from 65% to 75%. These are the generally recommended parameters of what's advised for proper storage. If a cigar becomes too humid or not humid enough it either dries up or gets too moist. Most often the problem of drying out as a result of insufficient humidity is more common than too much humidity. Wood humidors serve to regulate the humidity that the cigars are exposed to. A digital hygrometer allows the user to see exactly what the relative humidity is inside the box without ever disturbing the cigars. You can see a picture of a hygrometer on the humidor at the top of this page. It's the gold emblem with what looks like a compass inside on the front of the Spanish wood box. These is the reading meter to make sure the humid reading is where it should be. If the vintage reading is too small to read it will be difficult to know what needs to be done. Similarly if it is too large to read what action needs to be taken will be difficult to ascertain. The solution is to not buy cheap humidors if you can avoid it. The bargain humidors have issues with the hygrometer which is essential for knowing what relative humidity level the wood box is at. If the reading is too hard to see or if the hydrometer isn't working properly the humidor will still work but it is only a matter of guess work when it comes to determining if the levels are proper or need to be adjusted.
Adjusting the relative humidity to get to the desired level for optimal cigar storage is a relatively simple process. We should begin by discussing what needs to be done when a new humidor is being used for the first time or if one has dried out due to age or being left open for an extended amount of time. The process of prepping any humidor for the first time is known as seasoning and it involves a process that begins by wiping down the entire inside with a moist clothe. There is some controversy between experts as to if water should be used on the moist clothe that does the initial wipe down. Generally speaking though it is completely acceptable to use water to moisten the clothe. Distilled or purified water use is advisable because has fewer minerals and subsequently has less chance of negatively effecting the cigars by creating adverse effects with either the minerals or mold problems. The next step in the seasoning process is to put a container of water in the box and close the lid. Keep in mind that during this time the glass top humidors should continue to be keep free of cigars or any other tobacco products you might eventually want to store in them. After the container of water has been under the glass lid for approximately twelve hours check on it to see how much water has evaporated. If most or all of the water has in fact evaporated than refill the container with purified water and let it stand in the humidifier under the glass lid again. This time you may need to wait twenty four hours to see significant progress as far as the evaporation goes. Be patient and realize this can be a multiple day process. When the container of filtered water no longer evaporates or evaporates very little even after being left in the closed cigar box for a significant amount of time then the humidor is sufficiently seasoned and ready for use.
The purpose of seasoning a new humidor is to allow moisture to soak into the wood. Even cheap humidors are usually made of Spanish cedar wood. Spanish cedar is the most popular choice of material because Spanish cedar more than any other type of wood does an exception job of locking in the humidity or moisture that was procured during the seasoning process. The way the system works is that the special Spanish cedar wood locking in the moisture and continues to circulate it at a controlled level within the enclosed compartment that is desktop humidors or similar travel ones. There are even leather travel humidors that are wrapped in a protective leather exterior for beautification and to protect the wood and glass exteriors. It's very common for humidors to have glass tops or glass lids as they're often referred to as because the clear top allows the cigar smoker to peer inside without opening the container. In this way the selection of fine cigars can clearly be viewed through a visible glass lid without disrupting the delicate humidity reading that's reflected on what is sometimes a digital hygrometer (like the one pictured above) for humidity and other times a conventional hygrometer like the one pictured at the top of this web page in the header image.
There are of course numerous humidor accessories that are worth discussing. In many instances these accessories can generally be referred to as cigar accessories. While no collection is truly complete without each of these pieces it should be noted that some of them are a bit redundant and depending on your level of involvement with cigars you may never even need some of the pieces that we'll be discussing. I will say though that I am a proponent of collecting these pieces. If buying an entire collection at once sounds beyond your means then by all means consider collecting them one cigar accessory at a time. Many women find these to be great gifts for the man who seems to have everything. With any gift giving occasion it's really the thought that counts but having something nice than can adorn your home for years to come is always a wonderful bonus when receiving any gift. While some wood humidors can find trouble with mold over the years if they're not properly maintained most humidor accessories don't have this problem as they're pieces that literally can last generations. If you really believe that this will be a hobby you might enjoy for the rest of your life consider spending your money on buying nice accessories that may be more expensive in pieces over the years as opposed to all at once (now) buying a complete set that is cheaper but also poorer quality. These are items and accessories that you may literally one day pass on to your own son.
Among the many items worth mentioning are cigar cutters, cigar ashtrays, cigar lighters, cigar clip, cigar holders, and a few other accessories that will surely come up in our discussion. There are actually cigar holders specifically designed for holding a cigar while you're taking a golf swing. This is the way I learned how to play golf. Spending the days during my summer vacations from school on the golf course with my old man. He seemed to always have a stogie in his mouth as we walked up and down the course hauling our golf bags behind us. Even when he gave me golf lessons he'd be standing across from me on the practice range barking out loving direction like how I needed to keep my head down or keep my left elbow straight. When it was all said and done I couldn't even dream about being on a golf course without that familiar aroma of cigar smoke.
I realize that there are some people out there that have a problem with cigar smoke and I'm not one of them. Interestingly while I've never truly minded cigarette smoke I can understand how the smell can be unpleasant for some people. Overexposure to cigar smoke has been known to cause headaches and even a bad stomach ache or two for folks that are unaccustomed to the odor. Perhaps my immunity is a result of my childhood and the positive associations I have with freshly lit cigars but I absolutely find the smell of cigar smoke on a cool autumn day to be better than any scenting candle I've ever smelled.
While there is something masculine about smoking a cigar and having a collection in a desktop humidor there have been various movements over the last hundred years when it's become cool for women to take up smoking cigars. These usually goes in phases and is typically the result of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe or Demi Moore taking up the practice of puffing cigar smoke to make a statement, look cool, or attempt to be trendsetters. For all the outrage and public media claw back that has occurred for the overall tobacco business cigarettes have been hit by far the hardest followed by chewing tobacco and in a very distant third place are cigar and pipe smokers. The reason is probably because cigar smoking and pipe smoking are typically thought of as practices for older men who know what they're doing and understand both the finer things in life and what risks they might be exposing themselves to. Another factor to consider is that all of the anti-tobacco coalitions know that cigar smoke isn't nearly as bad for someone's lungs as cigarette smoke. The science simply does not support as wide of a critical look at cigar smokers. In many ways homes with humidors and regular cigar smokers are an idealized image of the past in most of the modern world. Perhaps the most famous cigar smoker of all time is Fidel Castro or Red Auerbach who used to smoke cigars from the bench while coaching the Celtics to NBA titles. The most famous cigar would have to be the one associated with Bill Clinton's infidelities that happened while he was serving as President of the United States in the 1990's. Unquestionably the most talked about cigar in history.
For ages cigars have been a symbol of celebration. For accomplishments in the business world to personal life achievements. Who among us is not familiar with the concept of lighting up a celebratory Cuban cigar to commemorate a new born baby coming into the is world. While Cubans tend to get all of the publicity in the world of people that aren't extremely familiar with cigars the truth of the matter is that there are very popular flavored choices for any pallet. In many areas and with many individuals Cubans aren't even the most desirable. As many people already know the desirability of the Cubans comes largely from the fact that they are currently illegal in the United States and have been for decades as a result of economic sanctions that were placed on that government by the US administration very many years ago. The lack of open trade for imports and exports has created some interesting situations like the fact that Cuba hasn't really had access to new models of cars in decades and as a result the streets are filled with 1950 model automobiles that are remnants from before the import rules went into effect. The sanctions were the result of the Cuban Missile crisis that dates back to John F. Kennedy's time in office. During the cold war the Cubans and specifically dictator Fidel Castro worked with the Russians to direct missiles based in Cuba to the American homeland. While the crisis was averted one of the strange results of the economic sanctions was that Cuba could no longer sell imports to its affluent neighbor to the North (USA) and this included cigars which they were very well known for. As a result an underground trade emerged and there was quickly a black market created as people smuggled cigars into the country. Even to this day American tourists are not allowed to visit Cuba. The lack of supply made the Cuban cigars more desirable as if they were forbidden fruit of sorts. Consequently when regulations were lost under the black market and supply couldn't keep up with demand the price continued to escalate until the Cuban cigars were raised to a level much higher than they even started at. Depending on who you talk to the sanctions impact on Cuba was the best thing that ever happened for turning their once solid export into a flat out luxury product. Until the current craze set in other options were considered at least equally desirable and these included type like: Dominican, Rocky Patel, Aston, Davidoff, Macanudo, Habana, Padron, and many other famous cigars that continue to be big sellers even in today's marketplace that has become extremely segmented. In future posts we'll discuss how various flavors of cigars (like the ones just mentioned) are best maintained in humidors with appropriate relative humidity levels.
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A homemade cigar humidor can be an excellent way to incorporate the practicalities of a humidor with the personalized approach of making your own cigar humidor at home. In order to make your own humidor you have to have the right pieces and parts. In order to ensure that you have everything necessary for building a humidor from scratch you should consult a list of required items to build the entire thing from the ground up. Think about finding a list from someone that has built one from scratch before. The resulting product should look good before following the advice that anyone offers. Consider who you are listening to before following every one of their specific steps on their advertised best way to build a homemade cigar humidor. One of the important things to keep in mind is that the type of wood that you use will affect the outcome. Particular pieces of wood are critical for having the best results in terms of keeping in moisture. Moisture kept in the wood is essential for getting the humidity effect that is desired in any properly working humidor. The namesake comes from the fact that humidity is in the air and this keeps cigars from drying out and being ruined. Cigars should be kept the correct amount of moisture and there are gauges to figure out specifically what the humidity level is. Most of these tools for calculating relative humidity can not be made at home but are instead instruments that will need to be purchased and incorporated into any mostly homemade box.
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