Brothers of the leaf society!!

[miner]

PPPS
Can we talk tools here as well?

Anyone have any suggestions for cutters?

Picked up a Xikar Xi1 at the shop, did the job ok tonight.

And what about Humidors?? Now there's a whole new reason not to buy a watch !

Any expert advice? My favorite cigar dealer is a bit out of the way, so I need some advice on storage (usage = 2 per week, so I am looking for something to keep 8 cigars).

[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by miner

PPPS
Can we talk tools here as well?

Anyone have any suggestions for cutters?

Picked up a Xikar Xi1 at the shop, did the job ok tonight.

And what about Humidors?? Now there's a whole new reason not to buy a watch.

Cigars and smoking ephemera can get quit costly, but it needn't be.

One example is the Perfect Cutter from Cuban Crafters.



Only about $15.00 w/ a lifetime replacement guarantee. The best cutter I've ever used.

Here's an example from the other end of the price spectrum, Laquiole, made in France. Does the job well and looks good doing it.




dP

[miner]

Thanks Dan
Cuban cigar cutter:

Only about $15.00 w/ a lifetime replacement guarantee. The best cutter I've ever used.

Only $35 shipped to Perth!! OK so I'll stick with the Xikar for now.

What about storage? Any advice, 5 or 6 (+2 for emergencies) cigars only, about a months supply.

Thanks again for your advice.



BTW the kit in the pics, Stunning, I can see "the leaf" could end up as expensive as "the watch"....

Now I'm in trouble !!

[Dan Pierce]

I started w/ an inexpensive travel humidor because I wanted to see how affective I could "charge" [prep, and it's easy] and my stock was usually pretty small, typically 6 to 10 sticks.



When I started to acquire and store more cigars I decided to buy a larger humidor [30 to 50 count]. It was less than a $100.00 and has worked flawlessly.



So now I have the smokes [thanks to my wife, Hiram, and a few other good friends], appropriate storage, but not the warm weather necessary to enjoy them.
dP

[daveathall]

Although I stopped smoking some time ago I couldn't get rid of my Elie Bleu 75 cigar humidor. Beautiful inlays, lacquer and craftsmanship.



Some quick and not so good photos.

[Dan Pierce]

Beautiful humidor, Dave.

I should also mention Dave was the generous donor of the Laquiole cutter. You should see the reaction from the locals every time I use that work of art at the smoke shop.
dP

[rodrob59]

I have two humidors, one antique wooden one that I have at the cabin for weekend smokes but the main one that I've used for 15 years or more is a large Tupperwear box lined with Spanish Cedar. Most of my inventory goes pretty quickly bit have a few that are many years old and are just fine.

[djhiram]

Dan, I have to agree with you on the Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter. It really does an excellent job and the design prevents you from cutting too much off the end of the stick. Miner, PM me!

[djhiram]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

I started w/ an inexpensive travel humidor because I wanted to see how affective I could "charge" [prep, and it's easy] and my stock was usually pretty small, typically 6 to 10 sticks.



When I started to acquire and store more cigars I decided to buy a larger humidor [30 to 50 count]. It was less than a $100.00 and has worked flawlessly.



So now I have the smokes [thanks to my wife, Hiram, and a few other good friends], appropriate storage, but not the warm weather necessary to enjoy them.
dP

Dan, what's the process you follow to charge the humidor and what temp/humidity do you keep it at? I try to do 70/70 or as close to it as possible but I know some smokers enjoy a little drier smoke and try to do a lower humidity level. I have some of the xikar gel packets in my humidors which keep a constant 70% relative humidity automatically. They're a beautiful thing; very little maintenence required and just needs to be refilled once every couple of months.

[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by djhiram

Dan, what's the process you follow to charge the humidor and what temp/humidity do you keep it at? I try to do 70/70 or as close to it as possible but I know some smokers enjoy a little drier smoke and try to do a lower humidity level. I have some of the xikar gel packets in my humidors which keep a constant 70% relative humidity automatically. They're a beautiful thing; very little maintenence required and just needs to be refilled once every couple of months.

Hiram,

In the past I just used a gel pack w/ distilled water and let it do it's thing, with good results. But with the new humidor I decided to buy a thermometer/ hydrometer to determine how well the humidification was working. I try to keep the temp and humidity between 65 and 75. Not sure how well I'll be able to adjust those numbers up/ down w/ the gels but so far the humidor has kept the temp in the high 60's and humidity about 70%.

For charging the humidor I followed the instructions here:
http://cigarobsession.com/2009/03/11...t-the-humidor/

So, this brings up a good opportunity for the BOTL.

Lets's see your humidor! And, any details or procedures that make your system work for you.
dP

[djhiram]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

Hiram,

In the past I just used a gel pack w/ distilled water and let it do it's thing, with good results. But with the new humidor I decided to buy a thermometer/ hydrometer to determine how well the humidification was working. I try to keep the temp and humidity between 65 and 75. Not sure how well I'll be able to adjust those numbers up/ down w/ the gels but so far the humidor has kept the temp in the high 60's and humidity about 70%.

For charging the humidor I followed the instructions here:
http://cigarobsession.com/2009/03/11...t-the-humidor/

So, this brings up a good opportunity for the BOTL.

Lets's see your humidor! And, any details or procedures that make your system work for you.
dP

Good idea Dan, Personally I use a 2 humidor system. I have a large 150 stick capacity humidor and a smaller 25 stick humidor. I use the larger one for aging and the smaller one as my "smoke now" humidor. I usually keep no name brand sticks and house blends from local shops in this smaller humidor. The larger one is where I keep the higher end sticks and it has a lock so as no wandering hands can get into "the good stuff." I typically don't open the larger one much except for spot checking humidity and special occasions when I'm moving sticks into the smoke now box for later that day. I'll post pics when I get home!

[miner]

I have a bunch of real newbie questions..

Here on TRF it would be the same as asking "Is my Sub still water proof if I take off the stickers??"

So can I ask them here or is there a place I can go??

In the mean time tonight's smoke...

Got some sticks from Perdomo, here in Oz.

Bit worried cos the temp at the moment is 40C. So the first newbie question..

Are my babies ok for a week in the zip lock bag, humidor box arrives next week??



So tonight this wins..

Perdomo X21 with SD



And a bit of malt..



Yum (Another newbie question is "YUM" the right word?? ).

Amazing smoke



Down to the bit where it burns your fingers...



Still got lots of questions, but in the mean time, till tomorrow night, I'll leave this one.

[TheDude]

Been a while since I checked this thread. I have been studying for my Tobbaconist certification and as I have stated before I work one or two days a month at a local cigar shop. I have picked up a fair bit of knowledge I don't mind passing along.

For humidity, most of the folks these days are using silica beads/pearls. These can be bought for relatively high cost (Heartfelt beads, Cigar Mechanic beads) or very cheaply as generic silica pearl cat litter. In both cases, the beads are tuned for a suitable level of humidity. Add distilled water and they maintain humidity by releasing and absorbing moisture. I use a half pound of Cigar Mechanic beads in my 700+ count display case humidor (about the size of a half height filing cabinet).

Humidors need to be at least three-quarters full to keep proper humidity. If you have a mostly empty humidor, go buy some cigars!!

Age is the best friend of cigars. Aging at least six months is a must, and one to two years is much better. Some of the guys who are really into Cubans will age them for decades. Buy some cigars and let them age.

Temperature is important. Too cold and a cigar won't age. Too warm and you risk beetle eggs hatching, although most think you also need high humidity in addition to high temperature for that to happen. Changes in temperature are thought to be good as the changes will "pump" the flavorful oils out and onto the wrapper. In crystalline form, these oils are plume.



Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[miner]

Thanks Mate
But do I put a damp tissue in the bag or wait 4 days + a couple more days for conditioning when the humidor arrives, or just smoke them all now!!



PS Please note I'm the "Do I take the stickers off the sub and worry about whether it is water proof" type of cigar newbie

Cheers

[djhiram]

If they came from a shop where they were maintained then you should be ok. Then again, if it was me, those sticks wouldn't live to see the inside of that humidor

[ArcticMoose]

Originally Posted by miner

PS I was wearing a Panerai Is that ok?

I would say so, but what would I know? I'm a newbie.

[Dan Pierce]

Due to unfriendly cigar weather it's been a while since I've been able to enjoy a good stick. A real shame too since I've got some great sticks just waiting to be lit.
dP

[djhiram]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

Due to unfriendly cigar weather it's been a while since I've been able to enjoy a good stick. A real shame too since I've got some great sticks just waiting to be lit.
dP

Not necessarily a bad thing Dan. They are better with age for the most part. I picked up a 5 pack of Fuente Rosado Gran Reservas this past weekend. My buddy the owner of the cigar shop heavily recommended them to me. He says they smoke like an Opus X but are only 8 bucks a stick. They only are available during the holidays.

[TheDude]

Originally Posted by djhiram

I picked up a 5 pack of Fuente Rosado Gran Reservas this past weekend. My buddy the owner of the cigar shop heavily recommended them to me. He says they smoke like an Opus X but are only 8 bucks a stick. They only are available during the holidays.

I will have to try those. I have only had the regular rosado.

My favorite limited release Fuente smokes are the Anejo Shark, the Untold Story, and the Casa Fuente.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[TheDude]

Originally Posted by miner

Thanks Mate
But do I put a damp tissue in the bag or wait 4 days + a couple more days for conditioning when the humidor arrives, or just smoke them all now!!



PS Please note I'm the "Do I take the stickers off the sub and worry about whether it is water proof" type of cigar newbie

Cheers

Your local smoke shop will have small Boveda pouches. They're about $1, and will keep a small ziploc bag or sealable rubber container humidified for several months (presumably with cigars inside).

These same packs can be used to season a new humidor (but use the larger ones).

http://www.bovedapacks.com/

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[djhiram]

Originally Posted by TheDude

I will have to try those. I have only had the regular rosado.

My favorite limited release Fuente smokes are the Anejo Shark, the Untold Story, and the Casa Fuente.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Clear your PMs!

[enronforme]

Have a box of the Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill's (#1 on the Cigar Afficianod's top 25 of 2011) on their way to me as I type- can't wait to see if they live up to their 96 out of 100 score!!
Bob

[Langleyz]

Romeo y Julieta LE2009 'Duke'

Awesome.

[TheDude]

Originally Posted by TheDude

I will have to try those. I have only had the regular rosado.

My favorite limited release Fuente smokes are the Anejo Shark, the Untold Story, and the Casa Fuente.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Turns out I have tried the rosado, I just didn't realize it was limited. Smoking this one now, almost finished...

uploadfromtaptalk1327772175418.jpg

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[djhiram]

Originally Posted by TheDude

Turns out I have tried the rosado, I just didn't realize it was limited. Smoking this one now, almost finished...

Attachment 252744

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Yup that's the one! I'm planning on having one later tonight.

[djhiram]

Originally Posted by Langleyz

Romeo y Julieta LE2009 'Duke'

Awesome.

I've actually had one of these. Amazing smoke! Great picture!

[Sweramic]

Originally Posted by daveathall

Although I stopped smoking some time ago I couldn't get rid of my Elie Bleu 75 cigar humidor. Beautiful inlays, lacquer and craftsmanship.

That's a very nice humidor Dave! Hope all is good with you

Originally Posted by Langleyz

Romeo y Julieta LE2009 'Duke'

Awesome.

Amazing photograph!

[TSW]

Man these threads are killing me, The weather here is to cold for a good stick

Here's a pic from when my Humidor were well stocked

[TSW]

Man these threads are killing me, The weather here is to cold for a good stick

Here's a pic from when my Humidor were well stocked

[djhiram]

Originally Posted by TSW

Man these threads are killing me, The weather here is to cold for a good stick

Here's a pic from when my Humidor were well stocked

Montecristo # 4 & Cohiba Esplendidos definitely 2 of my favorites the weather is killing you but that picture is killing me