October 10, 2006
ON STORING CIGARS
Hapkido of Crunch Time e-mailed me to let me know that he actually found my blogging tips useful. And since I'm a sucker for flattery, I checked out his site.
32, Iowa, politically conservative, practices Hapkido, Italian, not in the witness protection program (or so he says).
Nice guy. Go check him out.
Meanwhile, I'd like to address a particular concern of his: storing cigars.
I love me a good cigar, usually about twice a week (unless I'm at a blogmeet, in which case I chain-smoke 'em like George Burns). Mostly I buy them in bulk from either JR Cigars or Cigars International, depending on which brand I'm in the mood for.
But that leaves the question of what to do with the rest of the box once they arrive. If you don't do something to maintain humidity, they'll dry out within a week, so leaving them as is isn't a good option.
Here are some better ones:
Humidor - you can buy all manner of fancy wooden boxes with humidification devices and maybe even a hygrometer, and you can spend anywhere from $20 to over $2000. I guess they work ok. I've never used one.
Tupperdor - About 8 years ago, I spent $2 on a 9x12x6 plastic tub with a lid. I then took a two-piece travel soap dish, drilled holes in the sides, glued the top to the lid of the box, put a damp rag in the bottom, closed it, and threw my cigars in there. Keeps my cigars just as fresh as the $2000 wooden model.
Baggiedor - Sometimes my cigar shopping exceeds my storage capacity, so I have to expand. Here's what I do. Take two ziploc baggies (I like the gallon size) throw your cigars in one of them. Seal it up. Put the cigar baggie inside the other baggie and seal that up. Assuming you bought the cigars in good condition, the double air-tight seal will keep them in good shape for about a month. If it's going to be longer than that, take a paper towel, fold it up small, get it wet, then squeeze it as dry as you can so that it's just damp and doesn't drip. Put your damp paper towel inside the outer baggie. Check it every few weeks. If it's still damp at all, you're fine.
As for WHAT to smoke, well, that's a personal choice. Hapkido is looking for recommendations on mild cigars. I prefer medium- to full-bodied ones, so I'm useless for advising him. Anyone else got any tips?
This is what I use for my Baggiedors (usually used for traveling):
http://www.rockyscigars.com/catalog.asp?prodid=466482&showprevnext=1
Sometimes you're better off making a "tuppedor" than buying a cheap humidor that leaks like a sieve. On the other hand, I got one that looks like a $400 model for $30 at Sam's club and it works great (not knocking the do it yourself models, but this one has a lock and I have kids. Not worried about them smoking them, just ruining them). I charge the green sponge thingies with this stuff called Cigar Juice instead of water. It's a mix of water and (I think) glycol alcohol. When the humidity dips below a certain point, it releases humidity into the humidor, when it's too humid, it absorbs it. The needle hardly ever wavers from the 72% mark. It's great for people who are too forgetful and lazy to check their humidity levels often.
Contagion got me one of those plastic "Pocket Traveldor" things a few years back with a couple el-cheapo's in it (National Brand). I charged it, stuck the stogies in, and lost it (we were in the process of moving). Found it in the basement like over two YEARS later and those stogies were not only smokable, they were improved from the cedar lining. Freakin' unreal.
I needs to get me some stogies, dammit....
Tupperdor & baggiedor...brilliant! I'll put the baggiedor to good use during my upcoming trip to Omaha. The witness pro...I mean HKD class goes out every year.
Now that I'm officially a blog groupie (thanks, Harvey!), I guess I need to light one of these up to celebrate! I think a box of Montecristo #1 is the way to go.
Here is another idea: Smoke them bad boys. I store mine down at the cigar store.
What... you mean you don't toss your baggied up cigars into the freezer for safekeeping... then thaw in the microwave which always seems to add moisture to anything placed in it for warming purposes.
No I don't like cigars... why do you ask. *grin*
Ahhhrgghh!!! (Makes sign of cross at Teresa) Get thee back, infidel!! :)
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