Ordering cigars online

[Fainn]

I rarely treat myself to a good cigar, but am interested in buying some Mark Twain memoirs. Been reading some stuff online, but have no idea how accurate it is. Is it true cigars need to rest after being shipped? How long? Will I be okay with a mason jar and a humidfying disk?

[JimVH]

I've burned through a couple of boxes of of the Twain Churchills. For what was then about $2.10 per smoke they were a great - mild and smooth - but I've not had the Maduro Memoir. I'm interested to hear what you think of them.

I'm not aware of any need or benefit to resting them. Mason jars will hold the moisture well - too well if you introduce much moisture. I made some really unique mold sticks out of some cigars once using a canning jar.

[Del]

If you like cigars, you can spend a little money to save a lot of money.

Here is what I recommend:

1) Buy a tabletop humidor for under $50.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/humidors/

2) Add a humidifying system and a hygrometer.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/accessori ... ification/

3) Buy a box of likely cigars on clearance.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipes/garage-sale/

4) Set up your system, invite some friends, and share.

[Fainn]

If you like cigars, you can spend a little money to save a lot of money.

Here is what I recommend:

1) Buy a tabletop humidor for under $50.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/humidors/

2) Add a humidifying system and a hygrometer.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/accessori ... ification/

3) Buy a box of likely cigars on clearance.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipes/garage-sale/

4) Set up your system, invite some friends, and share.

There's a nice humidor forr $29.99, but I don't have the funds just yet. Birthday is coming up though.

[Del]

If you like cigars, you can spend a little money to save a lot of money.

Here is what I recommend:

1) Buy a tabletop humidor for under $50.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/humidors/

2) Add a humidifying system and a hygrometer.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/accessori ... ification/

3) Buy a box of likely cigars on clearance.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipes/garage-sale/

4) Set up your system, invite some friends, and share.

There's a nice humidor forr $29.99, but I don't have the funds just yet. Birthday is coming up though.

Cigars are a luxury, so they really should come out of "spare funds." That is prudent.

But if you enjoy having and sharing cigars, then the $30 humidor is a one-time investment. You will need a hygrometer and a humidification system... add another $15. The cheap ones work well.

After that, you can buy boxes of 20 good cigars on clearance for about $40, and they will keep as long as it takes you to enjoy them. When your buddy gifts you with a dried-out stick, you can toss it in the humidor for a few weeks and let it gently come back to smokability.

My favorite, when I can get them:
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/cigars/90 ... -elefante/

[Fainn]

The Mark Twain arrived and it is yuge!

[Del]

The Mark Twain arrived and it is yuge!

More tobacco than I can usually enjoy at one sitting.
https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/mark-t ... s/1503080/

[saltedplug]

Hope you don't mind, but I disagree with most of what's in this thread. My opinions are just mine and do not really matter. I respect your opinions, but I do disagree.

Cheap humidors typically don't hold moisture, and correct moisture is the single biggest cause of a correct burn, burning evenly without running, and having to torch the unevenly burned tobacco to reestablish a straight line is a chore and wastes tobacco. Moisture is also essential to fermentation, and when the moisture is too low the tobacco won't age properly, or at all. The two moisture problems are a lid that has gaps and doesn't close. The second factor is that a cheap humidor more than likely has little cedar, and cedar holds moisture much better than other woods.

Humidification is achieved first by seasoning, and few do this properly. Once the wood is wet, proper humidification is maintained by a variety of means. I used beads for a long time, but they wear out after a few moisture loads. Boveda humidity packs are the only reliable source of humidity. Like everything else in the cigar world, they are expensive. I threw away my beads and hygrometer, the latter made so cheaply that they never worked. If you go with Boveda and are sure your humidor has been properly/adequately seasoned, you may never have humidity problems again.

As regards the prices of cigars themselves, one likes what they like, but I'd never spend a couple of dollars on a cigar and expect to be satisfied. Most of the cigars sold, except the OTC cardboard/aromatics, are in the $3-$5.00 range. People complain about their cost, but tending to the tobacco in the curing barn ranges, I suppose, from months, and for years for fine cigars. While it ages it must cared for daily, managing the stacks, and rotating them from low to high, and back, depending on the temperature inside the barn. It's labor intensive.

[Fainn]

Hope you don't mind, but I disagree with most of what's in this thread. My opinions are just mine and do not really matter. I respect your opinions, but I do disagree.

Cheap humidors typically don't hold moisture, and correct moisture is the single biggest cause of a correct burn, burning evenly without running, and having to torch the unevenly burned tobacco to reestablish a straight line is a chore and wastes tobacco. Moisture is also essential to fermentation, and when the moisture is too low the tobacco won't age properly, or at all. The two moisture problems are a lid that has gaps and doesn't close. The second factor is that a cheap humidor more than likely has little cedar, and cedar holds moisture much better than other woods.

Humidification is achieved first by seasoning, and few do this properly. Once the wood is wet, proper humidification is maintained by a variety of means. I used beads for a long time, but they wear out after a few moisture loads. Boveda humidity packs are the only reliable source of humidity. Like everything else in the cigar world, they are expensive. I threw away my beads and hygrometer, the latter made so cheaply that they never worked. If you go with Boveda and are sure your humidor has been properly/adequately seasoned, you may never have humidity problems again.

As regards the prices of cigars themselves, one likes what they like, but I'd never spend a couple of dollars on a cigar and expect to be satisfied. Most of the cigars sold, except the OTC cardboard/aromatics, are in the $3-$5.00 range. People complain about their cost, but tending to the tobacco in the curing barn ranges, I suppose, from months, and for years for fine cigars. While it ages it must cared for daily, managing the stacks, and rotating them from low to high, and back, depending on the temperature inside the barn. It's labor intensive.

I do think I've found a few better humidors on cigarbid, but they are out of my price range until July. I have been doing some research on seasoning though.

[saltedplug]

It's the cedar, that holds onto the moisture, that provides the primary humidity. The Boveda packets feed not only the cigars but the cedar.

I learned about seasoning from the elders on Cigar Asylum:

1. Remove everything from the humidor except the tray and a calibrated hygrometer.
2. Directions for calibration are widely available. Recalibrate several times until you're sure of the result. Hygrometers, though not cheap, are notoriously unreliable.
2. Wet a sponge and place it in a bowl, and place it and the calibrated hygrometer in the humidor.
3. Close the lid and leave it closed for two weeks. Do not open the lid for two weeks.
4. Open the lid and note the rH.
5. Remove the sponge, close the lid and wait for about an hour.
6. Reopen the lid and read the hygrometer.
7. You're looking for the rH to only fall within 5 points from the calibrated value

I haven't seasoned a humidor in a few years, and you might want to check my steps from the cigar elder of your choice. There's a ton of information on Cigar Asylum, some of it contradictory, especially the approach that advocates wiping down the interior of the humidor with water, and some advocating doing so with a PG solution. I read that it's possible to warp the wood or inadequately season using this technique.

Hope this helps.

[Del]

So I ran to check the humidity in my cheap humidor... which was holding in the perfect range.

One thing led to another, and now I am on the porch enjoying an inexpensive handmade Nicaraguan.

YMMV

I agree that patiently seasoning a new humidor is vital to good performance.

[bilder]

Buy a cheap rubbermaid, sterilite, or tupperware container with an airtight seal, a couple Boveda humidity packs and you are good to go.

I have a container that holds about 300 cigars that i put together for less than 30 bucks. Keeps humidity spot on and does not require all the fuss of a wooden humidor. Container was 12 bucks and I have 18 bucks worth of boveda packs in it.

It is also a good idea to rest your cigars for a week or two (I do two weeks) after they arrive. Your cigars have been out of a climate controlled humidor for the trip and a variety of weather/climate/temperature/humidity changes in order to get to you. Let them rest and recover for best flavor.

[Del]

Buy a cheap rubbermaid, sterilite, or tupperware container with an airtight seal, a couple Boveda humidity packs and you are good to go.

I have a container that holds about 300 cigars that i put together for less than 30 bucks. Keeps humidity spot on and does not require all the fuss of a wooden humidor. Container was 12 bucks and I have 18 bucks worth of boveda packs in it.

It is also a good idea to rest your cigars for a week or two (I do two weeks) after they arrive. Your cigars have been out of a climate controlled humidor for the trip and a variety of weather/climate/temperature/humidity changes in order to get to you. Let them rest and recover for best flavor.

300 cigars? Hmmm....

Mac Maps tells me that it is 33 hours drive time from my home to the Ace Hardware Store in Myrtle Point.

How close are you to the hardware store?

[bilder]

About a quarter mile. Other side of hwy 42 behind Fat Alberts Deli Mart.

[Jester]

I received an email from Cigar International yesterday. They gave me a $10 coupon with activation code at checkout. You all may want to check your email.