oh sure, just go to radio shack and get one. i just bought one that comes with remote sensors that the base picks up readings from, the cool thing is they sell the sensors separately for 15 bucks and they have displays on them. you could use one of them independantly for a hygrometer. i would try it at the store to see if the display works even though it cant find a base.
I love beer, dark beers are my favorite. I just love Guiness Extra Stout. I find that if I want to ruin a perfectly good cigar I'll smoke it with a Guinness. I find bitter beer, makes for a bitter smoke. Wine, coffee, bourbon, scotch,.....are better with a cigar. Some red wines give a cigar a metalic taste. it s the tannins in the wine. Although I had a nice Amber lager and a maduro cigar after work today and it was great. I think you need to play around with it. I find coffee is my favorite smoking beverage. Hope this helps
Joined Oct 2005
3K Posts | 14+
Central Canada, eh?
Well Spider,
It sounds like you are on the right track, the journal idea is a good one. What I did when I was a newbie (5 months ago, believe it or not) was browse the online sellers to learn about what they had to offer, and in what sizes, shapes, and wrappers.
You can learn a lot by just reading the different descriptions. Cigar.com is a good place to start as is Cigars International. Welcome to the zoo, and keep posting, it makes good reading.
It sounds like you are on the right track, the journal idea is a good one. What I did when I was a newbie (5 months ago, believe it or not) was browse the online sellers to learn about what they had to offer, and in what sizes, shapes, and wrappers.
You can learn a lot by just reading the different descriptions. Cigar.com is a good place to start as is Cigars International. Welcome to the zoo, and keep posting, it makes good reading.
Joined Feb 2004
3K Posts | 42+
159 Knobvue Drive Freedom Pa 15042
keep on asking questions, sooner or later some one will tell you the truth, you just need to guess who !, I have a Diamond Crown device in one of my bigger humis, it works just fine , make sure that you get the humidor good & wet & let it sit a day or 2 make sure it is dry when you put the cigars in, , I condition one humi every few months, rotate the sticks top to bottom, & roll the sticks , dont let them sit face up all the time, for long term aging leave them in the orginal box.
with a good humidor the cigars will keep forever, I have some left over from my wedding in 1970, & a few older than that ( 2 Pre embargo Cuban coronas ) , I plan on smoking one when the grandson gets married, & the second one when the other grandson gets married, , IF I live that long ~~Caugh, Caugh , hahahaha , Enjoy, Vince
with a good humidor the cigars will keep forever, I have some left over from my wedding in 1970, & a few older than that ( 2 Pre embargo Cuban coronas ) , I plan on smoking one when the grandson gets married, & the second one when the other grandson gets married, , IF I live that long ~~Caugh, Caugh , hahahaha , Enjoy, Vince
"Thumping" your ash is a bad idea, especially at 1/2 an inch. If you tap it on a surface or with your finger you may crack the wrapper. It is also bad cigar etiquette. The best thing to do is gently brush the ash off against something. As far as a good length to do this at, a minimum of 3/4" to 1" is average depending on the ring guage of the cigar (bigger meaning a longer ash).
The cigar burn going up one side if referred to as fingering. Some cigars this is inevitable but it really has more to do with humidity than anything. Cigars are shipped and sold at high humidities so that they can tolerate the stresses. When you buy a cigar and smoke it right away, you're not giving it a chance to acclimate to a proper 65-70% RH. You'd be surprised at what just a week can do. But when you're just starting out with a small collection or you don't have a humidor it understandable that you would do that. So in that case Bobberriffic's advice to just torch the uneven side or let it go out and relight is the best. Just don't relight after more than 30 minutes or so or you'll get a foul taste in the cigar.
The cigar burn going up one side if referred to as fingering. Some cigars this is inevitable but it really has more to do with humidity than anything. Cigars are shipped and sold at high humidities so that they can tolerate the stresses. When you buy a cigar and smoke it right away, you're not giving it a chance to acclimate to a proper 65-70% RH. You'd be surprised at what just a week can do. But when you're just starting out with a small collection or you don't have a humidor it understandable that you would do that. So in that case Bobberriffic's advice to just torch the uneven side or let it go out and relight is the best. Just don't relight after more than 30 minutes or so or you'll get a foul taste in the cigar.
Also make sure that you are completely lighting the foot. The entire thing needs to be orange hot, this way you don't start off with an uneven burn leading to "fingering".
Joined Jan 2006
752 Posts | 0+
Kansas City
You guys(in the non gender spacifc) are great. Thanks for all the kind and helpful information. I hope that you will all continue the input, and soon I will be sharing the good smokes with you. I will continue to post my own progress and new sticks I smoke for all the other newcomers. On that note, Last night I placed an order with cigar.com (my first) I ordered the Robutso sampler. I think that some of them may be a little stronger that I want at this level, but will be good to have them in the humi for when I get to that point...like next week...haha :wink:
Next up on my smoking list will the the Don Diego from my first purchase. Will let you know how it goes.
Next up on my smoking list will the the Don Diego from my first purchase. Will let you know how it goes.
Joined Oct 2005
2K Posts | 1+
Lost in translation
Spider, one cigar that I highly suggest to start off with is the Cusano 18 robusto (any size should be fine though). A cigar with a lot of flavour, but very smooth. Cigar.com has a great price on them and their service is excellent.
Also, If your cigar goes out (don't let it go out for very long) blow the stinky stale smoke out of the cigar right away. Then, relight.
Joined Oct 2005
2K Posts | 1+
Lost in translation
Nice pick up. I think we have to name the cusano 18 the go to cigar for the forum. Any other votes for offical cigar of the board?
Joined Oct 2005
2K Posts | 1+
Lost in translation
Joined Jan 2006
752 Posts | 0+
Kansas City
Got the cart before the horse...
well, I got a call today letting me know that there was a delay on getting my desktop humi out. Now I have a few samplers comming from cigar.com and NO HUMI! From what I understand, I should let my new sticks sit in a humidor for at least a couple of weeks before I smoke them right? So what do you recomend I do until the humi arrives?
And another thing....Do I have to let sticks baught from my local dealer sit too?..... I can't wait weeks for another cigar!! :shocked:
well, I got a call today letting me know that there was a delay on getting my desktop humi out. Now I have a few samplers comming from cigar.com and NO HUMI! From what I understand, I should let my new sticks sit in a humidor for at least a couple of weeks before I smoke them right? So what do you recomend I do until the humi arrives?
And another thing....Do I have to let sticks baught from my local dealer sit too?..... I can't wait weeks for another cigar!! :shocked:
Joined Jan 2006
752 Posts | 0+
Kansas City
Stick #4
Changed my mind on the stick I would smoke tonight... decided to go with the Flor de Oliva. I really took my time in lighting it this time, and what a difference it made. Nice, even burn all the way through. Took the advice of Vince and shared the experience with a glass of Scotch.... Not sure I could ever do HIS discriptions justice, but it was very good. The Flor de Oliva was a very nice, mild smoke (and for a Buck-Seventy-Five, I will deffinately come back to this one again)
I am lovin' this hobby/passion/obsession!!
Changed my mind on the stick I would smoke tonight... decided to go with the Flor de Oliva. I really took my time in lighting it this time, and what a difference it made. Nice, even burn all the way through. Took the advice of Vince and shared the experience with a glass of Scotch.... Not sure I could ever do HIS discriptions justice, but it was very good. The Flor de Oliva was a very nice, mild smoke (and for a Buck-Seventy-Five, I will deffinately come back to this one again)
I am lovin' this hobby/passion/obsession!!
You should let them rest if you can but you don't have to. As for a temporary humidor. You can use tupperware, a small travel cooler, a freezer bag, or anything clean that won't impart any contaminants into your cigars and that seals well.
jesse52 said:
whats or opinion of cognac with cigars......say Courvoisier?
I allways thought cognac was a whiskey but its acually made from grapes