Published August/September 2000

The Cigar Adviser

Q: Hspace Is there an ideal level of humidity and temperature to store cigars?

A: There's a simple rule of thumb: 70 degrees and 70 percent humidity. While the temperature can rise a couple of degrees higher, it should never reach 75, because you run the risk of hatching tobacco beetles (see below). If it drops below 70 degrees, the humidity must rise beyond 70 percent to maintain the same moisture level.

The acceptable range of humidity is much broader. In Great Britain, for instance, where they prefer to smoke drier cigars, you will often find the humidity in humidors kept around 65 percent. In tropical climates, on the other hand, the humidity often remains far above 70 percent for long periods, and the cigars can become quite soft. But the best judge of humidity is your cigars. Let them guide you to the proper level.

Q: The cigars in my humidor are filled with tiny holes! What happened?

A: You suffered a tobacco beetle outbreak. Many cigars leave the factory with larvae in the leaves. The beetles do not hatch below 75 degrees, so if you see beetles, your humidor's temperature is too high. Check to see if it is near a radiator, in a hot room, or exposed to direct sunlight. Any of these is enough to raise temperatures inside the box into the danger zone.

Once you have an infestation you have two choices--throw away all the cigars, or toss the ones with holes and freeze the remainder in sealed plastic bags for 48 hours, move them to the refrigerator for another 48 hours, and then return them to your humidor. Be sure to wipe the humidor down with a clean, lint-free cloth dampened with plain water, so that no insects remain. Generally, most people don't discover an infestation until it is too late (these beetles are fast), and by that point, the safest option is to destroy all the cigars.

Q: I've noticed words like spicy, chocolate and leathery in your cigar-tasting notes. I've never tasted anything like that in my cigar. Where are you getting those flavors?

A: The tasting notes are a subjective description of flavors that are present in
cigars in subtle ways. A note that uses a cocoa bean or chocolate description, for example, is most likely describing a sweet-tasting cigar, and when the sweetness combines with the essential tobacco flavors, it ends up reminding the taster of chocolate.

We suggest that you use the tasting notes as a guide to finding words for the flavors you taste. Tasting is not just a science, nor is it just an art. To become a taster, you need to be aware of what's going on in your mouth. First impressions are good benchmarks, and keeping a notebook helps as well. Experiment with different cigars. As you write down your impressions, you'll be amazed at what you come up with.

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