Published Autumn 1995
The Cigar Adviser
Q: What do you recommend to "cure" a humidor of cigar mites or bugs? I just threw down the drain about $300 worth of Avos, Fonsecas, Dunhills and Ashtons! The critters did their work on the lower layers of cigars in my humidor. Is there anything that can be done to get rid of them and their eggs?
Alberto Caballero
West New York, New Jersey
A: First of all, you did the right thing by throwing away all the cigars in the humidor. Once a humidor has been infected, just bite the bullet and get rid of everything. You can permanently eliminate any eggs by freezing the humidor; the eggs can't survive the cold. But you should address another, long-term problem. Tobacco beetles don't hatch at temperatures below 75°F. That means your humidor has been getting too hot. Cigars are meant to be kept at between 65°F and 70°F and at a constant humidity of around 70 percent, but usually no higher than 72 percent.
Q: After buying the Spring and Summer '95 issues, I feel that I'm doing something wrong. I have no idea what you talk about when you mention ring size. Is this written on the cigar ring or do you need a gauge?
Also, since I'm still learning about cigars, I'm reluctant to attend your smoker nights because of my inexperience.
Brad Manning
Moreno Valley, California
A: Ring gauge is the measurement used to determine the diameter of a cigar. It is based on 64ths of an inch. Therefore, a 32 ring gauge cigar has a diameter of 1/2 inch whereas a 48 ring gauge equals 3/4 of an inch. In Europe, they use millimeters to determine the ring gauge. You actually do need a gauge if you want to measure your cigars, although many cigar shops will write the ring gauge on the shelves. The shop owner may also have a gauge to show you the difference in sizes.
There is no need to be intimidated by smoker nights. Without exception, they are some of the most relaxed, friendly evenings you could ever attend, and most cigar smokers love to pass along the knowledge they have.
Q: What is the difference between "double corona" and "Churchill"?
Can different brands be stored in the same humidor without risk of "marrying"?
Why use distilled water for humidors?
Frank Jones
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A: Cuban cigar size standards list double corona as a 49 ring gauge by 7 5/8 inches and a Churchill as a 47 ring gauge by 7 inches. However, size standards outside of Cuba vary greatly. Some cigars called double coronas by Dominican and Honduran manufacturers are actually Churchill-sized, and vice versa.
Different brands stored next to each other in a humidor can acquire each other's taste and flavor characteristics; it usually creates a flavor that is distinct from either cigar. You can keep cigars from different brands in the same humidor for short-term shortage. But you should separate them by a cedar divider or keep them in different trays. For long-term storage and aging, do not keep the cigars next to each other.
Distilled water is very important in humidors. When tap water evaporates, it almost always leaves behind a mineral deposit or even a chemical residue. If that happens to some of the clay-based materials used in humidification devices, they will deteriorate rapidly.
Q: I recently purchased some cigars from a local cigar dealer. These cigars were not kept in a humidor and were not wrapped in cellophane or stored in a tube. How long will I have to store them in my humidor before they become fresh again?
Nick D'Orazio
Toronto, Canada
A: Reconditioning the cigars depends in part on how long they have been without humidification. If they were left out for weeks or even months, then the process of rehydrating them and getting them in smoking condition could also take weeks.
The idea is to recondition the cigars slowly: Place them as far away as possible from the humidification device for the first couple of weeks, and then move them closer over a period of six weeks. Or, you might place the dry cigars in a box that has lower humidity for a week, and then put them in a box with slightly higher humidity for a week or two, and finally in a box with the proper 70 to 72 percent humidity. Again, the entire process might take up to six weeks.
If they were left out for a day or two, then the cigars shouldn't have dried out completely, and you should be able to recondition them fairly quickly.
Q: Can overhumidifying ruin a very dry and brittle cigar or will it simply bring it back more quickly?
John Trigiani
Toronto, Canada
A: Putting a dry cigar in a hyperhumidified environment may damage the cigar. Cigar tobaccos absorb moisture at different rates. If you put a cigar in that kind of an environment, the filler may take in moisture faster than the wrapper and cause the wrapper to crack. The idea is to slowly recondition a cigar, as I described above to your fellow Torontonian.
Q: I have noticed a sticky buildup on the inside of my humidor. It appears to be a residue of the oils from my cigars. It adheres to the wrappers and, if I am not careful, can cause them to tear when I remove them from the box. Is there any way to remove this residue without damaging the cedar lining of the box?
Frank A. Clark
Syracuse, New York
A: It's doubtful that a sticky residue is actually coming from the cigars. Cigars do exude an oil, but it shouldn't adhere to the cigars. It's more likely that the cedar you have in the humidor wasn't properly cured, causing the resins in the wood to seep out. Over time, that should stop. To speed the process, you might try to rub down the humidor with a lint-free cloth, which will absorb the excess without leaving behind anything to alter the aromas of the cigar.
Do not under any circumstances use any kind of wood-polishing compounds or treated cloths. In the meantime, you might want to get the kind of cedar dividers that are used in cigar boxes, so you can line the bottom and sides of your humidor with them.
If you are interested in purchasing reprints of a recent article, please
contact the Reprint Department at reprints@mshanken.com.
(Minimum quantity: 500 copies)
Cigar Aficionado RSS Feed