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Cigar Adviser
Published in: December 1, 1993
Published Winter 1993
The Cigar AdvisorQ. When are you planning a Big Smoke extravaganza for your loyal West Coast readers and other cigar advocates?
John G. Most
Laguna Niguel, California
A: Hang on. We'll be holding a Big Smoke on Oct. 11, 1994, at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. In addition, there will be Big Smokes in Miami on Jan. 27, 1994, at the Doral Ocean Beach Resort; in Chicago on May 20, 1994, at the Four Seasons; on May, 26, 1994, in New York at the Marriott Marquis and second New York event in November.
Q. In the Autumn 1993 issue of CIGAR AFICIONADO you mentioned to one of your readers that the Credo system humidifier can be inserted into a storage box or a humidor with an inadequate humidification system. Could you please inform me as to where the manufacturer or distributor of this system can be reached.
Gerardo Padron
Sanger, California
A: The Credo humidification system is distributed by Hollco-Rohr, a tobacco-products company in Chatsworth, California, at (800) 247-6653. They will provide you with the name of a retail outlet in your area that carries the system.
Q. I have been trying in vain to find a hydrometer and humidifier for a custom-made, black-walnut humidor lined with cedar. I believe I may need a humidifier capable of putting out quite a bit of moisture, and I have been looking for the circular, adjustable type with the sponge inside.
Albert N. Henderson
Stafford, Virginia
A: The word is hygrometer. If in fact you need substantial moisture capacity, an adjustable unit holding a sponge (as seen in Savinelli humidors imported from Italy) may not be sufficient. The Credo system (see previous answer) continues to be the best stand-alone humidity regulator. If your cigars are extremely dry, perhaps you should ask your local tobacconist to assist you in reviving them by storing them temporarily in his walk-in humidor.
Q. I very often agree with the ratings you give to some of my favorite smokes. But I still don't understand how you arrive at your scores. Could you explain how it works?
William Dawson
Port Washington, New York
A: Here's how. In editorial meetings, the size or type of cigars are selected for tasting. Then the cigars are purchased at retail and kept in our humidor to balance the humidity levels. If a cigar is scheduled for release in the upcoming months, the cigars are supplied directly from the manufacturers, but we include that information in the final tasting note. The band is removed from each cigar and a white band with a number is put on. The "key" is kept by the tasting coordinator, who is not a tester.
There are four tasters on the panel--all senior editors of the magazine--each of whom has smoked cigars at least 10 years. Each panelist is given a separate humidor with the cigars and a stack of blank tasting sheets to note quality of construction, smoking performance, flavor and overall impression. The testing period runs from six to eight weeks. Each cigar is smoked for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer. That means that even in a test of this size, no more than three or four cigars a day are smoked. If a cigar is plugged or some other serious defect in manufacturing is noticed, it is replaced with a new one: In cases where the majority of cigars from a single brand is defective, that is also reflected in the notes.
Once the cigars are smoked, the rating sheets are collated and the scores determined. All the technical information about the cigars is supplied by manufacturers, including the suggested retail price, which is generally before any local and state taxes have been applied.
Q. Being new to CIGAR AFICIONADO and also a craftsman, perhaps you might be able to point me in the direction of acquiring various blue-print designs of humidors so that I might be able to make my own.
Anthony Monzillo
Carmel, New York
A: The companies selling humidors consider the information you seek to be proprietary. As they say, the devil is in the details. Hinges, locks and lips to prevent humidity loss, as well as the weight and balance of the lid are developed through trial and error. And companies are reluctant to reveal what is to them, hard-won and expensive information. Perhaps you should take a close look at some of the humidors at your local tobacconist and note the features you prefer and then incorporate them into a design of your own. Good Luck.
Q. I often remove the cellophane from newly purchased cigars before storing them in my humidor. Assuming I smoke them within a few months, will the cigars improve or are they at their peak when packaged? Also, can proper humidification restore a cigar that has dried out?
Keith R. Byrne
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
A: If you are going to keep a cigar in a properly humidified humidor, remove the cellophane.
The cigars will benefit from the proper storage environment, and the sealed cellophane wrapper might inhibit that. Many cigars will improve with age. The appropriate time to smoke a cigar depends on your own taste; however, if you are planning to store cigars for a long period, 'you should taste one periodically to see whether you like its development.
As for your second question, the answer is yes--to a point. It may take up to three months at a controlled 70 to 72 percent humidity for the cigar to absorb the right amount of moisture. Do not try to "shock" the cigars by putting them in a high-humidity environment, say, your bathroom with the hot shower turned on, because they might burst from the sudden absorption of moisture. As they slowly reacquire the proper moisture in your humidor, you'll know by the slight sponginess and supple wrapper.
Q. Is it considered good practice to relight a partially smoked cigar? It would appear that the heat and nicotine would spoil the integrity of a once fresh cigar.
George Ellis
Long Beach, New York
A: The short answer is no. It is almost never advisable to relight a cigar after it has gone out and cooled down. Of course, if the cigar dies because you set it down for a few minutes in the ashtray, by all means, relight it, especially if you like the cigar. After all, we are all busy and often don't have enough time to smoke a cigar from start to finish in a single sitting. Do be aware that after a few relights, the cigar may get harsh because the relighting process heats the burnt tobacco and accumulated nicotine and will affect the taste.
On the other hand, in a recent tasting of aged cigars, one particularly great one was left more than half unsmoked. One of my editors took it, cut off the ash end of the cigar about a half inch behind the ash and smoked it the next day. He told me it was still great. If you have a half smoked-cigar and you really want to smoke the rest of it much later, it's probably better to cut off the ash end right away instead of letting it sit overnight.
Q. I have recently purchased my first box of Ashton Cigars: the maduro No. 40s. Upon opening, I was amused to find them wrapped in waxed paper embossed with a curious, spider-in-a-web pattern. Is this some sort of trademark particular to this brand of cigars?
Robert Burr
Etobicoke, Ontario
Canada
A: No, it is not an Ashton trademark, but a specific kind of paper called pergamen. That paper inside the box has become a tradition in the cigar industry. Most manufacturers choose a plain paper, but it's not unusual to see some artistic, patterned designs.
Q. Does maintaining a long ash keep your cigar smoking cooler? If so, what length should you maintain?
John Scattiglio
Miami, Florida
A long ash reputedly keeps the smoke cooler. However, to my knowledge, this argument has never been proven. The concept is that the ash acts like a radiator. But knock off a long ash and see whether you can tell the difference. There's no ideal length for an ash. Keep it long enough to contemplate and short enough not to fall in your lap.
Q. I've noticed some cigar smokers roll a cigar through their mouths to coat it with saliva. Is this practice a handed-down misconception or does it in some way improve your smoke?
John Scattiglio
Miami, Florida
A: There's no reason to do that anymore. A long time ago, it provided a bit of extra moisture if the cigar was not at the right humidity. There's another out-of- date practice that might also see People Perform: passing a flame the length of a cigar. This used to he necessary to burn off any extra, foul-tasting gum that had been used to secure the wrapper. Today's gums are flavorless, vegetable-based products and do not need to be burned off.
Q. Where can an avid cigar smoker enjoy his stogie in good restaurants in New York City?
W.F. Vallely Jr.
New York, New York
A: We published a list of cigar-friendly restaurants around the world, including New York City, in the Autumn 1993 issue beginning on page 189.
Q. In the article in the Autumn 1993 Issue of CIGAR AFICIONADO, "In Search of Davidoffs," there appears to be a mix-up in the pictures of some of the cigars. Can you tell me what the correct line-up is?
Gerry Warner
Los Angeles, California
A: You're right. (The photographs are not actual size.) The mix-up was only in the photographs, however; the names of the cigars and their descriptions and scores were all properly matched. Due to an editorial mistake, several pictures were not in the right position. CIGAR AFICIONADO regrets the error.
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