Also in this issue:

• Miscellaneous
  Editor's Note: Cigar Industry Launches An Agressive Campaign
• News & Features
  Tabacalera's American Gambit
• Celebrities
  Stage Struck
• Celebrities
  Last of the Line
• Celebrities
  Stallone II
• More from this Issue

The Cigar Adviser

Published in: March 1, 1998

Published March/April 1998

Q: Several months ago, I purchased a $9 cigar at a local liquor store. The cigar was bone dry, and so tightly packed it would not draw. How can I write the manufacturer to complain about the miserable quality of that cigar?
Sasikala Devi
DasiArcata, California

A: I've omitted the name of the manufacturer, not to protect anyone, but to make a point. Today, there are literally hundreds of new outlets for cigars, including convenience stores, grocery stores and liquor stores. The buyer must beware. A cigar will dry out if it is not properly humidified. Sometimes, when a cigar gets too dry, it will also draw hard.

At the point of sale, the condition of the cigar is not really the responsibility of the manufacturer. They do what they can to ensure that professional tobacconists sell their products. But once they deliver their cigar to distributors and retailers, its care is out of their hands.

You shouldn't interpret this as a put-down of nontraditional outlets for cigars. Some of the finest retail humidors in the country have been put in by newcomers to the retail cigar trade. The final responsibility really must be with the consumer. Check to see if a cigar is properly cared for. If it isn't, don't buy it.

* * *

Q: I recently smoked five Fuente Fuente OpusX cigars. Two of the wrappers split after I'd smoked them for about 10 minutes. The other three did not. Can you give me an idea of why this happened?
John Anfuso
Rochester, New York

A: My first question to you would be, when and where did you smoke the cigars? If you were outdoors during the colder months, particularly in your part of the country, the contrast between the heat of the cigar and the cold air might be enough to split the wrapper. The second possibility is related: in the wintertime, the loss of humidity in the air makes it harder to keep your cigars properly humidified in the box. I live in downstate New York, and even there during the winter, I find I have to charge my humidors twice as often as during the summer.

There's also the possibility that the cigars may have been improperly stored somewhere along the line (see the question above) or flawed in some way so that when they were lit, the filler and binder expanded more rapidly than the wrapper, causing it to break.

* * *

Q: Should I remove the cellophane from my cigars before I place them into my humidor?
Edward Matko
Mentor, Ohio

A: Generally, cigars that are going into a humidor should have the cellophane removed. The air circulation in the humidor helps them age a little more quickly and promotes the marriage of the different types of tobacco in the cigar.

However, if you have a small humidor stocked with a number of different brands, you should probably leave the cellophane on. Otherwise, the flavors of the different cigars will marry, reducing the distinctiveness of the cigars.

* * *

Q: I'm thinking of putting a walk-in humidor in my home. Do you have any advice?
Rich Demma
Aurora, Colorado

A: It's a tricky proposition. You can't just pick out a closet and decide to put shelves in there with a humidification device. Because you are trying to re-create a tropical climate for your cigars, you must construct an environment with a constant humidity of 70 to 75 percent and a temperature of 70 degrees.

While having a door--and a room--with a tight seal is important, you need to provide air ducts and a vent to help maintain the room's temperature and humidity, as well as to circulate the air within the humidor (so that the lower levels receive the same temperature and humidity levels as the upper shelves).

You want to install a humidifier that will be able to maintain a consistent level of humidity (a children's-room vaporizer probably won't cut it). And, you want to line the room with

a wood that can stand up to the constant high humidity level. Since Spanish cedar is usually recommended for long-term aging of cigars, it's a good choice. Beware of other kinds of cedar; they have stronger aromas than Spanish cedar and can impart unpleasant flavors to your cigars.

It's also important to provide a moisture barrier between the wood and the wall and to plumb the water line to ensure a continuous humidification source. My advice is to find a cigar-smoking contractor. Tell him what you want, and work out the details with him.

* * *

Q: My current humidor is the stay-fresh bin on the door of my refrigerator. Is this adequate? And, second, is cutting or punching the preferred method of opening up the end of the cigar?
Patrick Mikus
Massillon, Ohio

A: The refrigerator is a very harsh climate for cigars. At lower temperatures, you need to dramatically increase the moisture level to achieve the proper 70 to 75 percent humidity in a cigar. It's almost impossible to do that in a standard commercial refrigerator. If you are storing your cigars in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator, then at least it is a closed environment where you can boost the humidity with some device or moistened cloth, although at best this is a temporary measure. But just laying your cigars in the bin is almost certain to dry them out over the long term.

In answer to your second question, the method used to open up the head of the cigar is a matter of personal preference. However, the generally accepted method is cutting the entire end off, preferably with a guillotine cutter. That provides for a wide flow of air through the entire length of the cigar. The punch method that you mention (as well as piercing methods) tends to narrow the flow of smoke into a small opening, which will concentrate the tars in the smoke, causing the cigar to become stronger-tasting much more quickly.

* * *

Q: If I keep my cigar on the moist side, will I get more smoke, i.e., maybe more flavor, from the cigar?
George Reynolds
New York, New York

A: A cigar is meant to be smoked at an optimum level of humidity, which, as we've noted, is around 72 percent. If it is too dry, it will burn faster, and probably hotter. But if it gets too moist, the cigar will not burn as well. While it might seem to burn slower, it will tend to go out, requiring that it be relit. Too many relights will affect a cigar's taste.

* * *

Q: After suffering a small tobacco beetle infestation in my humidor, I froze my cigars, following the instructions that I've read before (freezing them for 48 hours, then refrigerating them for 24 hours before returning them to my wiped-down humidor). Afterwards, the cigars tasted fine with no apparent ill effects.

My question is this: to prevent any future beetle attacks, should I freeze all of my new cigar purchases in advance to kill off any possible tobacco beetle larvae?
Tom Wills
Warren, Ohio

A: Simply put, the only way to get rid of tobacco beetles is to freeze them. That doesn't mean that freezing is good for the cigars; it's a last resort, not a preventive measure.

If you can avoid having to put them through the shock of freezing and defrosting, all the better. That means being vigilant with your cigars by keeping the humidor out of conditions that would raise the temperature above 75 degrees.