Also in this issue:

• Miscellaneous
  Editor's Note: Scare Tactics
• Celebrities
  Grand Yankee
• Cigar Stars
  The First Family of Tobacco
• Celebrities
  Fame Jam
• Celebrities
  Master Of The Horn
• More from this Issue

The Cigar Adviser

Published in: May 1, 1997

Published May/June 1997

Q: My humidor is a circa 1940s unit that is dark mahogany outside, but is lined with opaque porcelain inside. I believe that you have described the liner as "milk glass." The humidor was purchased from an antiques store, and after some minor repairs to the underside and the installation of a good quality humidification system, it seems to perform nicely. With all the talk about aged Spanish cedar being the ultimate liner, and its being available in usable sizes, will I gain anything by lining the bottom and sides with cedar, or is it simply a matter of taste?

Mike Broyles
Kansas City, Missouri

A: There is certainly an element of taste involved with cigars aged in cedar. While it does enhance flavors in older cigars, there can be too much of a good thing, too--storing cigars in strong cedar for too long can overpower the natural tobacco flavors in a cigar. That's a roundabout way of answering your question; while your humidor may not impart that cedary note to your cigars, if it keeps your cigars properly humidified, there's no reason not to use it. If you are a big fan of the cedar flavor, then there's no harm in sticking in a few cedar sheets (found in some cigar boxes) in the humidor. You should check for any warping in the lid that might allow excess outside air to enter; you want the humidity levels to remain constant inside.

Q: I recently flew to Europe with my Ziploc bag of cigars (in perfect condition) in my checked luggage. Six hours after I arrived in Zurich, I passed out the cigars after dinner. The majority of them started unraveling while being smoked. This never happens when I bring my cigars on the plane with me in my carry-on bag. Also, when I came back through customs in Los Angeles, I brought back cigars with the cigar bands removed and my cigars packed in Ziploc bags. The customs agent who went through my bags seemed to find that way of transporting cigars suspicious and asked if they were Cubans. I told him they were my personal collection of Dominican cigars; he did not believe me, but let me go. What are the rules of transporting cigars without identification?

Keith Rosier
Irvine, California

A: Most baggage compartments are not fully heated or air-conditioned. If your cigars were in a suitcase, they probably went through a rapid and extreme change in temperatures. For instance, if your bag was loaded in 100-degree heat and sat on the runway for 30 minutes while the plane waited to take off, your cigars undoubtedly heated up beyond 75 degrees. Then, the plane takes off and climbs to 30,000 feet, where the outside temperature is minus 40. Even if the luggage compartment only drops to the 40- or 50-degree range, the cigars go through a 30- to 40-degree temperature change in a matter of 15 minutes. That's not good for a cigar.
As for your second question, there are no specific rules about traveling with cigars without bands. The way I understand customs' procedure, if the agent merely suspects that your cigars are Cubans, he can confiscate them on the spot --no questions asked and despite your protests. If you can prove they are Dominican, with a receipt that the customs agent accepts as valid, you might be able to retain them.

Q: I own a large humidor that holds almost 200 cigars. Unlike some humidors, mine lacks dividers. I routinely mix different brands together. Will this result in an unfavorable marrying of the flavors, or simply enhance the cigars as they age?

John B. Turner
Alexandria, Virginia

A: If you keep cigars with different types of tobaccos and pronounced flavor differences, and they are stored together so that they touch each other, they will acquire each others' flavors. In most cases, this is not desirable. At the very least, you end up with cigars that all taste the same.

Q: I have a 1,500-cigar humidor cabinet. I have about 17 boxes of cigars in the bottom of the cabinet. Do I take the ci-gars out of the cellophane and put them back in their boxes to age?

Greg Cosnotti
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A: Yes, it would be a good idea to remove the cellophane. Cellophane does two things: it seals in the natural humidity of the cigar so it will keep during shipping, and it protects the cigar from any jostling during that journey. To enhance the cigar's aging process, and speed it up a bit, you should take the cellophane off. You can keep the cigars in their boxes, although if the humidor is keeping humidity levels properly, I'd crack the boxes open just a bit to allow some air inside.