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The Cigar Adviser
Published in: September 1, 1996
Published Autumn 1996
The Cigar Adviser
Q: A friend recently gave me a box of panatelas from the Dominican cigar maker Kelner. These are well-made cigars with a natural wrapper, full-bodied with spicy flavors and aroma. Can you tell me something about them?
Richard Gambatese
Yountville, California
A: Hendrik Kelner produces these cigars at his Tabacos Dominicanos, or Tabadom, factories in the Dominican Republic. These same factories produce Davidoff and Avo cigars. Unfortunately, the Kelner-label cigars are not exported and are only available in the Dominican Republic.
Q: I recently was given a box of cigars by an elderly uncle who claims they are 40 to 50 years old. They are Garcia y Vegas. They came five to a box, and each is encased in a wood box with a sliding top. They appear to be about seven inches long with a 49 to 50 ring. Each sold originally for $1.25. Are these of any value other than a family collectible? And were they good cigars at the time they were made? I might just take one out and smoke it, dry or not, to see what is there.
Stephen F. Albracht
Fresno, California
A: The cigars' value depends entirely on the condition they are in. If they have been left in a nonhumidified environment for 40 or 50 years, it is almost impossible that there would be any flavor left in them. However, if they are in good condition and have been stored properly, there is no reason that they shouldn't be good cigars. Back then, machine- made cigars in the United States were made with Cuban tobacco, and had very robust flavors.
Q: I have found that it is economical to purchase cigars by the box, and so I decided to search for a humidor. Unfortunately, my search thus far has been unproductive. Humidors with cedar linings are consistently expensive. If I plan to purchase by the box, I would need a humidor with a capacity of about 100 cigars in order to hold just four varieties. Further, I prefer to smoke Churchill-sized cigars, so we are talking about a big box, or a couple of not-so-big boxes. Do you know of anything low-cost and functional that I might be able to buy?
Richard H. Bulzacchelli
Providence, Rhode Island
A: Humidors are not just boxes. That's why they cost a fair amount of money. If they are designed properly, they provide a constant humidified environment, they measure that humidity and they use a wood that doesn't adversely affect--and often enhances--the flavors of a cigar. There are several manufacturers that make good humidors at a lower cost. Try to find a Savinelli, for instance. It may run in the $300 to $500 range. There are also other lower-priced humidors available, such as the Plexiglas humidors from Zino.
Q: In planning our recent trip to Italy, I dreamed about getting Cuban cigars there. I was then stunned to learn that in all of southern Italy, you can only buy Montecristo No. 4s. I could not believe it, but it's true. When I got to northern Italy--Milan, for instance--I was able to buy Romeo y Julieta Churchills. In the whole of Italy, I was told you could only buy these two brands and these two sizes. If you are planning a trip to Italy and are anticipating buying any Cubans you want, don't get your hopes up.
Richard L. Allen
Dallas, Texas
A: Italy, like many European countries, still has a government-run tobacco monopoly. It tightly controls the import of Cuban cigars to protect the local cigar manufacturing business. However, it is often possible to find other brands in Italy that have been brought in and sold illegally.
Q: Your publication states that a humidor should allow some air to penetrate so as to avoid musty aromas. Yet other literature I have read suggests the opposite--that no amount of air should ever penetrate the humidor lest it upset the humidity-temperature relationship. What is your view on this issue?
Joseph Arias
Redlands, California
A: A practical test would indicate that our suggestions are correct. If it were true that no amount of air should be allowed into a humidor, then you couldn't open it to remove a cigar. The purpose of a quality humidification unit is to sustain a balance of humidity. But if you have an airtight container and you open it after a long period, you will notice a musty aroma. The important thing is that there be an exchange of air, either by opening it often enough to select a cigar, or by virtue of some gap or designed opening that allows some air exchange.
Q: Have you (or any other magazine that you know of) ever written about the Cohiba 1492/1992 "Humidor Box" numbered 1 through 500?
Robert Goldstein
Beverly Hills, California
A: Yes.Turn to our Spring 1993 issue with Groucho Marx on the cover. The special 1492 Series cigars and their humidor box are discussed on page 46.
Q: While in Mexico, I found a small store specializing in Cuban cigars. I bought a box of Romeo y Julieta Churchill tubos at $275 a box. They were as good as any cigar I have ever smoked. About a month later, I was back in Mexico, returned to the same store and bought another box of the same. I went home happily anticipating some more great cigars. They were virtually unsmokable. They were rolled so tight you had to suck your head inside-out just to light one. I tried everything I could think of, poking a hole down the center, cutting them in half, smoking them backwards, drying one out--nothing worked. I still have most of them. Why did this happen? Could they be counterfeit?
Hugh Kelly
Moorea, Tahiti
A: There has been some evidence of inconsistency in even the major Cuban cigar brands. At one time, Romeo y Julietas were made in the same factory, but now they are often made in several different factories. Unfortunately, Cuba, like many other cigar producing nations, has experienced a severe shortage of tobacco in recent years. In Cuba's case it was caused by several disastrous harvests as well as the end of large subsidies with the demise of the Soviet Union. Because of the sudden growth of demand for cigars worldwide, cigar quality has suffered in some cases.
Q: I've been searching for a humidor to keep my cigars. Almost all boxes boast a lining of Spanish cedar except one whose interior is seasoned mahogany. Are these woods equally effective?
Stanley H. Green
Maplewood, New Jersey
A: Spanish cedar is the preferred lining for humidors because the aroma enhances the flavors in a cigar. Any other wood must be thoroughly seasoned, or entirely neutral smelling. Otherwise, the odor of the wood, or worse, its varnish, will contaminate your cigars. A seasoned mahogany is a good choice, and very attractive.
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