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The Cigar Adviser
Published in: June 1, 1995
Published Summer 1995
The Cigar Adviser
Q: When storing my cigars in my humidor, is it preferable to store them in the cellophane wrapper or unwrapped?
Jack Raymond
Indilantic, Florida
A: Cellophane should be removed from cigars once they are placed in your humidor. The cellophane will retard the cigars from drying out, but if they are in a properly humidified environment, the cellophaneis unnecessary.
Q: About a month ago, one of my father's friends gave him a box of Montecristo No. 1s. The first one was simply scrumptious, but about three-fourths of the rest tasted like boiled eggs. I checked out the box for authenticity and the only flaw I found was the lack of a Cubatabaco stamp. It only said "Hecho en Cuba" on the bottom. I also noticed a yellow tint to the inner part of the ash. Were these fakes?
S. Christopher Conigliaro
Lloyd Harbor, New York
A: Given the rash of counterfeits in the market, it is entirely possible that the box your father received was counterfeit. And that's through no fault of your father's friend. While you found the Hecho in Cuba stamp, the trademark Habanos leaf imprint and Totalmente a Mano stamp also were apparently missing. Their absence suggests a counterfeit box.
But I've seen boxes of counterfeits that have beautiful wrappers. While they look great, the construction, the raw materials and even the length of time they've been aged are suspect. The truth is that some counterfeiters have gotten so sophisticated that it takes a cigar expert to figure out if they are real or not.
Q: When cigars get dried out, is there a way to bring them back to a moist state? I've been told that steaming up the bathroom is a good method for this. How long should one leave the cigars in the moist air? Should the cigars be in the box, or exposed directly to the air? For how long will these cigars remain fresh? Should I just steam one cigar that I'll be smoking the next day?
Add B. Anderson,
North Wales, Pennsylvania
A: There is no quick, safe method for remoisturizing dried out cigars. A steambath may be one
of the worst ways, or at least the most dangerous ways. When a cigar is forced to rapidly absorb large quantities of moisture, the filler absorbs more than the binder and the wrapper, thus causing them to split open. The only acceptable method requires patience. The dried out cigar should be placed at the bottom of a humidor, and over a period of about six weeks moved closer to the humidity regulator.
Q: I regularly pick up Cuban cigars while traveling abroad. I have always been told that as long as I didn't bring back more than 100 cigars, and that I had already opened boxes, this was legal. Is this correct, or have I just been lucky?
Ron Stidmon
New York, New York
A: You've been lucky. The law is quite strict. U.S. Treasury Department regulations prohibit the importation of any Cuban cigars purchased outside of Cuba. That sounds like a loophole, but it isn't. The only Americans legally allowed to travel to Cuba are journalists and academics; they receive visas and can travel directly from Miami. If you are lucky enough to get a legal visa, then the limit, according to the Treasury Department's regulations, is 100 cigars. But there are no other exceptions to the rule.
Q: My cigars have recently started developing holes. I gather that it is from an insect that is eating them. Please tell me--what is the organism, how do I keep it from spreading, and how do eliminate it from my humidor without ruining the other cigars?
Todd L. Beel
Ann Arbor, Michigan
A: Your humidor has been infected with the tobacco weevil. It can eat its way through a box of cigars or a humidor, or, in a severe infestation, an entire warehouse within a couple of days. There are several ways to prevent it in a home humidor. Once you've seen evidence of an infestation, you can freeze the cigars. This will kill the beetles. It may damage your cigars, but you have no other choice. Be sure to rehumidify them slowly after the freeze technique. By the way, the tobacco beetle larvae do not hatch in temperatures below 75 degrees F. So, it's likely that you are keeping your cigars in a place that gets too hot.
Q: I'm wondering why a cigar that I'm quite partial to, the Davidoff "Special R," was rated at 87 this year but a whopping 91 in Vol. 1, #1. Similarly, why is it that Canaria D'Oro Rothschild rates in at 88 while its higher-priced brother, the Partagas Robusto, rates in at 86?
J. Radomski
Torrance, California
A: There are two things at work: In the case of the Davidoff "Special R," you are comparing two completely different cigars. Cigars are the blend of different vintages of tobaccos, i.e., from different crop years. Although manufacturers work to achieve a similar taste year to year, there are differences due to the characteristics of the tobacco crops used in the blend. Therefore, a cigar's flavor will likely vary slightly from year to year, and thus affect its ratings in different taste tests.
In the second case, price is not a definitive indicator of taste. Some less expensive cigars have outperformed high-priced cigars in nearly every one of Cigar Aficionado's blind taste tests. The panel responds to flavors and tastes, and sometimes a less expensive cigar may have a bit more robust tobacco.
Q: Would keeping cigars of different brands or types in the same humidor have a tendency to blend the cigar flavors into each other? Should each brand of cigar be stored in separate humidors?
Keith Divine
Vail, Arizona
A: It is generally acknowledged that cigars will acquire the aromas and tastes of cigars that they are next to, especially if they are touching. In practical terms, very few of us have individual humidors for each of our favorite smokes. If at all possible, keep the brands apart using dividers in the humidors. That assumes your humidor is large enough to have dividers, but that will minimize the marriage of flavors and aromas.
Q: Why does a Cohiba Robusto or a Cohiba Esplendido not taste the same as a Cohiba Lancero?
Harry Jeranian
Toronto, Canada
A: Cigars of different sizes use different blends of tobacco. If the same proportion were used in each cigar, they would still taste different because of the cigars' different widths and lengths. While the makers of any brand, like Cohiba, strive to make a cigar that tastes more or less the same, it is impossible to make a panatela (Lancero size) taste like a robusto or a Churchill because the latter has up to two or three more types of tobacco used in the blend.
Q: Recently, while reviewing the Winter 1994 article on Pre-Castro Havanas, I noticed that the experts recommend setting aside only full-bodied cigars for aging, due to a loss of flavor intensity during the aging process. I smoke two or three full-bodied Hondurans per day, and would like to begin setting aside enough cigars to maintain that consumption level down the road. Am I better off setting aside a larger number of relatively unaged Honduran bundle cigars over the next three years, or should I settle for aging a far smaller number of premium boxed cigars? What kind of potential do quality, full-flavored bundles have for aging?
Michael P. McNamee, Jr.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
A: In general, bundle cigars vary widely in the caliber of raw material that they use. Therefore, it may be problematic to expect them to improve dramatically over time. I would suggest you find your favorite superpremium brand, and age as many of them as you can afford. As far as Honduran cigars, their aging potential should be equal to any of the other full-bodied non-Cuban cigars. One point to note is that aging cigars today may be more important than ever. Virtually all cigars for sale in your retailers' humidors are younger than in the past because of the unprecedented market demand.
Q: Do the metal tubes that some cigars come packaged in really provide the proper storage conditions for any length of time? Other than providing a handy method of carrying them in my pocket, it would seem that once they leave the cigar store's humidor, they would tend to dry out like any others. What is the proper way to store these in my humidor? Should I have them in the tubes, or take them out right away?
Brian Beck
Mount Clemens, Michigan
A: In fact, a sealed aluminum tube will keep a cigar for years if it has not been opened. However, if you're keeping a cigar for aging in a quality humidor, it is generally not necessary to keep it in the tube.
Q: My grandfather, Edward C. Hauber, was a barrel manufacturer in Kansas City, Kansas, for over 30 years ending in approximately 1958. He travelled exclusively by train where he could dine in white shirt and tie and where an attendant would gladly light your cigar. His favorite train was the Santa Fe Super-Chief. Likewise, his cigar of choice bore that same appellation, Santa Fe. Could you pass along any information you have on that brand?
Thomas E. Hauber
Tucson, Arizona
A: Many companies used to have private-label cigars manufactured for them. In the days when nearly every city had a number of cigar factories, such private-label services were easy to come by. Today, with the move of manufacturing facilities to distant countries, it's much rarer to find private labels.
Q: I enjoy woodworking and have been considering building a humidor. Would you please suggest a source for humidity control devices?
Peter A. Morenus, Jr.
Ithaca, New York
A: The best portable, single-unit humidification device that can be purchased separately is made by Credo. Called the Precision 70, it can be purchased through your local tobacconist. For information, call the distributor Hollco-Rohr at 1-800-24SMOKE.
Q: In virtually every issue of Cigar Aficionado, I see photographs of men in the cigar industry all wearing loose-fitting, untucked, white, button-front shirts with dual breast pockets that inevitably are stuffed with cigars. These shirts look cool and comfortable. It would be nice to have one of these shirts for our brief summer season here in Syracuse. Do you know where they can be purchased?
Jay W. Wason, Jr.
Fayetteville, New York
A: The shirts are called guayaberas. They are a standard garment in tropical Latin America, and are considered proper business attire. They come in a variety of styles, everything from casual to extremely formal. They are not common in America, however. Try a large department store in Miami. Or the next time a friend travels to Mexico or Puerto Rico, ask them to pick one up in the airport shops.
Q: I recently purchased a wooden humidor with internal dimensions of 4" x 7 1/2" x 14" and rated to hold 75 cigars. The moisture holder is approximately 2" in diameter and contains a cloth pad that you wet. I have been told that the moisture holder is too small to be effective and that I should consider a larger Credo-style moisturizer. In addition, I want to know what the best fluid for humidifying is. I have heard there is a solution that you can buy, or that distilled water is better than regular tap water.
T. Craig Rose
Irvine, California
A: It sounds as if you need a larger Credo-style humidifier. They are available from your local tobacconist. For most modern humidification devices, distilled water is essential. Many of the water-holding apparatus are made from a clay substance that will deteriorate rapidly if used with tap water.
Q: I recently acquired a box of Romeo y Julieta "Medallas de Oro" vintage cigars. They came in a box marked "Humidified Cabinet" with a humidifier device identified as a Credo Rondo. I've only been a cigar smoker for six months and I'm wondering if this box and humidifier can serve as a suitable humidor?
Robert Alu
Hamilton Square, New Jersey
A: The cabinet you have described is a brand-new packaging idea. We have not tested one. But for short term storage, the Romeo y Julieta Vintage cigar packaging should be fine. I would recommend storing them in a regular humidor if you plan on keeping them for any length of time.
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