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| Cigaradvocate.org >> Cigar 411 >> Tips | August 28, 2008 |
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Adjust RH Levels Accordingly - Some cigars will burn better at a lower relative humidity (RH) levels. Some wrapper leaves, especially sun-grown wrappers tend to be thicker than others, which can sometimes lead to burn problems. A lower relative humidity helps the wrapper burn easier, making for a better burning cigar.
Always Use Distilled Water - Always use distilled water. Tap water contains minerals that can clog humidification devices, preventing them from absorbing water.
Ask Questions - Your tobacco retailer is a great source of knowlegde. Most tobacconists have a wealth of knowledge about cigars and the cigar business. They should be able to suggest and reccomend cigars according to your preferences as. If unsure about anything when shopping around. Don't hesitate to ask questions, we all love to talk about cigars!
Authorized Dealers - If traveling abroad and consider sampling Cuban cigars, only do so from authorized LCDH (La Casa Del Habano) dealers to guarantee authenticity. Don’t trust any other source, period.
Back Up Humidification - Keep a back up humidification device. You never know when there can be a sudden drop in humidity, especially in the winter months of some regions. Having some extra humidification will boost the RH levels back to where you’d like them to be without much effort or stress.
Books - Get a hold of and read as many cigar related books as you can. There is a wealth of knowledge to learn and there is always more to know!
Bring a Couple Extra Smokes - I have always found it handy to pocket a couple extra cigars when I hit the town for smoking. There is always going to be someone who will greatly appreciate the gesture. Plus it is a good time to pass out some smokes you may not personally enjoy as much as others, but it is the gesture that is important.
Calibrate your Hydrometer - Always calibrate a hydrometer. Even digital units can be off a percent or two, sometimes even up to ten percent! It is best to know exactly how your unit is reading, to adjust accordingly.
Customs - Do a lot traveling abroad? Get to know the laws of where you're traveling. For example, customs in Australia don’t allow wood into the country. So when bringing a travel humidor, bring one that won’t get taken from you.
Cutting the Cap - When cutting the cap of a cigar, make sure not to cut too much off. Examine the cigar to see where the cap ends, and make a safe cut. If you cut too much off or cut the cap off entirely, the cigar can unravel and become useless.
Darker the wrapper? - Just because a cigar has a dark wrapper, doesn’t mean it will be a full bodied or “strong” cigar. It is the filler and binder that make up the majority of body, and determines what the body strength will be.
Extinguishing a Cigar - Do not put a cigar out like a cigarette and smash it in an ashtray. That will only make a big mess and produce a lot of horrid smelling smoke. A cigar will extinguish itself after a couple minutes, so just lay it down and let it go out by itself.
Flavored Cigars - Never put a flavored cigar in a humidor with other non-flavored cigars, it will be a smell everything will pick up, including the humidor.
Go Big - When buying a humidor go bigger than you think. It is amazing how fast they will fill up. It is also much easier to care after a large humidor than 5 small ones.
Keep Notes - Writing down how a cigar smokes and noting the body and flavor characteristics, will let you see how your palate changes over time, or let you see how a cigar can change over time. It is a fun way to get even more involved with the hobby of enjoying great cigars!
Let a Lighter Warm Up - After filling a lighter with fuel, wait a couple minutes to allow the fuel to reach room temperature. Otherwise, you may experience ignition problems with the lighter.
Let Cigars Rest - After purchasing cigars, try letting them rest a few months in your humidor. Sometimes retailers keep cigars at a fairly high RH level for shipping or storing. Letting the cigars acclimate to your humidor a month or two, will help get the RH levels in the cigar exactly where you like them, and can actually have a positive affect on the body, flavor and burn of a cigar.
Lighter Fluid - When using and caring for a gas lighter, using the cleanest fluid possible willl help with the longevity of a lighters life span. Some fuels can clog lighter elements, making them hard or impossible to use.
Maduro - Maduro is Spanish for mature or ripe. It describes a process of fermentation and flavor, not color or strength.
Matches - Some smokers complain about unwanted flavor on cigars from lighting it with a match or other scented method like a candle. If lighting a cigar by warming the foot, all the unwanted flavors of the match's sulfur or other unwanted scents should have burnied away.
Picking Tobacco Origin by Profile - Try smoking puros (all the tobacco in the cigar is from the same country) from different countries and different brands noting the similarities. It is a great way to try to teach your palate to pinpoint a countries tobacco by characteristics in the smoke.
Season a Humidor - Always season a humidor after you buy one. It allows the wood to absorb moisture and balance out the RH levels before putting cigars in.
Smoking is Subjective - Cigar smoking is Subjective. A cigar is a good cigar if you think it is. There is no right or wrong when it comes to personal enjoyment or taste, regardless of what people or marketing campaigns tell you.
Take It Easy - When you smoke a cigar, the oils need to cook in order to deliver all the aroma and flavor that a cigar has to offer. So when smoking a cigar, take time to enjoy it, and give it time to cook the oils instead of burn them.
Test your Palate - Try rebanding cigars with plain, numbered tags or bands and forget about them for a while. Go back and pull out the cigars, smoke them and see if you can tell what they are, or what tobacco characteristics you recognize.
The Best Age for Cigars - I find the best way to determine when a cigar is smoking at it's peak potential, is to buy a box or two at the same time and smoke one cigar every other month or every three months over the course of a few years. Keep a log or dossier to note the flavor, aromas and body strengths and compare your notes as time passes. Some cigars require less time than others and will lose flavor and body if aged too long, while some can keep for thirty plus years depending on the blend. Time will tell what the perfect age on any particular cigar is for you. It can be a fun learning process along the way!
Try a Variety - Try a variety of different cigars from different manufacturers in a range of body and flavor strengths. It is an excellent way of getting to know your palate whether new to smoking or a veteran. Smoking a range of different cigars will not only broaden your palate, but help you get a better understanding for the different characteristics tobacco can have throughout the different growing regions.
Warm the Foot - To insure the best burn possible in a cigar, don't pull a flame to a cigar hanging in your mouth. Toast the edges like a marshmallow at a campfire, don't burn it, and continue to toast it until the whole foot is glowing orange evenly, now the cigar is ready to smoke.
Well Rounded - In order for a cigar to be well rounded, it needs to touch on every part of the tongue evenly. The smoke is well rounded when you can't pinpoint one impact on the tongue over the next.
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