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Wouldn't beads help solve the issue of over humidifying the box?

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I've done some searching here (as well as elsewhere) and i cannot find the answer to my question. Either my Kung-Fu is no good, or it doesn't matter.

My wife and I go to Casinos from time to time. She likes to gamble, and I like to smoke.

I usually take two cigars with me, both different kinds.

Question: Will smoking one cigar before another (with say 10-30 minutes in between) change how i will taste the second cigar?

Example: Week ago I smoked a Punch Elite (junk, didn't like it) and then after wards had an A. Fuente Double Chateau (which was fine and all). But, did smoking that Punch first change how I would taste the second cigar (A. Fuente in this case)? The second cigar tasted fine, but was my tongue "ruined"?

I suppose if i went ahead and smoked another Double Chateau by itself i would know... (if it tasted different)

If this has been answered before i apologize!

Thanks,

GG

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Since it's a subjective thing, I would say it might. It doesn't happen to me but it's always a good idea to clense your palate between cigars. It's a normal thing for most of us to light a cigar as we are putting one out. :D

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I find myself agreeing with you again! :) I think the world is going to come to an end!

Cleansng your palette between smokes is always a good thing to do if you want to get the best from your cigars.

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Would the best way to cleanse the palette be drinking some water? Or perhaps soda (7up or the like)?

Thanks,

GG

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OK...so what's your favorite method to cleanse your palate between smokes? Rib-eye? Altoids? What?

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I usually dont purposely cleanse my palate. But if you do, something neutral that doesnt leave an aftertaste. Water, soda, whatever. :2

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I like a nice lemon sorbet intermezzo, courtesy of Bao :tu

:r:r

Like Bob said, I dont cleanse my palate either per se, but I might have some water in between. Unless you brush your teeth (I've heard some guys do) I really dont think you will be able to do much with a beverage or food. Thats why I try to smoke my most delicate cigar of the day first.

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This is extremely important. I see many people making the mistake of lighting up a strong cigar early in the day. A long day of smoking or many days of herfing needs pacing.

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I tend to agree with this as well however, if I plan on not having multiple cigars, I go with my favorite cigar to start the day no matter of strength because that is when the palate is freshest and can pick up all the nuances available.

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I have a hard time choosing the best as the first smoke of the day, I feel like everything after will be a bit of a let down. I don't know if the same principles would apply but when sampling wines they usually give you some sort of bland crackers and maybe some chocolate to help cleans the palate between samples.
Maybe worth a try :sh

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For a morning cigar, I normally choose a milder one, á la "la fontana".
it´s not even that good (but certainly not bad) so the rest would absolutely not be a "letdown".
While i´m at it, I might just ask my first question here:
do I still need a humidor, if the room, where I store my cigars has about 65% humidity and 18-21°C ?

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Not Necessarily. Large Tupperware Containers With Beads Or "1" 65 RH Boveda Pack Work Very Well. 65 RH & 65 Temp. Seem To Work Well For Me.:tu I Don't Think I Would Trust The House You're In To Maintain A Constant RH.

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The same principles apply.

Every factory I visited in Nicaragua had crackers, chocolate, tea and water available for palate cleansing when blending and testing cigars alongside the sodas, gatorade, coffee, wine and beer.

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It seems like the two lighters I use do not work nearly as well in cold weather. Anybody else have that problem or is it just a coincidence?

My JetLites do that. I just hold the lighter in my palm for a minute or so and it fires up fine.
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Always keep my torches in my pocket in the winter because butane "doesn't like" the cold.

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Thanks for the advice guys :tu

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It's a standing joke among my fellow Stumptown herfers that I always have problems with my lighters in the cold weather. My lighters are a little larger and have large butane tanks and they are impacted by the cold... If I remember to put them in my pocket early enough then they light fine, but otherwise it takes a little work :)

They worked great on my vacation in the Bahamas :D

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Hey guys I have two more questions if you fellas could help me out that would be great.

1. I just got a new herf-a-dor 15 count traveldor. I was wondering if I can store cigars in there like I would a normal humidor? My plan is to keep 10 or so cigars in there that I will be smoking that week and then just take the whole traveldor with me outside to smoke. It has a small humidification device in the top so should I just put a few drops of distilled water in that every so often or should I use this humi-care pack that I have?

Also, I have never owned one of these before so I was wondering if you leave two layers of the foam on the bottom or is one enough?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...4/DSC_0011.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...4/DSC_0010.jpg


2. I am about to ship a pipe to brother from a different forum and I wanted to include some cigars. I was wondering if they will be okay in a padded envelope? I separated the stem and bowl of the pipe and individually wrapped each in bubble wrap so they won't move around in the padded envelope. Everything fits in nicely I just didn't know if the post is hard on cigars in padded envelopes and they might snap?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...4/DSC_0008.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...4/DSC_0007.jpg

I hope I am not asking too many questions.

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1. I do exactly that all the time and often for much longer. I would of course use a water pillow or something other than crappy florists foam puck humidifier in the lid.

2. It will work but I would add a piece of cardboard for stiffness on either side of the cigars. I have had cigars shipped to me like that several times without problems.

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In my opinion, if you intend on storing cigars in a travel humidor for an extended period of time, you should use a brr humidification device than the one that came with it.

I would not shop the cigars on a passed envelope. if you must, cut some corrugated cardboard from a box and slip it on above and below them for extra protection.

I hope this helps.

Mark

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Thanks for the quick responses guys.

With the traveldor, is a water pillow like this Humi-Care one? And if so then where do I put it in the traveldor or does it not matter if it touches the cigars?

With the envelope, my only reasoning behind shipping them in an envelope is because I don't have another box on hand besides really oversized ones. I guess I will try the cardboard trick.

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If your cigars are properly humidified before being placed in the traveldor, under most conditions, they will be fine for weeks, if not months without adding any humidification to the box. If you must use a humidifier in a traveldor like that, keep in mind that the box does not breathe and is airtight, so ideally you want something that can both absorb and release moisture to avoid potential problems, using that credo is begging for mold or over humidification. 2-way Boveda packs or Heartfelt humidity sheets are ideal as they are flat and can slide in vertically or be placed above cigars and not reduce your capacity. Heartfelt and HCM beads would also work, although they might take up some space that could have been used to hold cigars.

As for the padded envelope, I wouldn't. Too much risk of damage. By the time you add in the cost of a DC number for 1st class mail, and taking the extra weight of the pipe into account, you can probably ship it in a priority mail small flat rate box for only a small amount more.

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Tyler, you can get free Priority boxes (Video sized) delivered to your house for free, from USPS.com....I use them for the majority of cigars I send.

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You can also get small Flat Rate($4.95) boxes at the Post Office for free.

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I was thinking of doing that but when I reuse boxes and ship them they almost always end up costing less than $4.95. I guess because I have only been sending out 5 cigars in the newbie trades though so they have been light?

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If you are shipping a first class parcel, yes, it will be less expensive if you use the USPS Ship Manager software to print a label with a reduced cost DC # (0.19 vs 0.75), but you are limited to 13 oz, which, in my experience, when you include the weight of the box, equals a maximum of about 8 cigars give or take.

If you ship priority mail, the minimum variable rate is $5.10 (IIRC) which makes the flat rate boxes a great option, and if you print the label from the USPS website, you get a discount on the price and free DC number.

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Are you sending them Priority, or merely first class?

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Just first class so for three packages today it was $8 total.

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That's the difference, Tyler, the vast majority here send their cigars Priority mail. :)

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Whats the difference? It arrives in the same time?

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Priority Mail gets there in 2-3 days max. (I've seen a lot of mine in state or nearby get there next day) First class can take up to a week.

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It's a courtesy to the person you are sending it to, to use priority mail w/ dc#.

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I use Priority unless it is in the same zone. In the same zone First Class takes 1 day. For bombs FC is also ok IMHO, unless you want a DC then Priority is the only option. But most MAW's and passes should be sent Priority so you can provide a confirmation number.

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1st class can take up to 5 working days to cross the country, typically, though it takes 2-3. Priority takes 2-3 days, and often arrives in 2. Priority mail will trump 1st class bins for space on the planes and trucks too.

!st class is limited to 13oz, Priority is 80lbs max. There are some new A-rate and B-rate boxes that are limited to lower weights and cost less to ship.

If you purchase priority postage online from the USPS website, not only do you get a discount on the rate, you get the DC number included for free. The USPS does not offer the ability to purchase 1st class postage online, you have to go to a 3rd party for that, and there are typically setup or equipment fees and/or the requirement to maintain a funded account balance with them. DC numbers also cost extra for 1st class - $0.75 at the counter and $0.19 if applied via the USPS ship manager standalone software.

Priority is just very convenient for a lot of people. USPS will give you flat rate boxes for free, deliver them directly to your house if you want, whatever fits in the box ships, weight is generally irrelevant, so you don't need a scale, you can print the paid postage label from any computer with no special hardware and no extra fees, and, since it's a traceable label, you do not need to hand packages weighing over 13oz directly to a postal service employee, you can simply drop them in the big blue parcel boxes or parcel drop at the post office.

I use both, it just depends on the situation and how much I'm sending. 1st class costs me less, but it can be a PITA.

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This.

And this.

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I'm feelin dumb asking this, but that's what this thread is for right?

So I was wondering how I light this? Since the foot is covered. And how do I cut it since it has a little pig tail type thing on it.
Thanks yall!
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...IMG_1016-1.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...2/IMG_1021.jpg

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Ignore the pigtail. Cut it like you would if the cap were like any other cigar.
Light the foot like you would any other cigar.

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yeah, cut the tail end off

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Sometimes these "first-draw-wrapper" cigars are quite good as you get an extra burst of flavor from the wrapper when you light it.

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I have my boxes of cigars in a 52QT coolerdor and recently the humidity has been showing up on the hygrometer as over 70%. I use KL instead of beads so please do not respond to this if you are against KL or anything and will take this off topic or whatever. My question is that since I removed the KL it is now at 65% humidity.

My question is would it be okay to not have any humidification device in the cooler or eventually would it need something to sustain it as the humidity lowers and drops due to the weather? I prefer my humidors at 63-65% and it seems to me that is maintaining at that humidity right now.

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Yes. I have several coolers where the cigars themselves provide enough humidity that they need nothing else. Coolers hold humidity better than humidors. Eventually you may need to add the humidification media back but I have gone about a year with no problems and rock steady 64%.

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well, i guess i'd have to say to limit the kl in your humidor, or just monitor the rh when the kl isn't in the cooler.Maybe try a smaller container for your Kitty litter..less surface area

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IMO the problem is you want consistent humidity. Do whatever you can to keep the humidity between 60-65 that is all I will say. I prefer RH beads yada yada yada yada.

With those covered foots it may just be me but I get annoyed torching them for an extra 10-15 seconds so I just take Xikar MTX scissors and cut off the covered foot. Makes lighting them quicker.

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I don't blame you for clipping the covered foot Bill, however personally for me I like that initial puff of 100% wrapper. It gives you an interesting flavor profile of JUST the wrapper, although it is annoying having to light it twice ;)

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:tu I mean I only recently got that idea of cutting the covered foot off. I've tried it both ways and it's interesting to smoke with the covered foot on for the first time. After that eh....I'd rather just get to the smoke and save some time.

I kinda got it from the Viaje Summerfests, with the huge uncovered foot. Took the MTX scissors and lopped that off making a summerfest only last 1.5 hours instead of 2 hours. Great cigar but 2 hours is a bit much for me.

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Thank for the heads up! I think on this one I will try it with the covered foot, but i'll try the other option on the next one!

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Thanks for the advice fellas. I was a little weary about storing the cigars without a humidification device but it sounds like they will be fine on their own and I just have to monitor it. Thanks again.

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What's the logic behind leaving cigars in a sealed box inside your humidor, coolidor or taking them out and letting them age in a cedar tray for example? In addition, what about sealed tubos? Leave them in, take only the caps off etc.........thanks in advance!