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Logic? None, IMHO, just personal preference.

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I personally like boxes because I know the cigars won't get banged up. Same goes for Tubos, I leave the cap on and keep them protected.

Sometimes leaving singles in trays will get them banged up over time with tetris and all the other games we play to keep from buy more humidors.

:2

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like the other guys have said, it largely comes down to personal preference. some people like to limit airflow especially for long term storage and others don't. in the end i recommend to do what works best for you.

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So in regards to humidification, nothing wrong with this approach? Thanks guys!

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Not a thing. :)

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Nope nothing wrong with leaving them in the boxes or tubes and placing them in the humidor. Humidity will get in there in the case of boxes and tubes that aren't 100% airtight. For the tubes that are, they will be at the appropriate humidity for the moisture content of the cigar.

I would recommend opening and inspecting everything on receipt, since no vendor will take the cigars back after you've had them for awhile and open them, only to discover damage or a problem (such as mold or beetles).

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Is all mold on cigars white? I have noticed a sort of green discoloration on one of my cigars that was kept at too high of a humidity.

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Google or use the CA search for Plume and mold. White "stuff" on your cigars isn't always mold.

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Thanks for being quick to respond Bill. As far as mold and plume goes I understand the differences but I was wondering if cigars ever get green mold or if it is just a discoloration of the wrapper? I can post a few pictures if need be. I have a picture of one that is really bad that I suspect is mold but the others seem like they could just be discoloration.

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I've had that green discoloration on the wrapper before usually if it doesn't wipe off I just smoke it and nothing bad has happened to me. Kind of a $hit answer as I'm not sure the reason it is there but I saw no issue and just lit them up.

Hell if you've ever smoked a candela wrapper it is always green, kind of odd at first but ever so tasty. :dr

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Haha well thanks for the quick answer. I guess if I die this week you guys know the cause :P.

Here is the picture just to see if it is the same thing. I freaked out and threw this one away though because it was a $1 budget cigar I got from Cbid. The other ones have the similar thing but they are not as bad and I realize now that I probably could have been able to keep this one.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...4/IMG_0811.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...4/IMG_0812.jpg

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Looks like water spots on cheap wrapper. Come to think of it, the wrapper was probably cheap because of the excessive spots. Nothing to worry about. Green discolorations are very common and are caused by water being trapped between leaves during the fermentation process.

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Yeah that's a goofy looking color, not the green color I've seen on cigars before. If it was $1 on Cbid toss it out. I've seen green on $10-$15 cigars and I just smoke them. The green I'm use to seeing is more of a light grass color.

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Thanks fellas. I have already tossed this one out but I will check the others. I bought these for fishing/working cigars and at $1 each I don't mind tossing them. I didn't really expect much from them anyway. Thanks again for your quick responses this late/early in the night/morning.

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maybe the wrapper tobacco wasn't fermented long enough?

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is there a downside to relighting a cigar, lets say 5 or more times?

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It might affect the flavor a bit, although I've had many cigars that tasted better after a relight or two. As long as you are enjoying it, relight away.

I'd be more concerned with the reasons why that many relights were needed. Sure, some of them are mundane and ignorable, like you kept putting it down and letting it go out, for example: you were working on something that you needed both hands for and it wasn't practical to keep the cigar in your mouth the whole time; or others are unavoidable, like smoking in a high humidity climate, where the cigar will go out quickly no matter what you do. It's the ones where the cigar is too moist and keeps going out and is that due to your humidor, as this could be the tip of a bigger problem, that I would be more concerned with.

Over the course of 2 weeks? Absolutely. ;)



Seriously. As long as you are enjoying it, who cares? I've had troublesome cigars that I've relit multiple times. I purge each time but after working at it over and over I usually get frustrated and just pitch it and light another one.
:2
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Make sure you scrape out the grey ash before you re-light it and you will find
that it can actually
taste better. After an OVERNIGHT, nah, move on. I find re-lights that have gone cold have a very
sharp bite on the nose and should be tossed. If you can tolerate it, go for it.

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Usually for me any ciagr that I have to relight tastes terrible afterwards. I had one good experience when I first started smoking. Was smoking an Opus X at the beach and it was so windy I had to let it go out. Came back to it at least TWO WEEKS later and it was phenomenal!

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Never been a fan of a relight cigar, and in most instances, the flavor profile is very harsh, hot and peppery. If I know I will be in windy conditions, cold etc. I will try not to smoke something too top shelf. If you can't avoid relighting, try cutting past the burned foot so you don't get any burnt binder, filler etc.

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Safety is an individual concern for sure, but I would not have tossed that cigar for that discoloration,
nor would I toss any others. Like others have said, it doesn't look like the result of some exhaustive
wrapper sorting process by any means, but when you are smoking dried up leaves to begin with, it's
not like a little discoloration is going to kill you. ACTUALLY it looks like some kind of treasure map. Based
on the band appearance, that's not something I would take lightly. Is there an "X" ?

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I was wondering where to post a question I have on prices. I'm thinking of buying a box of OpusX LostCity Toro from my local B&M but don't know if I'm getting a good price.

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All cigar discussion would work if somebody doesn't answer you here.

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Thanks...

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What are the taste and color attributes of a "natural wrapper?"

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The term natural wrapper is used very broadly. "Natural wrappers" run from very light to very dark and from creamy to spicy. It depends on the particular strain of wrapper tobacco being used as to the taste.

Usually when an ad says it's a natural wrapper, that means it's not a maduro. As long as it't not maduro it could be any strain.

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Question for today, what is the point of the nicer more expensive cutters? Do they cut better or are they just for looks? I've been using my $4 dual blade from my B&M for the past few months and never had any problems with it.

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just because it is $$$ doesnt mean its better. but I am a Xikar fan, I own the X1 and it just feels great in my hand. i think you will find it smoother and easier cut with something higher-end like a Xikar. plus that will last a lifetime, and they have a very solid lifetime warranty. :2

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In my opinion it's a little bit of both but mainly it's just for show. The best cutter IMHO is a Palio. It's around 40 bucks, it's not flashy and they have a great warranty. I can't justify paying much more than that for a cutter

You basically want the sharpest blade available and one that won't loose it's edge. :tu

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actually, ive been using a punch more often, its starting to be my cut of choice.

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I don't want to post the link or name of another popular cigar fourm, but I am pretty sure that if you google Arturo Fuente, you can find their web community. The guys on that site are RIDICULOUS when it comes to Fuente cigars, but very knowledgeable about prices and availability of Opus X and related sticks.

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yep. Sharp and portable is what I need.

-Paul

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Haha, yu said it. Man there are some that....well, I won't go there, since I am the CA equivalent.

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While there are some decent cheap cutters, and even one excellent one I am aware of (though discontinued), a majority of cheap cutters I used early on tending to pinch the cigar at the head because the blade(s) were not sharp enough. This lead to wrapper damage, unraveled cigars, tight draws, etc. I am happy with the money I spent on my Palio.

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I used a cheap cutter when I first started. Actually I used a razor but then I got a cheap cutter. The cheap cutter worked very well for awhile but then began to cut less cleanly and easily and to pinch the cap as it cut. It seemed clear that eventually the cheap cutter was going to ruin a good cigar. I got a xikar xi2 at the devil site for ~ $20 that makes a nice clean cut every time and feels better in the hand.
Good tools are a pleasure to use.

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I'm still pretty new to cigars, but I've noticed that some cigars don't really get an ember. The end will burn, and you can smoke them, but there's no ember. What's going on here? I think I've also been noticing that these cigars will go out much more easily and don't tend to taste as good. Am I doing something wrong, what is this?

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Too wet. I TRY to let mine sit in the humi for a while.....doesn't always work out that way though.

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I haven't tried toasting too..

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I agree that it sound like they are too wet. At what rh% do you keep your cigars?

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I might be reading this wrong, but...

when you say ember, do you mean like a cigarette cherry? If you expect the end of a cigar to stay bright red, keeping the cigar lit (or do we say lighted instead of lit?) without puffing, it just ain't gonna happen. Handmade cigars are packed too tightly, unlike cigarettes and machine made cigars which are relatively loosely packed - kinda like burning a tightly rolled newspaper vs. a loose page. If I am off the mark, please ignore.

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whats one of the best or easiest ways (other than smoking countless cigars) to warm my taste buds up to the minute tastes in a cigar?

i've been smoking for a few months and i can pick up a few of the little tastes in a cigar but havent been able to distinguish some key tastes in different types of cigars.

and lastly, would it help to get into some lighter cigars for a start?

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I tend to keep them between 65 and 70 give or take a little.

I understand that I need to keep puffing a cigar to keep it lit (i think it's lit), but my problem is with the initial lighting. Sometimes I find that my cigars don't get a cherry at all. Instead the foot get a bit black, and turns to ash (without a cherry) I can smoke the whole cigar like this, but it seems strange.



Seems like people are saying they are too wet, I'll look into dropping the RH to arounf 60? and maybe dry boxing my cigars if I can.

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Cigars usually won't have an ember, that black that turns to ash is normal. Sometimes when you ash falls of and you are taking a puff they will glow a bit.

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The way I look at it, this hobby is about enjoying yourself and the cigars, being able to name every nuance of flavor is not requisite to that enjoyment. Not being able to describe the taste in exacting terms doesn't mean that you can't/don't enjoy the cigar as much as someone who might be able to name the nuances. Eventually being able to pick out the flavors will come in time, just smoke cigars you enjoy and don't worry about it.

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Hmm interesting. I was curious because I've noticed such a difference. Some cigars get this very nice ember at the end (which get hidden by ash, but is still there) while other don't have it at all. Just made me wonder I guess.

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:tpd: Agreed.

:tpd: I think some of the "experts" go overboard at times: "The initial 64th has a vegetal taste reminiscent of Appalachian moss in early October."
Having said that, you might want to explore pairings. The right drink can bring out flavors. There's several of us that like to pair a maduro with root beer as it complements the flavors very well. For a milder cigar, water might be best so you don't overpower the subtler flavors. :2
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I worried about that too when I started smoking. Listening to people talk about flavors and all I tasted was---well I wasn't sure!

Like anything, practice makes perfect. The more you smoke, the more your palate will develop.

I don't worry too much about the flavors, or at least identifying them as I smoke, but if you want to help develop your palate, write reviews.

I started doing this and jotting notes down for each cigar. If i tasted a flower, I wrote it down, if I tasted chocolate, I wrote it down. Then post 'em up. And read reviews that you find here. Some of the reviews at other sites and in certain magazines may be skewed to present a certain viewpoint.

Now I wouldn't do this for every cigar. You can search for my reviews here. I also did some for another site as well. But every now and then I would set aside the time to really focus on the cigar and what it tasted like. I read other reviews to see if it was a common taste.

You'll find you'll be tasting that "vegetal taste reminiscent of Appalachian moss in early October", in no time.:D

Keep in mind, if you have never experienced a flavor, it will be hard to identify it. I kept hearing cigars that had a leather taste. Couldn't figure it out until someone described the flavor as "chewing on a ball glove in left field". While not appetizing, it gave me a reference point.


Good Luck

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Obviously, cigars from different companies taste different, as well as cigars from the same company. Me, I'm a simple guy, I want a cigar that has a solid tobacco taste. I wouldn't get a rise out of "vegetal taste reminiscent of Appalachian moss in early October". :tt

I do buy cigars that have a different taste than some of my regular favorites. Example, I recently bought some Montecristo Platinum Churchills so I would have something a little lighter than most of my smokes. I sensed a bit of a nut flavor as well as a "woody" after taste. Very pleasant and completely different than that La Flor Dominicana Double Ligeros I smoke all the time.

Its good to try different things, that's what makes cigar smoking so enjoyable. So, I encourage you to try different cigars as time goes on too.


Cheers,


Mike T.