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i have a box of cigars that i got recently and when i cut them the wrapper unravels and i have to throw them away how do i stop that from happening?

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You are likely cutting too much off the head of the cigar - beyond the "shoulder". You should cut off only the cap. Thin to win

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:tu Best Way To Learn Is : 1. Place Open Cutter On A Flat Surface Like A Table.
2. Place Cigar In Open Cutter Which Is Flat On The
Table & Make The Cut.

:tu

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thanks i will give that a try

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and what is a good kind of cutter to have

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Remember to always cut less than you think you need to, you can always cut more if need be.

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Most people on here swear by Palio or Xikar.

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Palio Or Xikar IMO. Most People Here Prefer Palio, But My Everyday Cutter Is This:
http://www.xikar.com/cutters_xi208.asp# I Have The Carbon Fiber Look.

Sometimes You Can Find It Cheaper On www.cigarmonster.com :tu

Just Checked: On Sale At The Above Site For $20.95 :)

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Xikar 009 Punch, fool proof. Xikar warranty = WIN!

They cost about $19 on cigar monster.com when they show up on the mashup.

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When you are starting out you should get a variety of inexpensive cutters and punches -- helps figure out what you like so you where to spend the real money. You may also find that you are happy with the inexpensive cutters/punches...

As others have said when it comes to cutting -- less is more :)

:2

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When freezing cigars how long after freezing them can you ship them out?

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I would wait as long as you would before smoking them yourself.
I don't freeze but I would suggest a week or two in your own normal stable environment should be fine.

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That clears it up for me :) . I was going to jump in the PIF but the sticks I am going to send are in the freezer right now. I will wait a few weeks before Sending them out :tu

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thanks i gonna check into getting that

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I was at my "not as local as I wish it were" cigar shop the other day and mentioned to the man running the store that I did most of my shopping online bcause I live so far out of the city. He said something like, "thats a shame because cigars that you buy online are made to be sold online." Does anyone know what he might have meant? (I didn't much care for the guy so I didn't continue the conversation, bought my sticks and left.)

Is there a difference in cigars sold online vs in a store?

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Classic. We had quite the discussion about this some time ago.

My opinion? Absolutely none.

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Happy reading. :r

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10764

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Unfortunately, that's a very oft repeated, but largely inaccurate statement.

In all the factories I have been to, I have never seen any such thing as a difference in _the_cigars_. I have seen packaging differences though. Sometimes, large e-tailers with substantial buying power, will order a very large quantity of cigars to be delivered in factory mazos (cellophane wrapped bundles) of 20 cigars (or whatever, 10, 15, 25...) rather than in boxes, in order to get the cigars at a lower price since they aren't paying for a box.

I have personally watched the cigars being pulled from a singe batch in the aging room, be delivered to the sorting tables, be color sorted and bundled, these bundles then handed off randomly to the banding and cello tables, then passed to the final assembly of one section doing boxes, the other packing mazos. No distinction whatsoever is made for the cigars. They all started from the same batch and any one cigar could have ended up in either a box or a mazo - it all depended on which table it randomly ended up at.

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Wow....um..in an effort to keep what happened on that original thread that Icehog linked for me from happening here....I've got my answer..thanks!

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Good call, Brent! ;) :r

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I was just looking at the Oliva site and read this. "Proper storage is fundamental. Cigars should be stored without cellophane in a humidor which has an adequate seal."

I've always kept my cigars in the cellophane just wanted to kick it around here.

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:sl :r

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The cigars will be just fine in the cello. :tu

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Tom is wise! (and apparently Oliva is not)

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I Always Leave Mine In Cello If They Come That Way. It Gives The Sticks Some Protection & Air Flows Through The Cello Just Fine. :tu

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So I was talking to a friend about a cigar that he had gifted me and how the ash was SUPER straight and how the next day I had one of my favorite cigars and the ash was titled.
He was telling me that a cigar is like wine and needs to be rotated occationally to keep the humidity equal around it.
Now He does have a very large collection and it was a very well kept cigar so I believe him, but it got me wondering....... How often do you rotate the cigars and while turning them, do you also put it into a different area in the humidor?

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Rotation is one of the religious questions some do it, some don't and everyone is happy with what they do or don't do.

Some tobacco blends and rollers produce better ash than others. Not sure that there is anything more to it than that. The RH range that we tend to keep our cigars at (~ 60%-70%) is pretty narrow. Not sure how to correlate RH with "tight ash".

In any case, I would not worry about it. Just enjoy your cigar :ss

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I bought some aged cigars recently that hadn't been removed from their box at all since the day they were bought. Every one I burned burned crooked because they had been sitting so long in what I'm guessing was a bit higher humidity than I keep my cigars (65%). I've rotated them and will let them rest in my humi for a while before I smoke another.

All my other cigars, in a box or not...I've never rotated and haven't had any burning issues unless the cigar itself has construction issues.

Long answer short: I wouldn't worry about rotating your cigars.

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I'm curious what people use to take notes on the cigars they have tried. I am a cigar newb and I want to try a variety of cigars to figure out what I like.

A notebook would be a simple solution but I feel like after a very short while it would become a pain to look through.

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Poeple use all kinds of stuff for notes. Word, Excel, a notebook, etc. A CA member created an iPhone app called Mobile Stogie that is also quite popular. You can find it in the App store. There are also a couple of apps for Android phones.

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I use Cigar Aficionados' Personal Humidor.

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That thread is full of so many grammatical errors that I can not stand it. :bhd

I don't want to beat a dead horse so that is all I am going to say but it really bothered me when they went at it and couldn't even spell correctly lol.

:gn:bdh

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I need help using and maintaining my torch lighters.

My luck with butane torch lighters is so bad that at this point it can't be bad luck, I must be doing something wrong. I've now purchased two expensive, dual-torch lighters (I'm not sure of the brand of my first, got it at a B&M years ago) and a Xikar Element.

The old one takes a dozen attempts to get a flame, which then goes out instantly. A few more dozen attempts and I either get a flame that lasts long enough to light a cigar, or I give up and use a cheap disposable.

The Xikar Element never lights on the first try (but always on the second try). After trying suggestions I read on here and adjusting the flame level, I made it worse. Now it takes several attempts to get it lit. I'm on my first "fill up" of the Xikar and I haven't even used it to light a cigar yet.

What I'm doing with the old one:
When fuel is low, I empty it completely by taking something small & pointy and pressing it to the refill nozzle thingy. I make sure it empties completely. I turn the lighter upside down, insert the butane refill, press and hold for a few seconds until the fuel indicator window looks filled. I have the flame adjustment knob set usually between 60-90% of maximum flame height.

The result is a hard time lighting them, and sputtering flames that look like there is too much air mixed in with the fuel. Oh, and I don't know what people are talking about when they use these things in the wind. A gentle breeze blows them out. Sometimes the old one goes out because it's too close to my face and my exhaling puts it out.

What am I doing wrong!?

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Poor quality butane maybe? Try using Vector.

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Yeah, make sure you use a good quality butane.

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Or Lava if you can still find it.

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The xikars have a good warranty don't they? If you can't get it fixed tinkering with it, send it back.

My lotus was like your xikar where it wouldn't light on the first click, it would take two clicks every single time. I read somewhere that you ought to push the button slowly and that would help. I started doing that and now it lights on the first click, unless I forget and mash the button down. Also, it sounds like you may have the flame on the element set too low now, try turning it up a bit and see if that helps.

No clue on the older lighter, sorry. Like those guys said, make sure you are using good butane.

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id just send the xikar in to be fixed. they have a great warranty. It was easy to see my last punch had been "abused" but they just replaced it no questions asked.

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Ronson Jetlite... for the price of the xikar you can buy 8 and one will be bound to work perfectly!

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:tpd:

IMO, probably tied with the Palio cutter for best accessory bargain on the planet. -(P

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Yeah, forgot to add the other 7 will work just fine and you can re-sell them on here to anyone that can't find one. Love those things.

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i use my ronson more then my xikar and idc what happens to the ronson. which reminds me i need to buy more.

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half the time I forget it out on the patio table and 3 days later sit down and pick it up to fire up another cigar. Hasn't failed me yet for $5.

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Lava is getting very scarce these days but Tattooworks butane is alegedly the same formula/butane just under a new name due to the unexpected / untimely death of the owner of Lava which caused the name to get tied up in court for royalties or usage rights somehow.

http://www.lavabutane.com/

In unscientific testing of the product by simply using it my torches (yeah, I actually do use torches once in a while) I didn't notice any performance difference between Lava and Tattooworks, and both performed better than Vector.

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didnt realize that about lava

I have used their butane for years and always been very happy with it

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Ok I got through all 70 pages of this thread and didn't see an answer for this seriously noob question:

What is a punch? Is it just inserting a pen or a golf tee into the cap?
Those keychain things are they punches?

Really confused on this, I have a CHEAP cutter that I am not very happy with and looking for alternatives, I know about your fav cutters, but curious about these punches.....it sounds like the punch is a lot less hassle, but I could be wrong.

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A punch is a device that punches a hole in the tip of the cigar.

http://www.famous-smoke.com/cigars/s...P010BK-400.jpg

You could use a golf tee or a pen -- I'm sure that you would not be the first. Most punches only pierce the wrapper and help to remove the cut-out piece of wrapper. Punches come in various sizes to accomodate different ring gauges.

One thing about a punch -- the open area tends to be smaller with a punch than with a cutter which may cause more tar build-up as you smoke.

You can pick up a nice punch to try out for just a few dollars.

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Thanks Michael, that looks like a large punch, unless you push it and it extends into a smaller pen like thing, thanks for the pic, that helps.....I need to experiment.

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Sorry I waited too long and couldn't edit my previous post...got another question:

I am going out and planning on getting 2-3 sticks today, I still don't have my humidor can I just store them in plastic bags until I am ready to smoke? Or do you suggest freezing them? If I do freeze them, how long do I have to wait after taking them out can I smoke them?

Thanks

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You could always buy a 5-15 count traveler and a boveda pack till you get a proper humidor. Not like you won't end up using a travel humidor again someday anyways.

I'm sure they will keep decent for quite a while in a tupperware container. Get a boveda pack and toss it in there, cheap easy solution.