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It's my hat and you can't have it. :D

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herp, clicked the wrong thread and just went all the way to the bottom to quick reply. my bad

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Ah, happens to the best of us. Even the worst of us, like me. :lr

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$hit happens.













Every Thursday night. :noon

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http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...3/lipstick.jpg

No S.H.I.T.?? :D

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That's just wrong.
Where's an admin when you need one?

:lv

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Hey! I'm a starfish!

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a.../patrick-1.jpg

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So i'm wondering whats better. I bought a desktop humidor and a bottle of the 70% solution stuff. Now my hydrometer is only reading 55 after a few weeks of fluctuating. A friend told me there is a way to test the hydrometer and that the solution is not a good idea. Any input would kick a lot of butt. I'm tryin not to wreck the sticks i do have and i need to know. nothing sucks worse than a soggy or dry stick

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How to Test and Calibrate a Hygrometer:

Fill a milk bottle cap or other small container with salt, and add a few drops of water (not enough to dissolve the salt). (or you can use a 75.5 % humidipak)


Put the cap inside of a baggie or plastic container along with your hygrometer, and seal the bag.


Wait 6 hours, then check the reading on your hygrometer without opening the bag (or immediately after removing). If the reading is 75%, then your hygrometer is accurate and no adjustment is required.


If the reading is not precisely 75%, then adjust the hygrometer to 75% by turning the screw or dial on the back. This must be done immediately after removing from the bag or container, before room conditions cause the reading to change.

If there is no screw (or dial) to recalibrate your hygrometer, then you will just have to remember to add or subtract the difference between the test reading and 75%, in order to determine the actual humidity level inside of your humidor. For example, if your hygrometer test reading was 80%, then subtract 5% from the readings you get inside of your humidor, to determine the actual levels of humidity (e.g. a reading of 70% inside your humidor equals an actual humidity level of 65%).

and yes i did copy and paste (do i need to list the source?)... a whole lot faster then typing all of this lol :r

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what are you using for humidification? foam, gel, beads? i am using humidity beads 1/2 lb 70% and 1/2 lb of 65% and distilled water. i was never a fan of the foam or gel is was to much fluctuation. it just seem with the beads it has been a lot easier to maintain. :2

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which will regulate to 70%

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Mostly Correct it stays about 68-69%... all I had left all was a 1/2 of each so I figured why not.

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Purley coincidence.
The science does not support half 70 and half 65 stabilizing at 67.5

Not trying to discredit or dispute your results. Just clarifying the misconception that some new folks may have about mixing beads.

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Not sure this is the right place for this question but I'm going to take my chances.

Yesterday I smoked a Tat Black Tubo Torpedo. When were these produced and are the most recent Tat Black's the same blend. It was a great smoke and would love to find more that are similar.

Thanks, Tony

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you got it :tu it will always go towards the higher end.

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IIRC, 2009.

Same blend. Different vintage of harvest though.

Also, don't forget that the vitola can change the profile of any cigar.

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What does this mean?

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Different year of harvest.

Meaning since it was picked a different year if could taste different.

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I should have never smoked that damn cigar

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Slippery Slope?

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Heh! I feel your pain Tony - the Tat stuff has hooked me too.

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Those Tat Black OR's are the devil :lr

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I have some NC sticks that I want to put away for a bit, maybe a year(if I can hold out). Would they be better off in a sealed box and forgotten about, or mixed in a humi with some regular smokes that will be accessed fairly often. What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic aging of sticks. :sh

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I would put them in their own box in the humidor if for no other reason to prevent them from being accidentally damaged when accessing your other cigars.

Anaerobic aging is a blind commitment of decades, not years, and unless you're dealing with tubos that actually seal (or you have sealed with tape or wax) it's not something you can really check on easily along the way. Yes, you can open the bag and check on the cigars, but then you've broken the process by introducing oxygen and now the cigars will have to go through that and shift to anaerobic all over again.

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Another reason for doing this is to "bury" the box/cigars to avoid the temptation of smoking them. Out of sight. Out of mind.
:2

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Agreed!

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I have a question I've heard mixed opinions on, can different cigars without cello on them be touching each other in a humidor for long time storage? Will the flavors "marry each other" and taint the other smoke? Or is that nonsense and the flavors will stay true to the stick regardless if it's rubbing against another stick? Let me know, thanks- Gabe

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Not an issue unless you are talking decades. And then, only minimally. Nothing to worry about.

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As others have said, this is not a problem -- as long as none of the cigars are infused. Infused cigars need to be kept in a separate humidor.

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Haha no don't smoke infused, thanks guys!

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Thanks for the info guys.:tu

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Was curious if there was a place on forums where you can post really like this cigar and get recommendations on similar cigars. Sorry but my fail searching is not turning anything up yet. A link or Subject would be much appreciated, did not want to ask in wrong place.

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After a time on here, you'll notice some inmates may have the same tastes as you in likes and dislikes. You'll learn whose recommendations carry more weight in your flavor profiles.

Otherwise a post with what you like now asking for similar profiles will net you some recommendations.
Just don't go crazy ordering hundreds of boxes of a current fave, because you'll find your profile may change in the future. :)

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I hang out me read the reviews looking for the profiles I might enjoy.

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I'm new here and to cigars and the best advice i can give from one noob to another is find your local B&M (brick and mortar ..see we're noobs) store and just ask the person working there, tell them what you like or are interested in and they should point you to lots of choices, it's worked for me. Also found while you shouldn't let them push you into buying 200 bucks worth of sticks it is polite to buy a couple there.

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Just saw this and since I had an answer, thought I'd post...

You are in the right forum. The All Cigar Discussion forum is the right place for a thread such as "I really like <X> what's similar". It will generate off topic comments, etc. but you will also get on topic replies. The All Cigar Discussion forum really is the place to discuss cigars and get input and ideas.

As has already been mentioned, don't just run out and buy a bunch of boxes. Sometimes it's best to look for a trade (you may not have access to that forum yet) and I'm sure that some people will contact you via PM for more in-depth discussions.

Hope this helps.

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Excellent advice for someone new to our hobby. It can be tempting to find a cigar you love now, and then buy an entire box or two, thinking you've found THE cigar for you, only to realize halfway in that your palate has changed and they no longer have the same appeal. Also, be careful chasing the "limited editions" or "hard to finds". While fun, it can get expensive. Best to "tour" the regular selection at your local B&M, and expand your palate. :tu

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If I put cigars in a ziplock bag, and put them in my coolidor, will they dry out from the humidity not being able penetrate the seal of the bag?

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The bag will slow any of the regulating effect of the coolidor. If the sticks in the bag are too wet, they'll remain that way for a longer period, and if dry, it will be difficult to get them up to the proper humidity. Crack the top of the bag open to remedy that.

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If moisture can't get in, it can't get out either. The cigars would remain at whatever moisture level they were when you placed them in the bag.

Such being said, I don't think all ziplocs are actually 100% non-permeable / don't leak over time.

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It's winter and of course my heat is on in my house. It's not forced air I have radiators but I know it still dries my house out. I have multiple humorous and the RH is dropping drastically. My temp is staying at around 70-72 degrees. But I have 2 table top humidors one 25 and one 50 count that have an RH showing 64%. One- 2 foot tall display humidor with shelves and some boxes on the bottom, My hydrometer is on the middle shelf showing 66%. and coolidor that is pretty good showing a 68 usually, but I added some goodies to it and it dropped down to 66% ( should level out when stogies get settled). But I am worried about 64% in the table tops and I'm worried if the cigars in the bottom stand up are also at 66%. I have plenty of gels and boveda packs in there Am I anal or should I be worried? I have expensive cigars and I'll be furious if anything happens to my stash, anything helps, thanks guys

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64% to 66% is optimum, IMO. Cigars tend to burn better and are less likely to develop mold. Subjectively, one can say they might taste better too.

70F/70% is a bullshit marketing ploy made up to sell PG solution.

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Cigars are pretty resilient so there is no need to panic. You describe a common problem during the winter. Sometimes it's as easy to fix as re-seasoning your humidor -- the dry wood does not seal as well and re-seasoning causes the wood (and therefore the seams) to swell up.

If seasoning is not the problem you may want to upgrade your humidification -- adding more, or switching to a different type of humidification. You have lots of choices.

Finally, 64-66% RH is not bad -- many people keep their cigars at that RH. Just my :2

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Thanks guys

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I have read somewhere that cigar manufacturer use either the Corona or the Robusto as the base sizes when they make their blends. Is this true?

And if it is the case, does this mean that a corona and a mareva of the same brand would taste exactly the same (or at least very very similar) and the difference would just be in the length?

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No. Example: A Montecristo #1, #3, #4, and Tubos are all the same ring except for the length, yet they are all blended differently.

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Where do you find the information about the specific blends? (For Habanos, but also for NC cigars)?

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I've mainly been doin' the google and reading different reviews and form my own "idea" from that, as far as blends and what to expect on the palette, if that's what you mean. The reviews will often tell you the basics of the blends, wrappers used etc.,

Or you can try the blend database here http://robustojoe.com/cigar-blends/

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What you are doing by reading a cross-section of reviews to see if a particular cigar might fight your desired flavor profile is a good way to get an idea of what a particular cigar might be like, if you can drown out the conjecture and personal opinion in the reviews and just focus on flavors. Eventually, you'll find a friend or reviewer or two who seem to have similar tastes as you and you can just hone in on their comments and reviews when looking at a cigar you haven't tried yet.

I wouldn't put too much stock in what you read about NC blends as they are intentionally vague. For example, when you read "Habano" or "Havana Seed", this could be any one of scores of different strains of tobacco. Even "Corojo" or "Criollo" could be any one of a dozen plus. Some blends don't even tell you that much, they will say something like "Esteli" or "Jalapa", well, BFD, those are just two growing regions in Nicaragua, doesn't tell anything about what varietal or stain of tobacco, and to even further break it down, what seed supplier and which one of their tweaked varieties.

As for that list, I see no "blends" on there, it's more like a list of factories with the occasionally a blender, and it's not even a very accurate list at that.