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Excellent :sl

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12" cube. And it's full. Thank you, please come again. :su :tf

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Does keeping the cellophane wrapper on a cigar cause any difference in aging or humidity changes?

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Not really. Cellophane is porous.

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I order over 99% of my cigars online. Like you my closest B&M is 220 miles away, lucky for me it's Fumare, home of Illusione cigars. But I don't get there very often. Do not feel like an ass, it's your money, spend it as you wish.

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So how do you deal with the itchy throat cough from cigars?

I use Max Strength Mucinex that works for about 8 hrs

Although I've been only smoking 1- 4 cigars a day for less than 8 months I get nervous about the possible C word coming on in my throat.

I'm looking for a better answer then lay off the sticks :)
Thanks

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I tend to not go back to shops where customers or owners smoke in the walk-in humidor because of how it effects the other sticks and the humidification system.
Anyone else feel this way or am I off track?

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Considering that many if not most rollers smoke in the factories, I dont see how there are any long term negative effects. I dont personally smoke in walk ins but dont see a real problem. :2

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I'd be more worried about a shop where the employees favored chili for lunch, personally.

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:r

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It doesn't bother me. But i will never smoke in a walk-in. It is just a way to show that i respect the owners.

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:tpd:

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I have some cigars that were not in the proper humidity for 3.5 weeks; since then they have been in proper humidity for 2 weeks. Approximately how long, total time (2 weeks + X amount of time) will it take in the proper humidity to return to optimum smokeability. If you would reply a month then that is the answer I seek and I would keep them in proper humidity for 2 more weeks before smoking them. Thanks!

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Mike, you really don't have enough information to make a good evaluation. Were they too wet, too dry, and by how much? What does your hygrometer say now? What kind of humidity control are you using? And then once you have all that information, "optimum" smokeability is still subjective.

Don't sweat it that much and fire one up. If it works for you, then it's optimum.

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Tim is pretty well right on target. Some of us like our sticks between 60 and 65% rh and some as high as 72% rh. I say if they have been in a balanced environment for 2 weeks with no issues then try one.

That being said I also tend to leave my smokes in the humi for at least 30 days before have one. This is just to give them a chance to balance out to my preferences and give the flavors a chance to start to blend a little more than what the manufacturer has deemed acceptable.

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Thanks, Tim!

One of the reasons why I like this forum so much is that a n00b can get an answer fairly quickly. I come from the pipe world, and having spent a dozen years in it more or less exclusively, I know what I'm doing; but the cigar world, although there is overlap, is another realm entirely. In another thread I've been asking questions for about a month in the attempt to properly season a very cranky humidor and have had help all along the way. Go cigarasylum!

Geez, I thought there was a formula for rehydrating so that you could know before firing up a water-deprived cigar if it was properly humidified; but I see it's a lot more complex than that.

I think I'm going to give these cigars a month or two, probably two, before smoking them. Should be enough to enable that magic, if it is to exist, in smoking them, to work itself to be expressed. (That means that the cigar smokes very well.)

Thanks again! Mike

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I was thinking 4-8 weeks total. Better to go a few weeks longer than too soon.
:2

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I just smoked my first cigar today, it was pretty good. But I lit it with a lighter and charred the end you smoke too much. I knew I'd mess up so I only spent $8 on one. I'm sure my experience was probably relatively crap compared to someone who had a better cigar and handled it properly.

No one in my family smokes, so if I sound clueless - I am. Will I get addicted to these? I don't want to get cancer either. I'll only smoke them every once and a while. If I smoke a couple times a year, what risks would I be taking to my health? Negligible or just as much as someone who smokes often?

Shame smoking causes cancer. I enjoyed it

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I didn't get addicted, I don't worry about cancer from smoking cigars, it takes quite awhile to learn how to light up one correctly, well for me anyway:). You're not the only one in your family, just the first. Stick around, there is a lot of great info on smokes and method as well as friendly brothers and sisters willing to help a new guy out.

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You're supposed to light them? :confused:

:r

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:gary:l:l

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Smoking cigars is meant to be relaxing. If one obsesses over cancer, it will outweigh the relaxation, so I would say cigars are probably not for someone like that.

Here is an interesting list of everyday things that some studies show cause cancer....might as well just throw in the towel right now....

http://www.thedailydust.co.uk/2009/0...-cause-cancer/

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Tobacco isn't on the list, so we're clear!

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Thanks for the replies, guys. I've been busy with college.

I know a lot of things cause cancer, but smoking does so orders of magnitude more. Although, some people never get it, but I don't want to risk anything.

Smoking a cigar will be something I do on rare occasion, I've made it a rule to keep it minimum once a month. It is quite enjoyable - maybe that way it will continue to be enjoyable since I won't be doing it very often.

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I have to agree with Tom, you seem to worry too much about what might happen, I don't see how this can be relaxing and enjoyable to you.

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My brother, cigars are pure relaxation my man. Sit back and use that 1 or 2 hours and do nothing. Those moments are why we do it.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting addicted to it either. I personally only know 2 guys who might be addicted and that's because I've literally never seen them without a stick in their mouths.

I also wouldn't worry too much about cancer. To each his/her own, but people die of lung cancer every year without ever smoking...people die every year of liver cancer without ever drinking...I hear more positive stories about old time guys who had a stiff drink or 2 at night with a cigar and lived until they were a healthy 95 than I do about fitness loony tunes who eat leaves, drink mulch, gluten free yada yada, and exercise 25 hours a day and are always sick, look terrible, and surprisingly die younger that normal bad ass men do.

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I would add that George Burns live to 100 years and died of heart failure and never had any lung cancer and today Jan 20 he was born in 1896
http://pdxretro.com/wp-content/uploa...ns-later-1.jpg

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I knew there was a reason I smoked tonight after quite a while.

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His personal brand was surprisingly good

http://lovelypackage.com/wp-content/...ns-cigars1.jpg

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His cigar of choice though was the El Producto Queen, a perfecto-shaped cigar that Burns liked to call "my little lady."

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I'm a very particular person. I analyze everything, follow a specific diet and exercise routine. Maybe I'm a little obsessed with my health lol.

But I don't worry about things if there is a low risk, once a month won't hurt. I go hiking in the ozarks pretty often. I plan on going out tomorrow and enjoying the lake and a cigar. Not while hiking, obviously. I'll find a place to sit and chill.

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I follow a specific diet, work out every day, play hockey 4 nights a week.....and smoke 7-10 cigars a week. Doesn't have any effect on my fitness.

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Rule #1: Don't sweat the small stuff.
Rule #2: It's almost all small stuff.

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In an earlier post you claimed you are clueless. Now you say once a month won't hurt. Sounds to me like you are looking for permission or a blessing to indulge - that you've already rationalized any risk you may perceive.

:ss

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It is partly that and also I figure once a month = 12 times a year, average lifespan is 77, subtract my age 77-18 = 59 cigars give or take.

Over a life time that's negligible. I'd imagine the average person smokes 3-5 a week. That's 156-260 a year, which is more in one year than I'd have in my life.

That is, if I continue to only take one a month. Which this will be #2 for January.
Either way - I'm not worrying about it anymore lol

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We all justify our own actions. There is no need to justify yours to us or for us to justify ours to you, however please don't use bad math if you must try to justify something.

59 x 12 = 708

5 x 52 = 260

Apparently after 12 years as a cigar lover, I have experienced 4.406 times the lifetimes you will in cigars. :D

Relax and enjoy it for what it is. We are all headed to the same place. Some will arrive good looking, others will skid in sideways looking bad enough to gag the roto rooter man.

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Ah, missed that last bit haha.

Yes we are and life is uncertain anyway so why not enjoy what you can. Well - off to the lake, but first I need to stop by my local tobacco shop =)

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Infinity Enjoyment + Infinity Enjoyment

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Enjoy the lake. When you return, you should post an intro and tell us a bit about yourself - age, location, occupation, interests outside of cigars, etc. Give folks a chance to get to know you.

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By your math, I was dead 3 years ago. Oh well, carry on My Friends. :)

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So that explains the smell? :r

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Petunias? No, that's just my regular essense, sweet and lovely.

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When I buy a cigar in a plastic wrapper should I take it out of the plastic wrapper they come in before I put them in my humidor or does that make a difference?

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Doesn't make a difference, it is your personal preference. It is actually not plastic but cellophane, which allows the cigar to "breath" or pass air. Some folks say your cigar will age faster when the cello is taken off. I keep it on just to protect the stick from damage when rummaging around my singles humi's. Some folks take them off right away. Totally up to you. Have fun.

Oh, and introduce yourself in the New Inmate intro area.

Coming Back Home from the Dominican Republic......
 

Hello. My name is Josh. I am originally from Kansas City and I moved down here to the Dominican Republic about 6 months ago. My wife and I are moving back to the States in March and I wanted to get some advice from a few of you about some good cigars to bring back with me. Between the 2 of us we are able to bring back 200 non-Cuban cigars. We could invest some money in some nice cigars to bring home for resale. Is it tough to re-sale cigars..... or I suppose the better question would be, are there any brands of cigars that are more difficult to get back in the states. I have been on many tours of most of the major cigar companies since I have been here and I have made some good connections and I do not want to return empty handed and miss a good chance to bring some great cigars home for a lot less than I could buy them once I get home. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!:2

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Josh, I'd suggest you bring back 200 cigars that you really like and can get for better prices than in the States or online.

Reselling cigars isn't tough if you have built a reputation where people trust you, or if you are willing to send the cigars prior to payment. Of course, having something "hard to find", or having better prices than can be had in the States is a factor, but trust (i.e., reputation) is probably the most important factor.

Be advised, one also has to meet reasonable time and participation elements before they can offer anything for sale on this website. There also isn't a lot of love here for people who join this site to sell cigars at a profit (excluding retailers)....just isn't the way things are done in this community.

Good luck with the move, hope you decide to stick around to get to know the good people of the Asylum.

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Hey all, just wondering, freezing rain storm knocked my power out tues night, greater Philadelphia are has over 500,000 houses out, and I heard it could be as late as Sat or Sun before power is restored. I have not been at my house since yesterday morning and staying at my Fiancé's parents house. I could only assume my house is about 45-55 degrees and my humidors around 50-55 percent, I'm going to stop by and check on the house today but will my sticks be alright for a few days if they get immediate tlc when power is restored?

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Gabe...cigars are more resilient than people give them credit for. They should be fine for a few days.

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I agree with Mac's wise words. you probably have other things in the house to worry about before the cigars :tu

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Thanks for the peace of mind, yea hopefully it's cold enough inside to keep most of my food safe!