Beginner Questions (Ask Them Here!)

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Bill86

although......http://www.cheaphumidors.com/HUM-300GR.html 300 cigars for $110 isn't a bad price ...and 300 IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.

I tend to approach the humidors with lots of front drawers like that with caution as a lot of them leak like sieves.

[Bill86]

interesting, so I should just go with my original tuscany top opener? Holds 100-120, even if that's 75-100 ...still should be enough to start. then I could "upgrade". How are the ones with glass tops, or glass period, I figure IMO I would imagine they let in light NEGATIVE and they can break...NEGATIVE.

[T.G]

Glass is one of those things that depends on where you are going to use it.

Direct sunlight hitting the glass of a humidor isn't really a good thing, but glass in a typical artificially lit room isn't any big deal.

Sometimes the seals around glass top humidors leak and they require some work to get them to seal, but I've never heard of one breaking.

[bobarian]

Actually that humidor does not have drawers, they are only decoration if you check the description. If you like the looks then it should be fine. Has a tray for singles and a good amount of storage below. I agree with Adam, stay away from glass tops they are nice looking but require more maintenance.

HeartfeltIndustries has a nice adjustable hygrometer for $22, and you can get a Boveda kit tossed in for $3. One Extra large tube of beads should be more than enough for that sized humidor. http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/p...Humidity+Beads
Most here prefer 65% beads to 70% as most cigars seem to smoke better at the lower Rh.

[Bill86]

Ok explain the beads thing, sorry for all the questions just trying to hopefully get this right on the first try. Is the Hygrometer upgrade for $20 on cheap humidors good or no?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by bobarian

Actually that humidor does not have drawers, they are only decoration if you check the description. If you like the looks then it should be fine. Has a tray for singles and a good amount of storage below. I agree with Adam, stay away from glass tops they are nice looking but require more maintenance.

Thanks Bob, you're right, I didn't really read the description, I just glanced at it and thought it was a multi-drawer humidor.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Bill86

Ok explain the beads thing, sorry for all the questions just trying to hopefully get this right on the first try.

Most cigars should be kept humidified to keep them from possibly losing flavor.

There are many different ways to humidify cigars. The beads are one of these ways.

For smaller humidors, beads work quite well. They don't take up much space and they have a unique advantage over most other forums of humidification: they can both release moisture and absorb it. Few other humidification systems can lower the humidity in a humidor when it gets over the set point. Beads are also very simple. Simply buy them, put them in the humidor and water them if necessary.

There are a lot of published pages, mostly by e-tailers, touting 70%RH. While this isn't "bad", as you hang around and have more interaction with other BOTLs here (and most any forum for that matter) you will find that a large number will advocate humidity in the 60% to 65% RH range, because, as a slightly drier smoke, the cigars will burn better, more evenly, have a lesser chance of being plugged and usually have more pronounced flavors.

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by Bill86

Ok explain the beads thing, sorry for all the questions just trying to hopefully get this right on the first try. Is the Hygrometer upgrade for $20 on cheap humidors good or no?

Looks like a good hygrometer. The advantage of one that is adjustable is that you can set it to the right Rh. All hygrometers must be calibrated, the Boveda kit is set at a specific humidity(I think 74%) when you put your hygrometer in the kit if it reads 72% an adjustable hygrometer can be re-adjusted to 74%. With a non adjustable you will have to remember that your hygrometer is reading 2% low.

Beads are similar to the silica gel you may use in your gun cabinet to remove moisture. But as Adam said they are set to a specific humidity and will add or absorb moisture as necessary.

I see that you missed posting an introduction. Please stop here http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=7 and tell us a little about yourself.

[Bill86]

Ah there's the introduction forum. Posted. So it seems my start up rig isn't a bad choice and I may as well go with it. So I hear it usually takes 7 days for the humidor to get to the right humidity, whats the shelf life on cigars? Say I ordered a humidor with 30 cigars, would I be fine waiting the 7 days to put them in there without.....them going....bad?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Bill86

Ah there's the introduction forum. Posted. So it seems my start up rig isn't a bad choice and I may as well go with it. So I hear it usually takes 7 days for the humidor to get to the right humidity, whats the shelf life on cigars? Say I ordered a humidor with 30 cigars, would I be fine waiting the 7 days to put them in there with.....them going....bad?

7 days is totally dependant on the climate and humidity where you live and the the humidor. It could take more, but it will most likely take less.

You can just open the lid, add cigars, add humidifier(s), close the lid and forget about it. That's all I've ever done. I've never "seasoned" a humidor, it'll get there on it's own just fine.

If you want to, no problem. Just put your cigars into a tupperware container that seals well or into a ziplock bag (and that into another ziplock bag if you wish) and that will be fine for a week or more. If the seal is good on the tupperware/ziplock (hence the bag in a bag) then, your cigars will keep quite a long time in these storage containers without an external humidity source since the plastic doesn't breathe, and therefore, lose humidity/moisture.

[bobarian]

Here is the link to the humidor seasoning thread. Check the stickies at the top of each forum for a ton of helpful information. http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...ight=seasoning

[Bill86]

Well I think that's more than enough information, thanks guys. I'll look into ordering this setup as soon as I get paid.

[nayslayer]

hey, how about the Treasure Dome..Got mine on cbid cheap

[T.G]

Originally Posted by nayslayer

hey, how about the Treasure Dome..Got mine on cbid cheap

Most reviews/sentiment that I've heard have been positive.

I do seem to recall some scattered reports of the hinges tearing out of the lid, most likely due to the weight and locations of the center of mass being way behind the hinges.

Other than that, I don't really recall any oft repeated complaint. Of course there is the occasional one that doesn't seal well, but such is bound to happen with any of the inexpensive mass produced humidors.

[ujponds]

Originally Posted by bobarian

One Extra large tube of beads should be more than enough for that sized humidor. http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/p...Humidity+Beads

Do you lay those tubes in with your cigars like it's another cigar or do you put it off to the side?

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by ujponds

Do you lay those tubes in with your cigars like it's another cigar or do you put it off to the side?

I put my tube across the top of shorter sticks like robustos.

[Bill86]

Originally Posted by nayslayer

hey, how about the Treasure Dome..Got mine on cbid cheap

Yeah there are those imperfect ones on ch for pretty good deals

[timj219]

Why do the cigar manufacturers make house brands for famous and CI? And what are those cigars? I like all the Toranos I've tried and I just read that they also make the 5 vegas "A" cigars. And looking at famous I see torano has made a cigar they put their label on too. So I was checking out these torano house brands and they cost roughly the same as some of the Torano branded cigars and I have no idea what to think. Are there any general rules for knowing which of these might be worth a try? Or is it always on a case by case basis?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by timj219

Why do the cigar manufacturers make house brands for famous and CI?

Cigar manufacturers make cigars. It's what they do. CI/Famous comes to one of them and says "Hey, we want a new cigar with our name on it. We need x-many hundred thousand cigars, y-number vitolas, at the following price point. Has to be light/medium/full bodied and have a whatever wrapper. Can you do it? How much will it cost us?"

What are they supposed to tell CI/Famous? "No, we're going into the rubber duckie manufacturing business instead, piss off."?

Originally Posted by timj219

And what are those cigars?

100% tobacco, I would hope.

But if you're buying house brands from Thompson's, they might or might not even be that much.

Originally Posted by timj219

I like all the Toranos I've tried and I just read that they also make the 5 vegas "A" cigars. And looking at famous I see torano has made a cigar they put their label on too. So I was checking out these torano house brands and they cost roughly the same as some of the Torano branded cigars and I have no idea what to think.

It's a blender and manufacturer that you know you like. The price isn't so low that one might be worried if they are filled with sawdust and floor sweepings, nor is it so high that one might automatically dismiss it as overpriced.

Originally Posted by timj219

Are there any general rules for knowing which of these might be worth a try?

If you like the blender and manufacturers other work, and if the description sounds interesting or along the lines of what you like, then yeah, it's probably worth a shot. (see below for second half of answer)

Originally Posted by timj219

Or is it always on a case by case basis?

Yeah, that's the other thing. Just because you like a lot of stuff from one manufacturer, doesn't mean you'll like these house brands, or the other way around.

If the description intriques you, I would say pick up a 5 pack or a mixed size sampler and give it a try. If you hate them, you can always trade them or send them to the troops.

[timj219]

Originally Posted by T.G

If the description intriques you, I would say pick up a 5 pack or a mixed size sampler and give it a try. If you hate them, you can always trade them or send them to the troops.

I thought at first that if I just learned a few technical terms and rules of thumb and identified a few smokes I like I could just order boxes of those and I'd be all set. Now I'm starting to get the idea that it will take me years to hunt down and sample all the cigars that seem intriguing. What a shame