People who are just beginning to explore smoking cigars may have a lot of questions. If you are new to cigar smoking, you may feel shy about inquiring. Asking questions, however, can help you avoid making mistakes when you purchase or smoke your cigars.
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Here are some of the top questions related to cigars:
- Smokers talk about over humidified cigars. Can they still be saved? — Over-humidification often occurs during the summer or in areas of the world that have more humid climates. To help keep your humidor at the optimum moisture level, you can line the inside of the box with cedar wood. Be sure to keep in mind that the number of cigars you have in the box will have an impact on how much humidity you should have. Most of the time, cigars that have been over humidified can be saved, but be careful and make sure they aren’t moldy. If your cigars have blue mold on them, you will want to throw them out.
- Should I keep the cellophane wrapper of the cigars? — Many manufacturers wrap their cigar with cellophane to include the mandatory warning labels and protect the cigar while sellers are handling it. Before placing your cigars in your humidor, it will be best to remove the cellophane wrappers.
- Up to what point should I smoke my cigar? — This decision all depends on personal preference. Many people stop halfway through, but if you want to smoke it until you can barely hold it anymore, that’s fine too. As long as you are still enjoying the cigar, you can keep going for as long as you want.
- What is the best lighter for a cigar? — Never light a cigar using a fuel lighter. The odor and the taste of fuel will be transferred to your cigar. Instead, light your cigar using a wooden match, a strip of cedar, or a butane lighter.
- What is the best cutter for cigars? — Wedge cutters are popular, especially for thinner cigars. However, a guillotine cutter is better when you have cigars with a large gauge as they will cut through the cigar more evenly. Since modern cigars are thicker, a guillotine cutter is optimal for slicing through cigars. Lance cutters are also an option and are used to pierce a hole in the head of the cigar. However, if done wrong, this can make the cigar burn too hot, which will alter the flavors.
- How do I age my cigars? — A good way to age cigars is to keep the same cigars together in a box. You should keep the temperature and humidity levels lower than usual.
- What to do when cigars develop holes? — Beetles generally cause holes in cigars. You may buy a cigar with beetle larvae without even knowing it. To combat this problem, make sure that your humidor doesn’t go over 72 degrees, or else they will hatch. You can also freeze your cigars to kill the larvae. To do so, freeze your cigars for around three days, then put them in the refrigerator and slowly acclimate them to the temperature of the humidor to keep the wrapper from cracking. If you are worried that bugs might get into your humidor, you can put a trap inside.
- What to do with the powdery substance on the cigars? — If the powder is white, then it is the result of your cigars naturally sweating out oils. It leaves behind a residue, which you can brush off. However, if the powder is blue, it means your cigars are moldy and that the humidor is not at an optimal temperature.
Knowing the answers to some of the most common cigar questions can help enhance your experience in shopping for and enjoying your cigars.
