It takes only a few weeks for a cigar to become dry in adverse conditions, but it takes a few months to restore them.  And although dry cigars could be brought back to an acceptable smoking condition, they will probably never be as good as they originally were.

So an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Don’t let a good cigar go bad.  Read up on humidors and storage options on this website.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

There are several ways of treating dry cigars, depending on their condition. If a cigar has become dry and the wrapper has not cracked and unraveled, then it can be restored. But this must be done slowly and patiently.

If the wrapper has actually broken, then the cigar should be discarded. And if it has completely dried out, it will fall apart between your fingers regardless of how gentle and careful you are, so restoration would be impossible.

Your first step is to remove your dry stogies from their cellophane wrappers, or cedar/aluminum tubes.  If they’re not super-dry, the entire cigar box (with its lid open) may be placed inside a large walk-in humidor or any location where they can slowly be reintroduced to dampness – ideally 70% humidity.  (After two or three days the top and bottom rows should be interchanged and should remain in that position for another two or three days)

In 4-6 days, you can remove the cigars from their box and expose them to the full humidity of the humidor.  To combat small water bubbles that may appear under the wrapper, rotate the cigars a quarter-turn every 2 days.  Continue this process for as long as necessary – possibly up to three weeks.

When the wrappers look even and the body feels smooth, and when there is only a gentle crackling sound when you press your cigars between your fingers, it’s time to return your cigars to their original box.  After treatment it is best to let cigars rest for 6-12 months to allow the three components (filler, binder and wrapper) to re-equilibrate before smoking. Just check on their condition every three months.

Quick tip:  For cigars that aren’t too dried-out, restoration can sometimes be achieved by simply wrapping the closed box in a damp (not wet) towel for about two weeks.

The Top Ten Cuban Cigars? Well look no further, the votes are IN!

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on any of these, find a nice quiet area – or a loud one with friends – and enjoy!

1. Cohiba Esplindidos

2. Cohiba Robusto

3. Maneda De Cuba

4. H Uphmann Number 2

5. Cohiba Maduro 5 Magicos

6. H Uphmann Magnum 50

7. Hoya Monterrey Epicure Especial

8. San Miguel y Ramirez

9. Trinidad Fundadoras

10. Trinidad Extra Robusto

Compare this list to 2009

There is a lot of talk of whether you need to find a popular label to get a good smoke. Well, here is my take…

Large cigar makers have the most consistent tobacco. They often have first rights to thousands of acres of tobacco. So, if you are looking for a consistent good smoke, the better-known labels may be your best bet.

With that said however, there are plenty of specialty brands that are usually good due to their connections. Brands such as Rocky, Avo, or Butera (to name a few) often have consistently good smokes.

Don’t be afraid to try a non-name brand, just try one single stick as oppose to committing to a box.

Not sure what size is what?

Click on this handy chart!

Did you know you can easily create your own flavored cigars? Just take a few mild smokes (no maduro’s) and put them in a tight sealing container (no need for a humidor for this one). A tupperware bin works great.

It needs to be large enough to hold the cigars and a shot of your favorite alchohol (brandy and cognac work very well).

Put the shot glass in the container (DON’T pour it on the cigars) you just want the liqueur to evaporate.

That is it. Seal the container and put it in a dark place (the back of the closet it good). It should only take a couple weeks for the liqueur to evaporate. You are ready to smoke! Enjoy!

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Rumor is…Zino Davidoff was best friends with Rothschild family, they both traded wine for cigars every year. Zino named his cigars after the 5 best first growth wines and later named a cigar after Dom Perignon champagne. Davidoff was allowed to raid Rothschilds personnel cellar for cigars, which after 1992 were never made in Cuban again.

The Cuban Davidoff is the most sought after Cuban(the holy grail) and most expensive cigar. As they say the cigars were made from 1969-1992 and Zino`s blend was never duplicated.

The term “blowing a smoke ring” is something of a misnomer and probably the reason many cigar smokers fail when attempting their creation.  Most people think they have to exhale to form a ring when, in fact, just the opposite is true.

But wait.  Let’s start with the basics and not get ahead of ourselves.

The first thing you need is a cigar that will produce dense smoke.  Why?  Smoke rings are delicate and if your cigar is producing light, ‘airy’ smoke, it will be difficult to get your ring to come together and stay together after it leaves your lips.

The second thing you need is a nice, calm environment.  Not for your nerves – for the smoke ring!  Moving air will disrupt the fragile cohesion, while still air will allow a smoke ring to grow to its full glory and linger for a while afterwards.

Okay, you’ve got the right cigar and the right room.  Now you need the right attitude:  practice makes perfect.  Let’s get ringing:

1. Draw a thick puff of smoke into your mouth and hold it there.  (It’s not necessary to puff out your cheeks like a chipmunk)

2. Place your tongue on the bottom of your mouth and pull it back slightly to block your throat passage

3. Open your mouth slowly (so you don’t create any unnecessary air flow that will disturb the smoke) and form it into the loose, rounded shape of the letter “O.”

4. Be sure to open your mouth and jaw, not just your lips.  You can’t make a good smoke ring by puckering up and making a kiss-face or fish-face.

5. Now, here’s the tricky part:  Curl the tip of your tongue down, and pull your tongue all the way back and push the smoke out of your mouth with your tongue.  Use your tongue in a gentle, piston type motion:  short bursts, with a slight recoil (think of the way a car piston works).

The biggest factor in blowing good smoke rings is practice.  But that’s half the fun!

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Let’s be honest – when you walk into a well-stocked humidor, it may feel a little bit like Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade’ – cigars to the left of you, cigars to the right of you.  Dozens of brands, hundreds of sizes in attractive, appealing nests from floor to ceiling.  It’s positively overwhelming!

Take a deep breath (not just to relax…you’ll enjoy the smell!) and remind yourself that buying a cigar isn’t rocket science, it isn’t even weird science, it’s just an interesting and enjoyable way to spend your money.  Don’t spend ALL your money on cigars that don’t suit your fancy, you can start small and instead of buying a box, buy a single.  The reward will be well worth the risk!

People who work in tobacco stores are fountains of information.  If you need some advice, feel free to ask.  And don’t worry that your merchant will be offended if you don’t follow that advice.  Cigar smoking is a completely subjective experience.  Let the advice be your guide, not your jailer!

Ask for What YOU Want

You can ask your tobacconist for a recommendation, and what your merchant will suggest is a cigar that appeals to his/her palate.  Instead, why not describe the kinds of flavors YOU like – spicy, smoky, deep, layered.  That way, the professional can steer you in the right direction.  

 Just Who Are “They” Anyway?

Cigars get rating numbers intended to convey information about quality and characteristics.  Although they may be helpful, you are much better off consulting reviews (rather than ratings) since they’ll give expanded information on things like flavor, finish, draw, etc.   Using reviews, you can develop your own ratings, giving extra weight to the characteristics to the things that matter most to you.  

Humble Beginnings

Tobacco derives much of its flavor from the soil and climate in which it’s grown.  If you’re doing some comparison-shopping, you might want to pick up a smoke from Jamaica, Hondouras and Cuba to compare and contrast.  This will give you a sense of regional differences in cigars.  

Once you’ve enjoyed a cigar from the Caribbean (for example), you can generally expect to like other selections from that area.  And in the future, if you’re confronted with a choice between an unfamiliar cigar from a country you know and a smoke from an unfamiliar region, you can be confident when you say, “I think I’d prefer the Jamaican.”

Cooler, Cleaner, Better

If you want a cool, clean smoke, think like McDonalds and ‘Super-size.”  A long cigar with a high ring gauge (circumference) is something of a self-filtering device.  The tobacco filters itself as you draw, delivering the flavor of the tobacco without the heat.  

Size Matters

How a cigar feels in your hand is important, too.  If you’re uncomfortable with a big, cumbersome 9-inch Figuardo, try a 5-inch Belicosa in the same variety.

Wrapper Up

The wrapper should be smooth and tight, and damage-free on both ends. Big veins should be rejected, but keep an eye out for small veins.  They’re a GOOD thing and a cigar with a thin-veined wrapper often provides a nice, smooth smoke.

Tobacco Expose

Give some attention to the tobacco you see on the exposed end of your cigar.  A subtle variation in color will let you know that a blend of tobaccos was used.   If the variation is too dramatic, extreme or abrupt, however, it may be a sign that inferior leaves were used, or that the leaves were incorrectly assembled during the bunching stage.  Avoid these color extremes as they may result in an off-taste experience and a bad burn.  Some variation of color is normal, as most cigars are made from a blend of tobaccos. What you’re watching for is extreme or abrupt color changes

Daring?  

You should let yourself go and experiment with different cigars.  Sampling and evaluating the differences is one of the great romances people have with cigar smoking.  Here’s a tip, though:  if you’re feeling adventurous, but are not on a big budget, you should sample brands that are familiar to you and leave the “off-brands,’ ‘no-names’ and ‘generics’ for someone else.  

Off-brand cigars frequently have problems with their consistency, both within the cigars (uneven burning, hot spots) and also from cigar to cigar (no reliable flavor).  So even if you love the no-name cigar you buy today, the chances of being able to duplicate its quality tomorrow are slim.  

Feel ‘Em Up (and Down)

The way a cigar feels will tell you volumes about its quality.  Squeeze the cigar gently. It should have some “give” without feeling mushy or loose. Then run your fingers up and down the body to look for lumps or other irregularities. 

CIGAR STORE ETIQUETTE:  Don’t roll a cigar in your fingers, as some suggest.  This can cause damage to the wrapper and the construction and leave the tobacconist with a cigar that you don’t want…and no one else will either.

This is a surprisingly common question I get but it is an almost impossible answer. My friend Tommy laughs when I can make a smoke last as long as the “recommended smoke time.”

In a nutshell, the bigger they are the longer they smoke (like you had to go to a Cigar site to figure that out, huh?). Ok, ok, here are few benchmarks…

Presidente (8” – 10”) – about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Double Corona, Churchill, Lonsdale (7 ½” – 8”) – about 45 minutes to an hour.

Corona Grandes, Corona Extra, Rubusto, Belicoso, Pyramid (5”-7”) – about 30 – 45 minutes.

Petite Corona, Culebra, Ascot – under 30 minutes.

You may have seen or heard two different terms when describing Cuban Cigars. “Made in Cuba” and “Made in Havana.”

The two words are interchangeable and in either case come from the island of Cuba. The term “Made in Havana” is largely due to the fact that most Cuban cigars are made in or around Havana.

Besides, it sounds way better than “Made in Wells, NV.”