I will just post some of the more interesting parts.
Tips & Tricks for Maintaining Your Stash of Smokes
by Lew Rothman.
"People are absolutely nuts when it comes to the subject of storing their cigars. My advice always has been, and always will be, to purchase only those cigars that you'll consume in a thirty-day period."
"Let's assume you're a normal person, rather than one of the elite few who can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a single box of cigars, or thousands of dollars on a furniture-quality humidor that may or may not work any better than a $4.95 Tupperware dish. When a normal person goes grocery shopping and sees a batch of fabulous-looking, jucy, red beefsteak tomatoes fust ready for eating, what does he do? Does he say to the grocer, "Wow! Gimme every tomato you have? No. A normal person knows that, even though those tomatoes are gorgeous today, next week they're gonna be ready for the trash. It's much the same with cigars, only it's a lot more perilous."
"Your box or tabletop home humidor is a virtual paradise for bacteria from all over the world, which are drawn to its warm, humid climate in which they can grow and multiply. Therefore, it is vital that you periodically remove your cigars and sanitize your humidor. Believe me, the best method is to place your box in strong direct sunlight for a haf an hour or so, where it can air out."
"If you are among our wealthier readers" "and have a walk-in humidor in your home, Make sure it is not 100 percent airtight; you need air exchange. Even the most sophisticated system should be sanitized at least once every three months. Go ahead, take everything out of there, open the door, shut down the system, clean everything thoroughly, and wipe down the walls as well. Then let everything air out so that there are no residual odors from the cleaning agent you used (again, I recommend a diluted vinegar solution)."
Storage Methods that do not cost money (but work as well as any home humidor!
Refrigerators
"Nothin,but nothin, beats an old-time refrigerator for storing cigars! If you've got one of those clunkers in your garage - you know, the kind with the corrugated-metal freezing compartment that always cakes up with ice, then you've got the makings of one sensational humidor - just be sure it still runs. These old-time refrigerators that weigh more than today's cars, were not frost-free and, therefore, build up enough humidity to keep cigars perfectly. Just put the boxes in there and forget about em; they'll always be perfect."
The Desk Drawer
"Just place the boxes (as described in "The Cigar Box") in your desk drawers and forget about them. If you like, buy a Moist-nAire machine (they're about $150) and you could humidify your whole desk; all the drawers in a desk normally have a lip, and seal fairly well, but the individual drawers are open at the tops, allowing air and moisture to circulate through the entire desk."
Once you've purchased and filled a humidor, don't make these two dumber-than dumb mistakes:
"Most humidors feature a hygrometer to register relative humidity. A really good hygrometer costs as much as a really good humidor. The hygrometers in all these boxes are junk! You don't need a hygrometer! If you must have one, for Pete's sake, please get a digital hygrometer. But here's a 100-percent-better way to check your cigars for freshness:
Open your box with your eyes closed and feel your cigars. If they are nice and resilient, they are fresh. If they are as dry as a Dorito, they are stale. Even if your hygrometer says it's 90 percent humidity in the box, they are still stale - take my word for it. If you don't believe me, asktour minister or rabbi. Let one of them feel the cigars and judge. Are the Lord's emissarie lying? Or is your Hygrometer a real piece of junk that's just put into the box to make it look scientific and cost more? So help me, I'm gonna shoot the next person who writes me and says he bought a humidor and the hygrometer doesn't work. Everyone knows they don't work."
Even though it sounds like I am doing everything wrong, I think I'm going to keep with my stale unvinegarized nonsundriedout humidor, and coolidor with 65 percent beads. Oh yea I'm not going to throw my hygrometers away either.
Tips & Tricks for Maintaining Your Stash of Smokes
by Lew Rothman.
"People are absolutely nuts when it comes to the subject of storing their cigars. My advice always has been, and always will be, to purchase only those cigars that you'll consume in a thirty-day period."
"Let's assume you're a normal person, rather than one of the elite few who can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a single box of cigars, or thousands of dollars on a furniture-quality humidor that may or may not work any better than a $4.95 Tupperware dish. When a normal person goes grocery shopping and sees a batch of fabulous-looking, jucy, red beefsteak tomatoes fust ready for eating, what does he do? Does he say to the grocer, "Wow! Gimme every tomato you have? No. A normal person knows that, even though those tomatoes are gorgeous today, next week they're gonna be ready for the trash. It's much the same with cigars, only it's a lot more perilous."
"Your box or tabletop home humidor is a virtual paradise for bacteria from all over the world, which are drawn to its warm, humid climate in which they can grow and multiply. Therefore, it is vital that you periodically remove your cigars and sanitize your humidor. Believe me, the best method is to place your box in strong direct sunlight for a haf an hour or so, where it can air out."
"If you are among our wealthier readers" "and have a walk-in humidor in your home, Make sure it is not 100 percent airtight; you need air exchange. Even the most sophisticated system should be sanitized at least once every three months. Go ahead, take everything out of there, open the door, shut down the system, clean everything thoroughly, and wipe down the walls as well. Then let everything air out so that there are no residual odors from the cleaning agent you used (again, I recommend a diluted vinegar solution)."
Storage Methods that do not cost money (but work as well as any home humidor!
Refrigerators
"Nothin,but nothin, beats an old-time refrigerator for storing cigars! If you've got one of those clunkers in your garage - you know, the kind with the corrugated-metal freezing compartment that always cakes up with ice, then you've got the makings of one sensational humidor - just be sure it still runs. These old-time refrigerators that weigh more than today's cars, were not frost-free and, therefore, build up enough humidity to keep cigars perfectly. Just put the boxes in there and forget about em; they'll always be perfect."
The Desk Drawer
"Just place the boxes (as described in "The Cigar Box") in your desk drawers and forget about them. If you like, buy a Moist-nAire machine (they're about $150) and you could humidify your whole desk; all the drawers in a desk normally have a lip, and seal fairly well, but the individual drawers are open at the tops, allowing air and moisture to circulate through the entire desk."
Once you've purchased and filled a humidor, don't make these two dumber-than dumb mistakes:
"Most humidors feature a hygrometer to register relative humidity. A really good hygrometer costs as much as a really good humidor. The hygrometers in all these boxes are junk! You don't need a hygrometer! If you must have one, for Pete's sake, please get a digital hygrometer. But here's a 100-percent-better way to check your cigars for freshness:
Open your box with your eyes closed and feel your cigars. If they are nice and resilient, they are fresh. If they are as dry as a Dorito, they are stale. Even if your hygrometer says it's 90 percent humidity in the box, they are still stale - take my word for it. If you don't believe me, asktour minister or rabbi. Let one of them feel the cigars and judge. Are the Lord's emissarie lying? Or is your Hygrometer a real piece of junk that's just put into the box to make it look scientific and cost more? So help me, I'm gonna shoot the next person who writes me and says he bought a humidor and the hygrometer doesn't work. Everyone knows they don't work."
Even though it sounds like I am doing everything wrong, I think I'm going to keep with my stale unvinegarized nonsundriedout humidor, and coolidor with 65 percent beads. Oh yea I'm not going to throw my hygrometers away either.
