Humidors and Other Accessories to Care for Your Cigar

It is important that you take great care of cigars as this helps prevent damage and it ensures you enjoy the best smoking experience. You should invest in a humidor to prevent damage from humidity and to maintain temperatures that will help keep tobacco beetles away. Other ways to take care of your cigar is to use to use a wooden matchstick or butane lighter in the place of a paper lighter and to properly cut the cigar.

Good cigars do not come cheap. As an example, 10 pieces of Flor De Las Antillas Toro Gordo will cost you upwards of will cost you over $ 45.00 dollars online and much more offline. It is, therefore, important that you know how to care for your cigars so that you do not end up throwing some away and to ensure you enjoy the cigar smoking experience.

One of the most effective ways of caring for your cigar is putting them in a humidor. This accessory is basically a box that is designed to keep your cigars at a relative humidity of between 65% and 70%. This has been shown to be the ideal humidity for cigar storage. Relative humidity of over 75% considerably increases the chances of hatching tobacco beetles. Tobacco beetles are only pinhead-sized, but they can ruin your entire cigar stock. They eat tobacco and lay eggs on it, leading to further infestation. You could also use the humidor to store pipe tobacco and cigarettes.

There are different types of humidors in different sizes, shapes, complexity, and designs. The most commonly used materials for humidor boxes are

• Wood,

• Metal, and

• Acrylic glass.

They are broadly classified as:

• Walk-in humidors,

• Cabinet humidors,

• Table humidors,

• Personal humidors, and

• Travel humidors.

Although humidors are made to be portable, they are quite heavy. The average humidor stores hundreds of cigars. A good humidor features a polished wood exterior, a veneer of mahogany or Spanish-cedar wood for the interior, a glass top, and leather, marble, or combination of exotic elements. The wood is what helps maintain humidity.

Other than maintaining humidity, investing in a humidor is a good idea because the material used in the interior such as Spanish-cedar wood helps repel tobacco beetles. With a humidor, you can maintain the temperature at less than 20 °C (68 °F) because beetle eggs only hatch at around 25 °C (77 °F). You should also go for a humidor because of its aesthetic appeal. Glass top humidors are particularly aesthetically pleasing.

Humidors have passive humidifying systems that release stored humidity through diffusion and evaporation. The passive humidifying element is replenished using a 50/50 solution of distilled water and 50/50 solution of propylene glycol. Many manufacturers claim that this has mild antibacterial and antifungal properties. A humidor can also be used for aged cigars. Experts agree that cigars that have been inside humidors for over 10 years have superior taste and flavor.

Another way to care for your cigars is to properly cut the cigar. Cutting the cap is necessary to allow air flow before lighting. You could also use the cigar ‘punch’ method, use a piercer, or use the ‘V’ cutter. You should avoid the common temptation of biting off the top of your cigar. Do your research to determine the best place to cut.

Do not use a paper match to light the cigar. This is mostly because the match will not stay on long enough to light the cigar completely. The best idea is to use a wooden match and to let the sulphur to burn off the tip before you light. If you are using a lighter, use one that uses butane since it is tasteless and odorless and apply gently just below the cigar’s end. This said, to enjoy the best of a cigar, it requires just a little bit of maintenance from your side.