Acclimating Newly Acquired Cigars

[PigFish]

Vendors are renowned for shipping wet cigars. Dry cigars can be damaged in shipment and customers get unhappy when the wrappers on their cigars are damaged whether shipping causes the damage or not.

Every vendor I have ever bought from stores cigars wetter than my taste. Water content represents "travel sickness" in my humble opinion. While I too succumb to smoking some cigars too soon after someone else has stored and controlled them, I will typically wait 6 months to many years before smoking a newly acquired cigar.

I don't believe in sick periods, period! I believe in poorly fermented and otherwise poorly made cigars that may benefit from storage time. Since cigars are individual, one will never know. What I don't believe in is guru myths designed to protect the high price of poor quality old cigars and the collectors ability to rely on the strategy to defend his substantial boasting about certain aged cigars when others cannot verify the experience.

I rely on my experience, not those written by gurus. I see water content as the only thing that the cigar owner can do to change the taste of his own cigars. The rest is all dependent on the roller and God's desire to bless Cuba with the worlds best tobacco and the skills to fashion it into a delight.

Cheers! -Piggy