Newcomer (Newbie) Q&A

[OllyBond]

8 hours ago, Weaponiz'd1 said:

Seems reasonable to me. That's what my tupperdor is at

 I keep my 2 wine fridges at 65° though.

Hey bud,

I got a cigar cooler humidor, I think its pretty much the same as a wine fridge. I had it seasoning at about 90% rh for about 10 days. I just put 4 65% 60 g boveda packs in about 24 hrs ago. Its now at 80%, how long do you think it will take to get to 65%? Maybe I should just do 1 pack till I put some cigars in. 

[OllyBond]

11 minutes ago, Weaponiz'd1 said:

Olly, first question; did you clean and air out the machines before this? I like to do that to remove that new plastic smell and any contaminate that could affect my sticks. 

Second question; did you line it with Spanish cedar...prior to seasoning? Even if you choose to keep the steel racks, you can use the beauty pieces in boxes to slide between, vertically, to help in lining and stabilizing conditions.

I used beads to humidify mine for a while. Once I had them stocked to the brim, the humidity began to rise. I kept having to put a moisture remover in, weekly, until I finally decided to remove the beads for a few days. 

Since that day, I haven't used a humidification system. It seems as though they've established their own climate in accordance with their exterior...we see a 55-70% rh norm here. Been almost a year now without a humidifier. I may have to one day, but not today

 

On edit, I didn't answer the question.

Me, I seasoned it a week and checked the smell daily before introducing smokes.

 

 

 

Weapon,

It is for cigars, so it has the cedar shelves. I did clean it, its smelling like fresh cedar. I might just try putting the couple boxes I have in, and take the boveda out. I was hoping the boveda would have just brought it down to 65% before putting cigars in. I'll give it another day, see if it drops anymore, then I'll try something different. Trial and error is what I hear. Its nice getting many opinions. Thanks Weapon

[filltang]

Hi everyone. I have a newbie question I hope someone can help me with...

I recently returned home with my first haul of CCs: Monte 2, Siglo VI, Epicure 2, Maduro 5 Genios. (85 total cigars) - very exciting for me!!

Upon arrival home, I purchased two humidors (Adorini Chianti and Adorini Cube) which I’m currently seasoning with Boveda 84%rh packs. In the meantime, I have my cigars being stored in a locker at my local smoke shop (at 70/70).
 
I hope I’m not damaging my CCs by keeping them at 70/70 in this interim period while I prepare my humidors? I would anticipate it not be longer than 3-4 weeks in that environment total. My goal is to start my conditions around 68f/64rh in my humidors after seasoning and tweak from there as I see how the cigars are smoking. Perhaps one of you vets could let me know.

Thanks folks!











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[OllyBond]

1 hour ago, filltang said:

Hi everyone. I have a newbie question I hope someone can help me with...

I recently returned home with my first haul of CCs: Monte 2, Siglo VI, Epicure 2, Maduro 5 Genios. (85 total cigars) - very exciting for me!!

Upon arrival home, I purchased two humidors (Adorini Chianti and Adorini Cube) which I’m currently seasoning with Boveda 84%rh packs. In the meantime, I have my cigars being stored in a locker at my local smoke shop (at 70/70).
 
I hope I’m not damaging my CCs by keeping them at 70/70 in this interim period while I prepare my humidors? I would anticipate it not be longer than 3-4 weeks in that environment total. My goal is to start my conditions around 68f/64rh in my humidors after seasoning and tweak from there as I see how the cigars are smoking. Perhaps one of you vets could let me know.

Thanks folks!











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I'm not a vet, only been at the cuban cigar scene a couple months myself. However, I've been storing mine at around 70-72 rh while I try and figure out how to get my cooler humidor to around 62-65 rh. They taste great, and are smoking ok, they just seam to go out a couple times. I'm guessing lower rh will help with that. Anyway, I don't think your doing any damage. Have fun, that looks like a very sweet haul.

[LLC]

Hi everyone. I have a newbie question I hope someone can help me with...

I recently returned home with my first haul of CCs: Monte 2, Siglo VI, Epicure 2, Maduro 5 Genios. (85 total cigars) - very exciting for me!!

Upon arrival home, I purchased two humidors (Adorini Chianti and Adorini Cube) which I’m currently seasoning with Boveda 84%rh packs. In the meantime, I have my cigars being stored in a locker at my local smoke shop (at 70/70).
 
I hope I’m not damaging my CCs by keeping them at 70/70 in this interim period while I prepare my humidors? I would anticipate it not be longer than 3-4 weeks in that environment total. My goal is to start my conditions around 68f/64rh in my humidors after seasoning and tweak from there as I see how the cigars are smoking. Perhaps one of you vets could let me know.

Thanks folks!











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No real issue but best to let them acclimatize to the lower RH in your humidor after you put them in or dry box them for a few days before lighting up


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[prodigy]

Hi everyone. I have a newbie question I hope someone can help me with...

I recently returned home with my first haul of CCs: Monte 2, Siglo VI, Epicure 2, Maduro 5 Genios. (85 total cigars) - very exciting for me!!

Upon arrival home, I purchased two humidors (Adorini Chianti and Adorini Cube) which I’m currently seasoning with Boveda 84%rh packs. In the meantime, I have my cigars being stored in a locker at my local smoke shop (at 70/70).
 
I hope I’m not damaging my CCs by keeping them at 70/70 in this interim period while I prepare my humidors? I would anticipate it not be longer than 3-4 weeks in that environment total. My goal is to start my conditions around 68f/64rh in my humidors after seasoning and tweak from there as I see how the cigars are smoking. Perhaps one of you vets could let me know.

Thanks folks!











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Wow, you really messed up. Send them to me and ill dispose of them properly.

You're way over thinking this. If your buying that many cigars by the box, get a coolidor. Or if you're a baller get an aristocrat or similar large cabinet to store boxes. Desktops don't take more than a few days to season if done properly.

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[Fuzz]

And don't forget to wipe off the mold from that Siglo VI.

[havanaclub]

And don't forget to wipe off the mold from that Siglo VI.

Are you sure that’s not plume?


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[filltang]

Thanks fellas. I usually overthink things, but I just needed the peace of mind to know everything is alright.

2 hours ago, Fuzz said:

And don't forget to wipe off the mold from that Siglo VI.

You're right... I should probably just throw that moldy cigar right in the trash, right? It's basically useless  

[El Presidente]

16 hours ago, filltang said:

Thanks fellas. I usually overthink things, but I just needed the peace of mind to know everything is alright.

...you are a normal OCD Cuban cigar enthusiast  

[filltang]

Another question (sorry, I'm a bother...)

 

Is there any general consensus for marcas/vitolas/etc. for a sweet spot in terms of aging? Of course, everyone's palate is different, all cigars are different, and over the coming years I will take my own notes and decide when to start digging into certain boxes. But, just for example, if it is well known that the Cohiba Maduro 5 from 2017 hits a sweet spot in the 4-5 year window, then I won't waste one every 6-9 months only to get to that conclusion, while having smoked half the box away before reaching that point.

 

Most if not all of the cigars I'll be storing are anywhere between 4-12 months old, based on box dates. After they've chilled out a little in the humidor, I was planning to smoke one of each immediately (I think you refer to this as ROTT), and see what they're like. 

 

Again, I'm certain I'm overthinking this. Just curious to hear how you all go about this!

 

Cheers

[Devonshire Smoker]

 

[Freddo]

Just a question in my mind throwing out there.

Everyone is talking about ageing cigar to get to it's sweet spot.  Is there such thing over ageing for the smaller cigar pass it's sweet spot e.g. Monte 5, Partagas Shorts?

[cfc1016]

3 hours ago, Freddo said:

Just a question in my mind throwing out there.

Everyone is talking about ageing cigar to get to it's sweet spot.  Is there such thing over ageing for the smaller cigar pass it's sweet spot e.g. Monte 5, Partagas Shorts?

There is such a thing as over-aging for ANY cigar. 

This is generally a contentious and subjective matter though. Everyone’s opinion seems to be different, and even one individual will have vastly disparate feelings regarding the ‘sweet spots’ of different vitolas/production runs. 

It’s a bit of a crapshoot. The best advice I could offer, without infusing any personal opinion or conjecture, is that you’d do well to smoke a lot of different vitolas, from a lot of different production runs, at a lot of different stages of aging. By doing so, you’ll have a good sample set to form your opinions on what tastes best to you. 

After all, you’re the one who has to enjoy or not enjoy the cigar. Another person’s opinion of a cigar can not make it taste better or worse to you. 

[SmokenWhisky]

So much great info in this thread. Big thanks to all the knowledgeable members on this forum!

If you're a noob, like myself, do yourself a favour and read through this Q and A. It will definitely answer some of your questions as it did mine. 

[SmokenWhisky]

Are there any posts on the forum that break down the characteristics for each CC brand? Besides just mild/medium/strong. I'm curious as to more in depth analysis of each.

ex. Romeo Julieta - more cherry wood. Bolivar - strong cedar, coffee. Montecristo - light coffee and cream etc

I'm currently trying to sample as much as possible before I start buying boxes as I've made that mistake too many times buying whisky where I don't try before I buy and end up not liking something.

One more thing I've been curious about is as far as the different vitola in each brand can I expect a similar taste profile? 

ex. Bolivar - Belicosos finos, coronas jr, petit coronas and royal coronas. Can I expect basically the same profile across all of these in taste? Same tobacco just different vitola?

Are most brands going to be the same throughout all the vitola? I understand limited editions that have been aged etc but for the most part they would all be in the same wheelhouse correct?

Are there any brands like maybe R&J whom have about 5 petit coronas that they vary quite a bit? Some being cedar wrapped etc. 

(I hope I'm using vitola correctly here lol) 

 

Any info will be greatly appreciated !

[El Presidente]

I really wish there was a "one stop shop" fix  

I think Bolivar belicoso Finos are medium full. Others think full. Some swear they are under medium. assuming each person is experienced in BBF then the variance in opinions come down to palate physiology and personal experience/references. 

You could say the same for all cigars I think. 

Cohiba (in general) has a grassy/citrus/coffee/honey profile. Some people love them, others hate them and the remainder are in the middle.  The Siglo 1 to me is full bodied, the Cohiba Robusto medium bodied and the Siglo IV medium full. Now you could ask 20 members about those three cigars and you may get none that match my beliefs on all three . Who is right and who is wrong? noone. Cigar descriptions are always based on unintentional (and necessarily) biased viewpoints. 

You will find generalities but this hobby takes time and thankfully the journey is fantastic. Pick up a few singles but don't make the mistake of writing off a cigar on one outing. 

[Riverstyx]

Check out that thread.  Although I recently noticed SLR is not listed.

[Silverstix]

That is a killer thread!!


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[filltang]

On 6/27/2018 at 8:54 PM, Fuzz said:

And don't forget to wipe off the mold from that Siglo VI.

 

So... just spent the evening reading the FOH historical threads on Mold vs Plume/Bloom/Bloomberg's Substance @PigFish

What I've learned...

1. I'm an idiot (cuz I thought that was really plume)

2. I'm an idiot? (cuz I think that might have been plume? maybe?)

3. WTF is actually plume?

 

Don't actually answer #3... please... I don't want to start another FOH war. Just forgive me for my naïvety ... unless it was plume ... in which case, applaud me for my wisdom.

[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, filltang said:

 

So... just spent the evening reading the FOH historical threads on Mold vs Plume/Bloom/Bloomberg's Substance @PigFish

What I've learned...

1. I'm an idiot (cuz I thought that was really plume)

2. I'm an idiot? (cuz I think that might have been plume? maybe?)

3. WTF is actually plume?

 

Don't actually answer #3... please... I don't want to start another FOH war. Just forgive me for my naïvety ... unless it was plume ... in which case, applaud me for my wisdom.

There is an official FOH definition for plume/bloom:

On 11/16/2017 at 12:55 PM, Fuzz said:

Time to update the FOH "Plume" definition with the new information:

 

PLUME/PLOOM/BLOOM

noun  plüm / blüm

1. What people think are the crystalized remnants of oils left on a cigar wrapper.... but really it's mostly mold or bacteria... and some dust.
2. Mold on a cigar
3. Bacteria on a cigar
4. Dust. Just common, everyday dust.
5. A term frequently used on cigar forums to polarise the membership into one of three camps; Believers, Sceptics & Undecided
   • "Hey! Check out the plume on my cigar!" "You idiot! That's just mold!" "I'm not sure about that.... does it wipe off easily?"

verb blooming

1. To create plume/bloom
   • "Feel and see that? That gritty sparkling sheen is proof this cigar is pluming."
   • "Your temp and RH is too high. Those cigars are blooming."
   • "This cigar must be blooming, pretty sure it gave me a chest infection"

adjective blooming

1. "You think that is bloom?, Well, you're a blooming idiot!"

 

[PigFish]

19 hours ago, filltang said:

 

So... just spent the evening reading the FOH historical threads on Mold vs Plume/Bloom/Bloomberg's Substance @PigFish

What I've learned...

1. I'm an idiot (cuz I thought that was really plume)

2. I'm an idiot? (cuz I think that might have been plume? maybe?)

3. WTF is actually plume?

 

Don't actually answer #3... please... I don't want to start another FOH war. Just forgive me for my naïvety ... unless it was plume ... in which case, applaud me for my wisdom.

Plume, like Santa Claus, is something most of us have believed in at some point.

-the Pig

[SmokenWhisky]

 I'm currently trying to sample all the different brands and vitolas to really get a good sense of what I enjoy most. I'm trying to sample things that I would enjoy on the regular. Regular production stuff. No limited edition, regionals etc. As I discover a few things I like I plan on laying some boxes down for a few years. 1 year at least I'd guess before I start dipping into some of them.

In the meantime in between sampling, are there any particular brands/vitolas that generally smoke well young? 

Are there any particular brands/vitolas that generally don't smoke well young and should be avoided? I had a Monte 4 recently that I would say smelled like cat piss half way through. I'm guessing a lil too young and full of ammonia. I've experienced that once before with a NC. (thankfully after reading this thread I'll try the old purge method next time)

 

 

[Freddo]

1 hour ago, SmokenWhisky said:

 I'm currently trying to sample all the different brands and vitolas to really get a good sense of what I enjoy most. I'm trying to sample things that I would enjoy on the regular. Regular production stuff. No limited edition, regionals etc. As I discover a few things I like I plan on laying some boxes down for a few years. 1 year at least I'd guess before I start dipping into some of them.

In the meantime in between sampling, are there any particular brands/vitolas that generally smoke well young? 

Are there any particular brands/vitolas that generally don't smoke well young and should be avoided? I had a Monte 4 recently that I would say smelled like cat piss half way through. I'm guessing a lil too young and full of ammonia. I've experienced that once before with a NC. (thankfully after reading this thread I'll try the old purge method next time)

 

 

Given I am still new to cigar most of my stock is new, Punch Punch is one that I enjoy till the end.  I have a box of JL 2 coming which I heard they are good while it's young.

[IronW]

On 7/11/2018 at 8:43 PM, SmokenWhisky said:

 I'm currently trying to sample all the different brands and vitolas to really get a good sense of what I enjoy most. I'm trying to sample things that I would enjoy on the regular. Regular production stuff. No limited edition, regionals etc. As I discover a few things I like I plan on laying some boxes down for a few years. 1 year at least I'd guess before I start dipping into some of them.

In the meantime in between sampling, are there any particular brands/vitolas that generally smoke well young? 

Are there any particular brands/vitolas that generally don't smoke well young and should be avoided? I had a Monte 4 recently that I would say smelled like cat piss half way through. I'm guessing a lil too young and full of ammonia. I've experienced that once before with a NC. (thankfully after reading this thread I'll try the old purge method next time)

 

 

In my limited experience, one of my favorite cigars to smoke young is the Saint Luis Rey Regios. I don't mind a young Partagas D4 either.