Daily Cigar

It does seem obvious, but I can really see both sides: Why are there no ladies smoking cigars, let alone beautiful women smoking cigars?

Sure, cigars are very male and it’s obvious that women see them as filthy and disgusting. When and old friend was over and we were sharing a few cigars, I asked him if his wife (who smokes cigarettes) would smoke cigars. He instantly said no, no way, wasn’t going to happen because cigars are “nasty.” Hardly surprising.

But, that’s what makes it surprising. These days women seem to leaping at the chance to do everything men do often for little more reason than men do it. I could easily see women taking up cigar smoking simply because it’s there and men do it. Given how many women smoke, it’s kind a surprising more of them aren’t into cigars.

Now, I don’t mean for this to become a plea for women to start smoking…just one of those odd thoughts that passes through from time to time.

• Discount Cigars Cigar Humidors

As you know I built a humidor a while back, and I’ve had cigars in it since it was finished. When you read about seasoning humidors (that is, getting them humidity-stabilized) folks generally recommend leaving the humidifier beads or foam or whatever in the humidor with NO cigars for about a week to let things stabilize. The cedar lining can evidently take a while to get up to the proper humidity level.

Well, when I finished my humidor I wiped the inside down with water and let it go for an afternoon, and then put the cigars in. I’ve been monitoring the humidity, which should be 65%, and I’m finding that it keeps dropping. Now, it could be that the humidor isn’t sealing well, but it’s pretty tight. I’m thinking instead that the thirsty lining is still soaking up the humidity. So my solution has been to put a small container with a wad of wet paper towel in it in the humidor. The humidity will go up for a while, but when it gets above about 73% I pull it out. Since I’m using beads, which will absorb excess humidity, the idea is that the beads will bring humidity back down to the target 65% level. the humidity then starts to drop, and when it drops too much (say, down to 62%) I end up putting the wet stuff back in. None of this is really difficult, it’s just a pain to do it and there’s a risk that I’ll forget about the little pot of paper towel and inadvertantly let the humidity level get too high.

I think this is what people call “doing it the hard way” 8-)

My only message here is that when you get a humidor, follow the advice of others - get it stabilized before you put the cigars in.

• Discount Cigars Cigar Humidors

I spent Saturday building a fence with and old friend, and it was a very hard day’s labor. We got all of the posts in place, and called it quits. After a little barbeque we settled in for some cigars.

First was a Punch, double corona. These had been splitting on me in the past, but they’ve finally dried out enough to be perfectly smokable.

Second were Fonseca Robusto, which was significantly milder than the Punch. These were really just filling in a little time - we were sitting in the driveway admiring our handiwork along with glasses of Bushmills, but they were very enjoyable all the same.

Last came Montecristo #3, which was the best of the bunch. I taste much more spice than in the previous cigars. Even my friend commented that it was very good.

It was a very late night, but very enjoyable.

• Discount Cigars Cigar Humidors

Today it was hot and fairly humid - 80 degrees or more, and the kind of weather that has you regretting the long pants you’re wearing even though it hadn’t seemed that warm at first. I’d brined some pork tenderloin since the yesterday, and after it’s time on the grill it was a very tasty treat. So good, in fact, that our 14 month old daughter who’d previously communicated she was full, full, full, decided she could handle a few more slices of pork ;-) She even grabbed the plate of seconds I’d handed to my wife to take them for herself.
After she was put to bed and my wife settled in I headed for the porch with a Montecristo #3 cigar and my notebook to do a little writing. I’d put on shorts and a t-shirt, and was ready for a warm but relaxing evening. The Monte cigar was about Robusto in size, so an hour would see it done. That would leave a bit of time to write this, and maybe play with a new Drupal installation I’m fiddling with.
You can imagine my surprise when I stepped out into a 65 degree wind. They say if you don’t like the weather in Wisconsin, just wait 20 minutes and it will change, and they’re right. I lit up anyway and the porch was still quite warm from the afternoon sun so it wasn’t too chilly out. I’d decided to use matches, and a small pile of burnt matches accumulated before I had a decent ember going because of the wind. Once lit, the cigar idled like a champ.

I had a long phone conversation with my oldest friend, planned a bit of fence building this weekend, and puffed away. The Montecristo was like last time - fast, even burn. Mild with a bit of spice near the end. If it was a car it would have a bumper sticker that says “Drive Safely.” There are times, though, when pleasant and predictable are what we need.

• Discount Cigars Cigar Humidors

Tonight I decided to try the Bolivar that had been gifted to me a while back. It was a full-size cigar, I’ll call it a double corona.

The initial flavor was mild, with hints of molases, turning woodier near the end. I’ll say it was the end, as it took well over an hour to finish the cigar, and as it is I tossed it with about 3″ left. Hey, my butt was sore and the bugs were getting fierce! Also, I tend to grow weary of cigars as they get shorter and sharper.

The burn was not even, but I’ll put that to short and erratic storage in my humidor. The draw was also tight, and it went out once. I know that a while back I had put a small container of water in my humidor, since it was registering a little low. It turned out to be that the sensor was being blocked, and the humidity was actually much higher. That was a couple of weeks ago, and with everything in cello I expect it to take a few more weeks for things to return to proper levels. In the mean time, I’ll be forgiving of any burn and draw problems.

Overall I’d smoke another Bolivar in a heartbeat, although I would allow much more time for the same size. That was the big problem - sometimes you’re ready to spend 90+ minutes and sometimes you’re not, and I wasn’t.

• Discount Cigars Cigar Humidors