Cigars 101

Introduction
Why You Should Smoke Cigars & Why You Shouldn’t
Your Local Tobacconist – Your Best Friend
Shapes, Sizes and Shades
How to Choose a Cigar
Off With Its Cap – How to Cut a Cigar
The Art of Lighting a Cigar
Cigar Storage
Cigar Repair
Cigar Etiquette
Cigar Transportation
Glossary of Common Terms
In Closing

HOW TO STORE A CIGAR

Once you've found your favorite cigar, the next lesson to learn is how to take care of them because let's face it, no one who has cigars at home is happy when all they have left is 1 of their favorite cigar.  You buy them in multiples and you smoke them at home, on the golf course, or wherever.  After you've bought a box of your smashingly tasty cigars how the hang are you supposed to keep them fresh?

Humidor

A humidor is a box, usually made of wood but can be made of plastic or metal that holds your cigars in a climate controlled space.  They tend to keep the air inside at a particular humidity.  Too much humidity, and your cigars swell and become unsmokable.  Too little humidity and they become crunchy pieces of bark that fall apart when you touch them.  Going back and forth from humid to not humid generally allow cigars to split open and thus become unsmokable.  When water leaves a cigar, it takes with it the natural oils that makes a cigar taste great/smooth

Hygrometer

A hygrometer is a device that measures the humidity in a humidor.   For dial hygrometers, humidity is absorbed by a salt-impregnated paper strip attached to a metal coil, causing it to change shape. These changes in length cause an indication on a dial.  Fancier ones like the one on the right shows temperature as well as humidity.  The purpose behind these things is to know, with limited surety, that your cigars are in the proper atmosphere to be smoked.  Keeping a humidor between 68% and 72% relative humidity is the key to keeping them exactly the way you remember them

Humidifiers

Humidifiers are basically sponges the allow humidity to remain within the humidor.  Most fancier humidors come with their own humidifier but sometimes you might need another to assist in keeping the perfect humidity.  I have three in my humidor and it stays at a sweet 70% humidity.  For larger humidors, the recommend electronic humidifiers which carry a fan to assist even humidity through out the humidor