Finally got out of single digit temps and up to 47, wind chill 44, and I haven't had a cigar in several weeks, so it was time to grab a stick and head outside. Picked out and fired up a L'Atelier Selection Speciale. It opened with a good blast of pepper noted in Nicaraguan cigars, the mellowed out to some very dark roast coffee notes. Medium to full body, lots of flavor, a good cigar.
Had a Bahia Vintage today. Good draw, even burn, good ash and a very nice looking cigar, but a little too full flavored for me.
Had a gran habanero zulu zulu this afternoon. It was a good cigar but not worth $8. I had a Rocky Patel fusion Churchill after dinner, although the draw was a bit tight it was a better cigar at $3-4.
Need some advice from the cigar guys on here. I enjoy a good stick from time to time, although I'm primarily a pipe guy. In the past, I've kept a few in a piece of Tupperware with a water pillow or two in the box, and never had any problems with humidity. They cut evenly without any tearing or crumbling, and smoked well. Actually right now I've got them in a plastic jar with a hinged lid that clamps down on a rubber seal, that I formerly had some pipe tobacco in. I borrowed my son's digital hygrometer, and the humidity level with a water pillow is holding steady at 66. So here is my question. I'll never be one to routinely have 25 to 50 cigars, although I've currently got 20 in the jar. But I have started to think about a humidor. Is there any such thing as a decent less expensive humidor? I'm a bit afraid of the $30 humidors I've seen online; I'm afraid that any Spanish cedar liner in them will be paper thin so as to be worthless, and I might be better off continuing what I've been doing. Thoughts?
Had an Illusione Fume d'amour tonite (I'm sure I pronounced that wrong). It was probably the best cigar I've had in a long time, although a bit more expensive than my typical at $10. A real nice 1.5 hour smoke. I understand why it was one of Cigar Aficionado's top picks in 2014.
You might look at cigarbid.com. They often have humidors and if your patient you'll get one at a good price. You can check the original price at Cigars International, and keep your top bids to considerably lower. I got a pretty good 100 cigar humidor for about $45. It's solid cedar with a rosewood veneer.
The dial type hygrometers aren't very accurate, but if you use propylene glycol beads or crystals it shouldn't matter. This is the one I got, I see it's not solid cedar but cedar lined and a cherry type finish (not rosewood). I can't see how thick the lining is, there aren't any visible lining edges. It works well, and wasn't a bad buy at $45 but shipping added a bit more. I didn't look at a cigar store for humidors before buying online, you might want to browse there first. The disadvantage of buying online is you can't see it first, but you can usually get one considerably cheaper.
Thanks, I had heard that about the dial type hygrometers. I have also read that you can test them with a salt solution, and if adjustable, get a better reading. But how long does that last? My son let me borrow one of his digital versions, and I think that must be a better way to go.
Your humidor looks about the same size as mine, I got the 4 oz Black Ice, the height is just about the depth of the space beneath the tray, and they fit the corners pretty well without taking up too much space.
Finally! Low 60s, albeit a bit breezy. Sitting out with a Nicaraguan robusto 2nd I picked up at Cigars International. Medium to full and very tasty.
A beautiful day for a cigar. Enjoyed a MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured Fat Molly. I was a bit apprehensive having tried a My Uzi Weighs A Ton a while back and not being impressed. This was a good smoke.
