What are the different tools used to cut the cap off the cigar?
There are several methods of cutting the cigar. Here are the most common accessories on the market.
Cutters: A cutter is a guillotine style device used to slice the cap off of the cigar. It is the most common type, and is available as a single, double, and even triple blade. The single and double blades are the most common. Most double blades cutters are more expensive than the single blades, but they will last far longer, as they are self-sharpening. Most single blade cutters are disposable, and should be thrown away once they have stopped making a clean, sharp cut. If you buy an expensive gold or silver single blade cutter, be sure that the blade is replaceable, or else you will have just spent a lot of money on a disposable cutter.
Scissors/Clippers: These scissor-action clippers work the same way that the double blade cutter does. However, they are not self sharpening, and can crush or tear the head off the cigar if they are not kept at peak sharpness. They do not fit comfortably in a pocket, and therefore the lack of portability makes them attractive for home use only.
Wedge Cutter: These cut a "V" down the center of the cap, about an 1/8-1/4" deep. Typically, they work very well on thin (less than 40 ring size) and tapered (torpedo shaped) cigars. They do not give a clean cut on the thicker heads.
Punch: A punch cuts a small circle into the cap. A well designed one can have an ejection spring to push out the cut tobacco. The punch does not work well on thin cigars. It works well on thick cigars, especially the oversized ones of 54 ring gauge or more. Often a guillotine cutter can not accommodate these mammoths. Also, the punch hole in these giants relieves you from having to put the whole cigar in between your lips, which can be uncomfortable on the jaw. Rather, you can "sip" the smoke through the punch opening.
Poker/Piercer: This is a pin-like rod that just pokes a hole in the cap. It does not allow a good draw, which can cause the cigar to burn improperly, or provide its full flavor. It also causes a build up of bitter tars at its opening, once you have been smoking the cigar for a while. Therefore, a piercer is not recommended on anything larger than a short, thin cigar.
How do I carry my cigars around when I travel or just go out for the day?
You must protect the cigar in some fashion, as it will either dry out or get bruised. Here are the options you can chose which best suits your needs.
Tubes: A tube will hold one cigar. If it has a good seal, it will protect it for many days or even weeks. They can be constructed of any type of material, ranging from plastic to platinum, and will be priced accordingly. Some even have tiny humidification devices built in, but this is not necessary for short term use. The only downside to these carrying tubes is that if your friend has one it means that he did not bring a cigar for you.
Finger Cases: These are cases made from either leather, metal, wood, or plastic. They will have 2-4 "fingers" for the cigars. The leather models are soft cases, and are most often made from 2 telescoping pieces, that slide within each other. They are made for specific length cigars, but will often handle a variance of 1-1.5 inches more than they were designed for. Sometimes they have individual slots for each cigar, but these are not absolutely necessary. These cases will provide several hours of protection and are perfect for a night out. They are not heavy and will not show a bulge by weighing down your shirt or jacket pocket. The metal, wood, or plastic varieties are hard cases, providing more protection from both the elements and from being crushed. However, they are bulky, will pull down on your clothing, if they even fit into the pockets. They are more suited for carrying in a briefcase or golf bag. Elaborate ones can have miniature humidification devices, but these are only necessary if you want to insure the cigar's freshness for an extended period of time.
Travel Humidors: Travel humidors are miniature humidors, complete with a humidification element. As the name implies, they are used when you need to take your smokes out of town. They will hold between 4 and 20 cigars, depending on size. They are made from wood, metal, plastic, or any combination of these materials. As this is a short term storage unit, a Spanish cedar lining is a nice cosmetic touch, but not an automatic prerequisite. There are many poorly designed models on the market, and you should look for the following features and pitfalls when considering the purchase. First and foremost, the seal must be a good one. The seal on travel size humidors should either have the same type of interlocking "lips" that a full size one has, or a gasket of some kind. You need to be confident that moist air is not escaping. Another important feature is the interior protection it offers for the cigars from being knocked around. Will they continue to slam into each other or the walls of the unit? Well designed ones will be built very thinly, so that you can only stack the cigars in one or two layers, thus minimizing the potential for damage. Good alternatives to keeping the cigars in place have grooves cut into them (usually molded plastic), foam egg cushions, or straps that act as seatbelts. These features are useful, but not completely necessary, as you can always put some balled up bubble wrap into a half filled humidor to prevent them from jostling. This is not exactly elegant, but extremely functional. The last key factor when examining a travel humidor is its strength. You want the unit to stand up to external stress, without breaking. A good, functional travel humidor will have all of these features.
What makes a proper lighter for cigars?
There are 2 critical features you should look for. First, the type of fuel it uses. It must be a clean burning fuel such as butane. Most other lighter fuels give off a chemical or kerosene-like odor that will alter the taste of your cigar. Secondly, the lighter must provide a large enough flame to light the whole cigar. For some reason (probably to conserve fuel), many disposable lighters no longer have an adjustable flame, and only burn at about a 3/8th inch tall. This is too small, so cigar smokers must find one that is a designed with cigar needs in mind. The "blowtorch" style lighters have become very popular, because they burn at an extremely high temperature, and can do the job from several inches away. Remember, to properly light the cigar, you never want to actually put the foot directly into the flame. The larger and hotter your flame is, the further away you can keep the cigar from it and gently draw the heat up.
What makes a good ashtray for cigars?
Ashtrays are more important than you think, and there are three features to look for. First, the ash container must be large or deep enough to hold all the ash-drops that a cigar creates. Second, it should be sturdy enough to absorb an incidental shock without getting tipped over. Third, it should have a groove wide enough to support a cigar on a horizontal level. The cigar should not be tilting down with the coal resting in the base of the tray. This can suffocate the one side that is touching the tray and cause the cigar might to burn unevenly. Remember, if you are taking a puff every minute or so, you should be keeping the cigar safe and sound in a good ashtray the rest of the time. You can not just keep it in your hand the whole time, as you will not be able to juggle the remote control and your single malt.
Does my humidor need a hygrometer?
It is a nice feature, but not necessary. It is always more important to feel your cigars and judge how they are smoking than rely on the reading of the hygrometer. Do they crackle when you cut the cap, does the wrapper flake when you handle them? If yes, they are too dry. Its time to add some water. Do they smell musty, feel spongy, sizzle or split when you smoke them? If yes, they are too moist, and you added water too much or too often. Back off on the water for a while. If it is alarmingly damp n there you can stick a few cedar planks (provided from a box of cigars-you can break off the lid or sides if you need to) into the humidor for a few days to absorb the excess moisture. New smokers are obsessed with the reading of the analog hygrometer. Even a correctly calibrated analog model has a variance of 5-10%. Therefore, you need to let the cigars tell you if you are maintaining them properly. Only operators of commercial storage or "walk-in" humidors need to keep an eye on the humidity as they usually don't touch and feel the cigars as we do. If you are completely obsessed with having an accurate hygrometer you can go and blow 40 bucks or more on a digital one.
How do I calibrate my analog hygrometer?
Dampen a towel (not dripping wet, but good and damp), then wrap the hygrometer in the towel for 30 to 45 minutes. Then unwrap it and read the humidity (quickly). If your hygrometer is perfectly calibrated (few are) it will be reading exactly 100% humidity. Most likely, it will be reading somewhere between 80 and 90%. That's ok - if it's reading 90%, then you know that when it's in your humidor and reading 65, your humidor is really at 75%. From now on you can just make this simple adjustment and you won't have to mess with the calibration screw.
Want to get a little more technical? No problem. Luckily, as nature would have it, when salt and water (NaCl and H2O for you studious types), are in a saturated solution at equilibrium, the resultant humidity is 75%. This gives a fantastic reference point to calibrate our hygrometers.
Here's the procedure you should use:
Get a bottle cap of some sort - like the kind you might get off of a beer! Fill it with regular table salt. Then drop a few drops of water on the salt. DO NOT put to much water on the salt. The salt should only be damp, and not a liquid solution. It should be like moist sand, not like soft mud.
Then put the bottle cap of salt and your hygrometer in a see-through, sealable container. I like to use a large freezer bag. Seal the freezer bag or other container. Wait several hours (about six). The humidity inside the bag will be 75%. Compare it to your hygrometer. You will then know exactly how far off your hygrometer is, just like with the damp towel test, above.
Take your hygrometer out of the humidor and wrap it in several layers of dripping wet paper towels. Leave it alone for 5 minutes. During this waiting, go find your "precision" screwdriver set. Once you have found it, go and unwrap the hygrometer unit. If it is operating correctly, it should be registering between 95-100. If not, take the appropriate size screwdriver and stick it through the hole on the bottom and look for a screw that looks like it is connected to the axis of the dial's needle. Turn this screw to until the dial reads 95. If you took more than 1 minute to find the screw and turn it, then repeat the entire process, to ensure you have calibrated it as accurately as you could. You may have to go through this ritual every 3-6 months to ensure as much accuracy as possible. But remember, even a properly calibrated analog hygrometer can have a 5-10% error rate, so always keep that in mind if you think you have a problem with your moisture level.
