Can there be anything more shocking?! Smoking in bed! And in a HOSPITAL bed at that! With all the nurses and doctors around! And to top it all, it’s CUBAN cigars we are talking! Inconceivable. Virraj était bien décidé à épater le monde. But watch what happens. Virraj Sorhvi,…

Copyright (c) 2008 Stephen Malan

Buying cigars can be like buying fine wine….it can get expensive! Don′t shortchange yourself or your cigars buy storing them in a substandard cigar humidor. This article will discuss the major components of a quality cigar humidor.

Below is a short list of the more important items to consider when selecting a cigar humidor:

1. Seal: The most important aspect of a humidor is its ability to hold humidity. The seal will do that. When evaluating a cigar humidor, drop the lid from approximately 2-3 inches to see how it closes. If it lands on a cushion of air, the seal is fine. If it “clangs” when the lid is dropped, walk away because that isn’t a quality humidor….in fact, “it’s just a box”. Look to see what hinges are used to close the lid. Quality cigar humidors will have hidden quadrant hinges and/or piano hinges, which provide the best seal possible.

2. Exterior Construction: The sidewalls and bottom of the humidor should be at a minimum, ½” thick. Thicker than average sidewalls will create a more stable humidor interior with less fluctuations in temperature or humidity. Large temperature and humidity fluctuations will ruin your cigars. Check to see if the outside bottom of the humidor is lined with felt to prevent scratching of the furniture that you place your humidor on.

3. Interior Construction: It is extremely important that your humidor be lined in Kiln-Dried Spanish Cedar. This is the industry standard when it comes to quality made humidors. Kiln-Dried Spanish Cedar provides for less aromatic aromas than other woods which makes it the more desirable choice when selecting a cigar humidor. “You don′t want overly aromatic woods in your humidor as it may impart an unwanted flavor to your cigars”. Additionally, Spanish cedar is less prone to warping which is imperative when used in a high humidity application such as a cigar humidor. Should the interior of your humidor warp, the seal on the humidor will be broken and your cigars rendered useless. Having the interior Kiln-Dried gets rid of all the natural moisture that all woods contain. If the humidor you’re looking at has trays, make sure that they are ventilated to assure the humidity in your humidor can circulate to all cigars in the humidor.

4. Style: Are you interested in impressing your poker playing buddies or will a less fancy cigar humidor do? Matte finish or a multiple layer high gloss finish? One for the golf bag? There are so many styles to choose from it can be pretty confusing. Just make sure the humidor fits your personal style.

5. Quality: Don’t let price alone influence your decision as to what is a quality cigar humidor. There are many humidors on the market today that retail for less than $100 that will keep your cigars perfectly fresh for a long time. Look at all the variables discussed in steps 1-4 and you should have an easier time finding a quality humidor.

Try to avoid mixing mild and strong cigar in a single humidor…especially if they come without cellophane wrappers. They will marry their aromas and you will not have the cigars you thought you had. We always advise multiple cigar humidors if they have premium cigars without cellophane wrappers. Many premium cigars, such as La Gloria Cubana Serie line, have no cellophane on their cigars and these should not come in contact with other un-cellophaned cigars in your humidor.

Take your time…If you follow the 5 steps mentioned above, you will have a much easier time in finding the best cigar humidor for you.

Double cigars: Casa blanca half-jeroboam + La Gloria Cubana Serie R 2007-05-27

retro commercial

Chapter 18-4: Just for relaxation. Drive the cigars to the drop off point, and meet salieri and sam there. Take a peak at the “cigars” while your waiting. End of chapter. Created by UberWol𙀔.

In this video Kris talks about how we need affordable cigars in this economic crisis.

Those who love cigars know that Honduras is one of the world′s best places to make them. After all, this Latin American country has been a prime tobacco-growing location for centuries, and its cigar industry boomed again after 1959, when many longtime Cuban cigar makers fled the Castro regime for neighboring countries-including this one. No wonder that Honduran cigars-including those from La Fontana, Camacho, Carlos Torano and La Libertad-sell better than any others in the United States, with the exception of the Dominican Republic.

But how many of us know much about this rich, fascinating country? Like the other Latin American countries which might be said to form the world’s “cigar belt”-Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Mexico-Honduras’s past affects its position as a producer of fine tobaccos-and just possibly its future.

Honduras is, first of all, a proud and epic country: the Mayan Empire, during its classic period (150-900 CE), built cities near the present-day site of Copan, bequeathing a set of ruins that beguile archaeologists and inspire visitors. Christopher Columbus “discovered” this country-already rich in lived history-on his fourth voyage of 1502, and even the story behind the country’s name is romantic. Columbus, it is held, on reaching the Bay Islands near present-day Honduras′s coast, whispered the words “Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas Honduras″: “Thank God we have emerged from those depths.” “Honduras″ means “depths,” literally and metaphorically.

Honduras was run by the Spaniards until 1821, when it, along with the other Spanish American provinces of the Spanish Empire, gained independence. Border disputes with other Latin American countries, especially El Salvador, have led to intermittent fighting through the years, and the country has suffered under bouts of political oppression, particularly during the 1980s (when extrajudicial executions, torture and “disappearances” became frequent, albeit not as common as in neighboring Nicaragua). Honduras remains a developing country, especially after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 (which also destroyed much of Nicaragua): according to then-President Carlos Roberto Flores, the superstorm destroyed half a century’s worth of economic gain and developmental progress in less than a week. Seventy percent of that year’s crop died-a small loss for smokers, who depend on the country for its sublime tobacco, but a barely-survivable one for the nation’s small farmers.

But the country did survive. In recent years it’s even boasted an annual growth rate of seven percent-one of the best in Latin America. (Still, half the population remains in poverty.)

Along with the cultural and personal strength that allowed Hondurans to survive such a disaster, the country is also strong in another kind of resource: ecological ones. In less than fifty thousand square miles, it contains over six thousand species of plants, two hundred kinds of reptiles, and seven hundred bird species. In the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve-added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in 1982-it boasts one of the world’s great rainforests. These areas may hold the key to greater understanding of evolutionary and biological history, or to new drugs. Like several other Latin American countries which depend largely on farming, yet are blessed with ample ecological resources which must be maintained, the country has faced and will continue to face a difficult balancing act in deciding how to use, without exploiting, its environmental riches (which include the soil in which its excellent tobacco is grown).

Given tobacco’s importance as a cash crop-it gives Hondurans something to sell to the United States, and it also gives them a certain leverage with other Latin American countries, as tobaccos of all types flourish in its soil-it’s not surprising that Honduras is not following in the anti-smoking footsteps of, say, Brazil. Percentages of smokers are still relatively high (in the low thirties for men, a rate comparable to that of the US) and public smoking regulations are fairly light (you can’t smoke on the bus or in the hospital, basically). Perhaps this is one tobacco-producer that smokers should consider seeing firsthand. After all, with its considerable natural beauty and light regulation of smoking, this could be a cigar lover’s paradise!

Where did the idea of giving chocolate cigars as an announcement of a newborn, originate from? I am interested in the history of the act of sharing chocolate cigars.

The JR Cigars Burlington NC, Warehouse tour. The Worlds Largest Humidor.

ready for my mate steve