Cigar Blog

Happiness is a good cigar

Spanish Cedar For Humidors

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When it comes to humidors, the foremost material that comes to mind is Spanish Cedar. This wood has long been established as the best lining for humidors. This is because of the fact that Spanish Cedar has the tendency to absorb moisture, giving it the ability to restore moisture within the humidor, which is ideal for cigars.

But did you know that Spanish Cedar is technically not cedar? As a matter of fact, it comes from the mahogany family. If you look at it, you will see a salmon red tight-grained wood. The aroma is very nice and spicy, making you want to smell it more. 
Another piece of trivia – Spanish Cedar is used not only for humidors but also for other building materials as lining.

Another advantage of using Spanish Cedar for humidors is its natural ability to resist molds. This is very important as no one would want any mold formation inside his humidor! In addition to this, Spanish Cedar is also resistant to tobacco beetles! Anyone who has had an experience with these nasty little critters will know just how important this is.

In modern times, however, developments in technology have made the use of other materials possible. Electronics and plastic have been used to treat cigars without the need for Spanish Cedar. As such, you will find many humidors today that do not make use of this wood at all.

That is not to say that you cannot find humidors made of Spanish Cedar. While this wood may not be a require material, many still find humidors made of it desirable over those using modern materials.

Originally posted on January 31, 2011 @ 5:23 pm

Don’t Forget To Season Your Humidor

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At this point, I hope that you have decided as to whether to age your cigars or not. If you have decided to age your cigars, then you should be in the market for a humidor already – if you have not already bought one. Before you jump ahead and start storing your cigars in your new humidor, however, you should remember to season your humidor. One of the worst mistakes that you can make is to use that brand spanking new humidor without seasoning it! So how do you do this? Read on to find out.

First, why do you need to season your humidor? This is because the cedar that is the material used for the humidor also absorbs moisture. Brand new humidors and old humidors that have not been used in a while need to be seasoned because the cedar does not have sufficient moisture itself. What will happen is that the wood will actually GET moisture from your cigars if you use the humidor without seasoning it.

In order to season your humidor, you have to get distilled water. Remember, it should be distilled and not tap water. Get a sponge and wet it with the distilled water. Then you should wipe down the whole inside of the humidor. After this, put the sponge – which should not be too saturated – on top of a piece of plastic inside the humidor. Then follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to how to fill your humidifying device. Wait for 24 hours, repeat the sponging process, and then wait another 24 hours.

It should then be fine to use your humidor. Just make sure that the insides are not damp.

Originally posted on November 22, 2010 @ 8:07 pm

Cigarette Rolling Papers: Cheaper Alternative

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jj_bluntWhat are you willing to go through to get your nicotine fix? Most people I know simply go to the nearest convenience store and buy a pack of cigarettes. Marlboro Lights, Camel Lights – name the brand, you’ll find them easily most anywhere. The problem these days is that, despite easy enough access to cigarettes, the finances involved aren’t that “pretty” anymore. Smokers all over the United States have been battered by ever increasing taxes, not to mention smoking bans left and right.

While we can’t do much about the smoking bans, there are workarounds to the increasing prices of cigarettes. For example, have you ever thought about rolling your own cigarettes?

Manufactured cigarettes, like the branded ones I mentioned above, are the ones which are taxed highly. However, you can buy tobacco leaves and rolling papers and create your own smokes, which are just as good AND definitely much easier on the pocket. Rolling papers are basically small sheets of paper which can be used to make cigarettes. They can be rolled manually or by machines. Rolling papers can be made of various materials, but the most common base materials are hemp, wood pulp, and flax.

The market is rife with both tobacco leaves and rolling papers. You merely have to know where to get them and which ones to get, and you can make considerable savings while enjoying your smoke.

A note of caution with regard to rolling papers – there are a LOT of brands that you can find in the market today. You have to know which brands are good however, as the material used to make the rolling paper can affect the flavor of your cigarette. There are also some papers which have been reported to contain elements that are higher in carcinogens. If you want to be sure, look for reputable suppliers such as Rolling Supreme, which offers some of the best rolling papers there are. They also offer tobacco and other accessories which will help you roll along and bypass the headaches of high cigarette taxes.

Try rolling your own cigarettes. You might never have to buy a pack from the store again, and have a fatter pocket for it!

Originally posted on June 7, 2011 @ 10:05 pm