5. STORE YOUR CIGARS
You may not realize this, but you're not supposed to smoke an entire box of cigars at once. Rather, you're going to have to store your cigars somewhere. This is very important, because cigars taste vastly better when they retain some moisture, so your goal is to prevent them from drying out:
- Experts recommend storing cigars at about 70% humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Too cold and the cigars might dry out. Too warm and you may be greeted by tobacco beetles next time you bring that Corona to your mouth.
- The most important thing when storing cigars is that they are airtight. Whether you keep them in a box or a plastic bag, try to keep the storage container tightly sealed.
- Put a damp sponge in the box (or spray a little water into the bag). However, make sure that the sponge is not in direct contact with the cigars.
- If you only have a few cigars left, you can buy metal tubes that are lined with cedar or leather cases. Again, just make sure that they are airtight.
- If you decide to become a serious collector, consider buying a humidor. Humidors are special boxes in which you can keep your cigars, and they'll be much kinder to your stash than a plastic bag or standard cigar box. Humidors are usually quite attractive as well as functional, but be ready to pay at least $150 for a good one.
So now that you know how to choose, smoke, and store cigars, the only thing left is to join a cigar club, get a subscription to cigar magazine, and hope that your husband/wife/dog doesn't leave you if you take it too far. While smoking cigars is an expensive hobby to enjoy regularly, we strongly suggest that you save your newfound expertise for special occasions.
