Had my first cigar in a long time a week ago while taking some time of in the finger lakes. Didn't know what to get and ended up with a Macanudo Cafe Crystal from a local store at the lake that smoked dry, hot, and fast (so much for the fancy crystal...)
As poor of an experience that was, I did manage to relax and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Having the dog and wife relaxing with me under a quiet clear night sky certainly helped, as did the tequila.
Figuring I need to make some better choices, hit the forums and picked up the 2011 cigar afficianto sampler from cigar.com and a cheap humidor from cigarbid. Tried the Cabaiguan Guapo a few evenings ago, and found it to be 1000x better than the cigar that time forgot up at the lake. Haven't felt that relaxed in a long time, usually so busy on the laptop or iPad while watching tv or doing something else, was nice to just sit out on the deck, drink some whiskey, and concentrate on the cigar and conversation instead.
Tried the Warlock Robusto last night and liked it even more since its bolder flavor kept changing. Paired that one with some Rye. Seemed to have a dark spicyness to it that I can't quite describe.
All in all, I find myself thinking more about an evening cigar and worrying less about anything else which is a nice change. Now if I could just get the humidity right (no central air, in the basement and I soaked the damn heartfelt beads through since the analog dial kept reading around 50% but the digital weather station thermometer I just tried got is showing close to 80%...)
Anyway, figured I'd check in and say hi.
As poor of an experience that was, I did manage to relax and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Having the dog and wife relaxing with me under a quiet clear night sky certainly helped, as did the tequila.
Figuring I need to make some better choices, hit the forums and picked up the 2011 cigar afficianto sampler from cigar.com and a cheap humidor from cigarbid. Tried the Cabaiguan Guapo a few evenings ago, and found it to be 1000x better than the cigar that time forgot up at the lake. Haven't felt that relaxed in a long time, usually so busy on the laptop or iPad while watching tv or doing something else, was nice to just sit out on the deck, drink some whiskey, and concentrate on the cigar and conversation instead.
Tried the Warlock Robusto last night and liked it even more since its bolder flavor kept changing. Paired that one with some Rye. Seemed to have a dark spicyness to it that I can't quite describe.
All in all, I find myself thinking more about an evening cigar and worrying less about anything else which is a nice change. Now if I could just get the humidity right (no central air, in the basement and I soaked the damn heartfelt beads through since the analog dial kept reading around 50% but the digital weather station thermometer I just tried got is showing close to 80%...)
Anyway, figured I'd check in and say hi.
Definently don't wipe it down any more. I would recommend putting your beads back in. In the meantime (until you get a digital hygrometer) if you calibrate the outdoor one you were using before, you can monitor humidity until you are able to calibrate a digital one. I myself am relatively new to cigars but BOTL is a GREAT place for help. I would recommend using the link below to post a thread in the AskRon forum regarding your humidor issues. Fellow members (more knowledgeable than me) frequently look at these and are super great with offering advice. I would indicate the size of your humidor (40-50 count), the beads your are using, how you primed your unit, and what you are doing to get the humidity down. Before long you'll be back in business!
