Fan Mail: The Advisors Answer Your Cigar Questions

Fan Mail: Yes, More of Your Cigar Questions Answered…

As long as your questions keep coming in, the Cigar Advisors will keep answering them. Last month, we showed you what cigars are great for pairing with different meals, how to beat cigar nausea, whether or not to remove the cello from your cigars, and the new rules for bringing Cuban cigars into the U.S. from Cuba and elsewhere.

Thanks to your inquisitive fellow cigar lovers, we’ve teed up 4 more useful tips and answers to cigar questions that you can take to the bank – and use to just, well, smoke better…As always, we appreciate your comments and sharing these videos with your brothers and sisters of the leaf. If you’ve got a question, let us know by leaving a comment, or send us a message via Facebook or one of our social media channels.

Cigar Question #1: Why did my cigar lighter stop working shortly after I bought it?

By Tommy Zman

Here’s a great question about torch flame lighters that has plagued cigars lovers for years: Tony C. wants to know, “Why do the brand new lighters I buy always seem to stop working not long after I purchase them… either they won’t light or the flame sputters.” Well, I’ve got the answer on how to fix that problem for good, so give this one a quick watch, now.

Cigar Question #2: How do I keep my palate from burning out while smoking cigars?

by Fred Lunt

Do your cigars not taste as good as they used to? You may be suffering from “palate burnout.” In other words, you may be smoking too many cigars, too fast. Watch my video to see my take on what’s causing your burnout, and how to prevent it.

Cigar Question #3: When do I refill the humidifier in my cigar humidor?

by Gary Korb

Is there a procedure for knowing when to refill the humidifier in your humidor? Yes. And it’s pretty easy, too. To help answer this question from Jay in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I show three of the most popular humidifiers used by cigar smokers – oasis foam, polyglycol crystals, and Boveda – and explain when and how to refill them. If you’re relatively new to storing premium cigars, or curious about how I approach each of these devices, watch my video now.

Cigar Question #4: What size cigar do master blenders use to determine the best flavor for a cigar?

by John Pullo

One of the cigar questions that came in during a recent Facebook Live broadcasts was “what size cigar do each of you gravitate towards?” For me, it’s usually the Toro size – and as it turns out, I’m not alone: Altadis USA’s master blenders – the Grupo de Maestros, who are responsible for many of the newer Montecristos and the like – blend specifically in one particular size in order to get a baseline flavor for the new cigar they’re working on. And if they like it, they use that particular shape as the jumping off point and start tweaking the proportions so that the other sizes taste right, too. So what vitola do these pros prefer when testing out their blends, and why? Watch my video, and find out…

We’ll reach into the Advisor email bag again next month…watch for more cigar questions and answers in our next Fan Mail – we might just answer yours!