Cigars 101

RE Tubos: Open or closed?

Q. I have several Romeo y Julieta and Partagas as well as maybe 25 or 30 different Fuente Fuente OpusX cigars that are either in cedar-lined aluminum tubes or glass tubes. I took the Cubans out of their tubes when I put them in my larger humidor, but left the Fuente OpusX cigars in the glass tubes with the end plug/piece removed (it is a smaller count humidor that has ONLY Fuente OpusX cigars in it.) Is this a good way of storing or not? Thanks for your advice, asI have heard both sides of the argument.
– Rick

A. Yes, it is. I get this question a lot. I’m a “traditionalist,” in that, I remove the cello wrappers and the cigars from their tubes, depending, before I put them in my humidor – most of them, anyway. For the pricey stuff, especially brands like Fuente OpusX , Davidoff, Hemingway, Padron 1964 & 1926 Anniversary, Gurkha Legend, etc. I think it’s better to leave them in the cellos, and if they’re tubos, at least open the end so some additional air-flow gets in. In the case of cellos, some smokers prefer to clip the cello up to the edge of the foot, which serves the same purpose. It’s a good way to protect the wrapper leaves if, when reaching for a cigar, the other cigars get jostled while moving others out of the way; especially if the cigar you want is near the bottom of the humidor.

I also leave the cello wrappers, tubes, etc. on a few cigars for travel purposes. It’s just a little extra insurance should the cigars be exposed to extreme temps or bounce around during the trip.