Question about cutters and humidors.. new guy

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums, just found them. I smoke cigars occasionally, the chef where I used to work got me into them, I just bought a humidor and cutter from Mike's in Florida... dunno if any of you know of it as I'm new to the whole Cigar thing. But the humidor I bought is a traveling so it only holds 2 cigars, and of the 3 that I have at the moment (I'm short for cash right now haha) one of them is too long.

Just wondering if anyone knows where I could get a cheap decent humidor that would hold say 5-10+ cigars. I don't need something huge, I don't smoke very often, maybe a hand full of cigars a month.

Also, I bought a Silver Bullet cutter... I kept just trying to cut the cigars with a knife, I got kind of sick of having it unravel on me... from my understanding I just insert the cutter into the cap of the cigar and twist? If someone could clear that up for me it would be great!

I got this stuff just in time, my girlfriend enjoys cigars too and my prom is on friday night, maybe we can finish off the night with a cigar if I can get the cutter figured out, otherwise we're just gonna end up eating the cigar... :smiley20: haha

I'm gonna look around the forums for a bit, looks interesting. Any suggestions on cigars and stuff for a beginner kid would be cool, right now I have a "Punch" and "Lucitania" thats all I know about them... just smoked my last "Romeo and Julieta" the other day

What town in Central Mass do you live in?

As far as inexpensive cigar storage, just go to Wal-Mart and get some Rubbermaid "Tupperware" style food storage containers.

I used those punches all the time, they're my favorite.

I live in Paxton, right next to Worcester... are you from the area? Just toss them in tupperware and they'll be good? Right now they're just in a ziplock bag with the air sucked out, I didn't know what else to do heh. Yea... I know there are diffrent Punch cigars.. but all I see on this one is Punch.. beats me

I live right down 395 in NE Connecticut, about 45 minutes from Worcester in Chaplin, CT.

Ya probably should use a dampened sponge for now for humidification but consider getting some kind of humidifier when you can.

Check out Climmax and get one of those tube deals:
http://www.climmax.com/tubos1.jpg
Call them first to make sure he has them in stock.

Make sure to only use distilled water though to keep your sponge moist :smiley20:

Trust me when I say this because I was in your shoes not so long ago, if your going to buy a humidor, bigger will be better. I thought the same as you, "Oh, I only need one big enough to hold a few smokes as I don't smoke that often." Lucky for me I picked up a 50 ct box because in less than two months that sucker is full. If you are going to start with a tuperdor than no worries as it will be inexpensive to expand as your collection grows, but do make sure you invest in some sort of humidification device like CC suggested.

Okay, well today is payday so I may have some cash to spend I think I'll put an order in for that tube humidifier, is that in place of the sponge..? so I wouldnt need a sponge if I got one of those? and what about thee... hygrometer? Do I need anything like that? Or is the humidifier enough?

Sorry for all the questions, but it's a big help

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Originally Posted by Matty86

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums, just found them. I smoke cigars occasionally, the chef where I used to work got me into them, I just bought a humidor and cutter from Mike's in Florida... dunno if any of you know of it as I'm new to the whole Cigar thing. But the humidor I bought is a traveling so it only holds 2 cigars, and of the 3 that I have at the moment (I'm short for cash right now haha) one of them is too long.

Just wondering if anyone knows where I could get a cheap decent humidor that would hold say 5-10+ cigars. I don't need something huge, I don't smoke very often, maybe a hand full of cigars a month.

Also, I bought a Silver Bullet cutter... I kept just trying to cut the cigars with a knife, I got kind of sick of having it unravel on me... from my understanding I just insert the cutter into the cap of the cigar and twist? If someone could clear that up for me it would be great!

I got this stuff just in time, my girlfriend enjoys cigars too and my prom is on friday night, maybe we can finish off the night with a cigar if I can get the cutter figured out, otherwise we're just gonna end up eating the cigar... :smiley20: haha

I'm gonna look around the forums for a bit, looks interesting. Any suggestions on cigars and stuff for a beginner kid would be cool, right now I have a "Punch" and "Lucitania" thats all I know about them... just smoked my last "Romeo and Julieta" the other day

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The Silver Bulet cutter you bought is a type of cutter called a "punch" because it punches a hole in the end. Hence, CC's reference to using them all the time. lol And yes you just insert and twist.

Also, pick up a cheap guillotine cutter as well (about $2-$3) and see which one you like to use. If your like most of us you'll go back and forth until you invest in a really nice cutter that immediately becomes your favorite. lol

As far as a humi goes, I second (or third, or fourth...whatever, lol ) the suggestion of tupperware. It's cheap, effective and will give you room to expand your collection (which has been known rapidly increase in size upon joining these boards) :smiley36: .

Another suggestion I have if you are looking to learn is to talk to your local tobacconist. Next time you go to pick up some sticks, set aside some time to talk to them and ask questions. Well, I hope this helps you and welcome to the wonderful world of cigars! :smiley20:

Oh, one more thing: Don't eat the cigars, smoke them, you will enjoy them more. :smiley2:

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Originally Posted by Matty86

Okay, well today is payday so I may have some cash to spend I think I'll put an order in for that tube humidifier, is that in place of the sponge..? so I wouldnt need a sponge if I got one of those? and what about thee... hygrometer? Do I need anything like that? Or is the humidifier enough?

Sorry for all the questions, but it's a big help

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Yes, the tube is in place of the sponge and is a very wise investment. It will have instructions, but basicly all it is are gel like beads that absorb or release moisture depending on the needs of it's environment and has been tested and shown to very effectively maintain the levels at a constant 65% or 70% depending on which beads you choose. It would be a good idea to pick up a hydrometer and digital is best and can be bought at Radio Shack. I would however say that with the beads you are ordering, you would not have to run out and immediately purchase one, but it would be a good idea to pick one up sometime down the road. But this is only because you are using the beads because they have an exellent reputation of being very consistant at holding the proper humidity level.

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Originally Posted by grand cru no 2

Oh, one more thing: Don't eat the cigars, smoke them, you will enjoy them more. :smiley2:

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yea... I was at a friends the other day with a cigar and no cutter and he didn't have anything around to cut it with.. and I could have sworn I saw someone bite the end off in a movie once... or maybe i saw someone pull a gernade pin out with their teeth... either way I bit off way too much and was picking it out of my teeth for the next hour :smiley12:

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Originally Posted by Roham

Make sure to only use distilled water though to keep your sponge moist :smiley20:

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Distilled water is recommended for fancy humidifiers like beads or Credo units because the minerals in non-distilled water will tend to ruin the unit. If you're using just a regular sponge, I don't think it hurts to use regular ole tap water until you for now. The urban legend that using tap water in a humidification unit will ruin the taste of your cigars is just than, an urban legend.

However when you do get a better humidification unit, it's best to use distilled water.

I've bitten the end off a cigar once too. My friend gave me a romeo y julieta before I even smoked cigars. It came fresh out of his humidor and he sent me off with out cutting it for me. Well I had also seen it done in movies so I bit just a little of the end off. It worked well and I enjoyed the cigar for almost an hour. Near the last inch or so it started falling apart on me but it was still cool :smiley16:

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Originally Posted by Matty86

yea... I was at a friends the other day with a cigar and no cutter and he didn't have anything around to cut it with.. and I could have sworn I saw someone bite the end off in a movie once... or maybe i saw someone pull a gernade pin out with their teeth... either way I bit off way too much and was picking it out of my teeth for the next hour :smiley12:

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Hey, if ya don't have a cutter and you want to smoke a cigar, ya gotta resort to good ole teeth sometimes :smiley17: If you're careful and have experience "cutting" cigars with your teeth, it's not as crazy as it sounds. Lots of people who've been smoking cigars for years use their teeth all the time and think us guys with fancy cutters are a buncha babies :smiley36:

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Originally Posted by CoventryCat86

Distilled water is recommended for fancy humidifiers like beads or Credo units because the minerals in non-distilled water will tend to ruin the unit. If you're using just a regular sponge, I don't think it hurts to use regular ole tap water until you for now. The urban legend that using tap water in a humidification unit will ruin the taste of your cigars is just than, an urban legend.

However when you do get a better humidification unit, it's best to use distilled water.

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Oh CC,

I found some more typos for you :smiley14: . "...regular ole tap water until you for now" and "...taste of your cigars is just than"? Come on now, I thought you were the human version of Microsoft Grammar and Spell Checker :smiley2: . Alright, I'm done bugging you, enjoy the weekend!