TheFife

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  • Location
    Iowa
  • Interests
    Composing and recording music

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  1. I'm a fan of the Cohiba Siglo VI and IV. I am interested in trying the other Siglos, specifically the III, as I like the size. When looking for reviews of the III, I saw a lot of reports of a much milder and smoother flavor profile compared to others in the line. That led me to wonder what the general flavor and strength differences are between the different Siglos. Anyone with experience care to weigh in?
  2. Thanks for the input guys. You have confirmed my suspicions on 2 fronts. The first being that the goal is to control temperature and humidity, as opposed to doing that while also maintains a closed volume of air (in other words, if the entire world were 65 degrees and 65% humidity, there would be no need for humidors) . The second being that regulating temperature and humidity (the actual goal) is facilitated by sealing the air inside the humidor (though limiting the total air volume is not an end in itself). I will attempt to improve the seal on the humidor. However, as I mentioned in the original post, I'm not sure it will be successful. The issue I'm having with the seal is that the door is 6 feet tall, and it has a lock in the middle and a magnet toward the top and another toward the bottom. Where the lock is, as well as various points along the 6' length, the seal is tight. However, at other spots, the wood is warped and the seal is not tight. Applying a uniform thickness of sealing foam or other material may not work, as it will push the areas that are already sealed apart slightly (they will still be sealed as the gap is filled by the foam) but that will cause a corresponding increase in the distance between the frame and the door at all points. Unless the foam is very easily compressed, this will not significantly change the gap in the areas that are poorly sealed. Even if it does, I fear the magnets that are located toward the top and bottom of the door, will no longer be effective at pulling the ends of the door into the frame (due to the increased gap caused by the foam.). My thinking on this is based on trying to use weather stripping for doors. Despite purchasing the thinnest weather strip I could find, the results were as described above. Foam may perform better, so I will give it a try and report back. Either way, thanks again for the input.
  3. Like some others have mentioned, I kept my cigars at 70% for the first few years. However, I encountered to many uneven burns, tight draws, and cigars that extinguished themselves too easily. Over time, I lowered the humidity, and now maintain around 65% using Heartfelt beads. I usually take a cigar out an hour or so before smoking, so realistically I'm somewhere below 65% before I light up. I prefer the results I'm getting now. I could foresee going even lower and being happy, but I've invested enough in 65% beads, and am happy enough currently, to not want to undergo the hassle of additional experimentation.
  4. I have a cheap, 6' cabinet humidor. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a good seal with the front door closed. A slight warp causes a gap between the door and the frame. However, using a large quantity of beads, I keep a fairly steady 65‰ humidity (as measured with 2 calibrated hygrometers) with only a percent or two swing throughout the day. I have looked into fixing the seal, but I don't think I will be successful due to the cabinet's construction. This got me to wondering (and researching). Is a seal necessary at all? As long as temp and humidity remain stable, is there any reason for keeping the air shut in a humidor? After all, there would be a natural air exchange each time the humidor is opened. Additionally, all of the cigars are in their original boxes which traps the air to some degree already. So what do you think? Is a seal important? Right now I've got around 40 boxes, and I don't want to damage my stock with poor storage.
  5. Am I the only one who remembers WHERE things are in books? This might seem strange, but I often remember the physical location of some fact in a book. I actually feel like the physical location helps me remember the fact. That is something that is totally absent in electronic text. I have tried reading a number of books on my iPhone, but I always feel somehow less connected to the information and have a harder time remembering what is going on in those books. Brad
  6. Personally, I don't find the results surprising. I know a lot of people think that CA favors their advertisers, but regardless of the merit of that claim, that isn't the reason I am not surprised by the lack of high ratings for Cubans. For me, it all has to do with their testing methodology. CA tasters are only smoking the first inch of the cigars they rate. While I prefer Cuban cigars, I think that they develop throughout the length of the cigar. You can't judge them based on the first inch. For my palate, they don't start off in spectacular fashion. On the other hand, a lot of non Cubans are very impressive in the first inch or two. They usually start off with a strong spicy kick and then taste like an ashtray in the second half. The good non Cubans hold out longer than the bad ones, and their initial spice is more layered and nuanced, however they usually end up in the ashtray with 2 or 3 inches not smoked. Brad
  7. I'm going to buck the trend a bit here. I think that CAO makes a number of decent smokes. I personally smoke the Gold, Italia, and Brazilia. Do I think they are cream of the crop cigars? Of course not. There are countless other cigars that I prefer. However, I can buy all three day in and day out on the auction site for less than $4 or $5 a piece. When I hang out at my cigar club, I usually start with something "good". But If I am going to be there all night and smoke 3 cigars, I don't want to spend $10-$15 per stick. So I finish the night with some inexpensive CAOs or other low priced cigars. If I could buy Padron 26s or Fuente Don Carlos or obviously most any good cuban for less than $100 per box, I wouldn't give CAO another thought. Until that day, I have to live within my means, and smoke cheaper cigars from time to time. Brad
  8. I recently made a 2 box order from a site I haven't done much business with but have been recommended to. I am fairly new to Cubans, so I don't know exactly what to expect or look for. The only thing that has me wondering about these is the difference in ring gauge of some of the Punch Punch. Here are some pics of both boxes: The Montes The Punches So does that last pic look ok? Dealing with NCs, I have never seen that much difference in size in a single box. Thanks in advance, Brad
  9. I'm interested in getting in on this too. Brad
  10. This is a great post. It is so true. I recently smoked a Punch Punch, and up until that point I had only smoked a handful of cubans, all of which were very young. That cigar really opened up my eyes to what you are talking about. Here are my short notes from the smoke. Punch Punch - Smoked in 09 from a single most likely from 08, great flavors, many changes, nuances of flower petals, faint mint, no straightforward spice or sweetness, some burn problems, firm but manageable draw. Normally I judge a cigar (which for me means NCs) by sweetness or spice. However, after smoking that Punch, I realize that there is a whole world of complexity that I had been missing out of only smoking NCs. Brad
  11. I am excited to see the outcome of this. I have a fairly discerning palette when it comes to food, but since I am new to cigars, I know I couldn't do well in a challenge like this. However, what I am interested in finding out is whether it is possible to do well. I occasionally come across posts on other boards where people claim that the worst Cuban cigar is better than the best non Cuban cigar. While I have no doubt that that is a completely false statement, I wonder if the difference in taste is so substantial that a person can really tell the difference in a blind tasting. Anyone who claims to only like Cuban cigars should have no problem telling the difference nearly 100 percent of the time. Brad
  12. That is a great photo! I love the blurred background. Brad
  13. Very interesting. Thanks for posting this. I am not at all surprised that individuals would try to work the the system. I am also not surprised that the government can't/won't put a stop to all such activities. No matter what controls are put into place, people will always find a way around them. I think Rob is right. When people have more to gain (desperately needed money) from an activity than they do to lose (a pathetically small daily wage), it will be impossible to stop them. For every person you catch and punish, there are 10 more waiting to take their place. Brad
  14. Personally, I'm not overly concerned with the number of bands. If done well I think multiple bands can look nice, and unlike some others, I rarely have difficulty removing bands. However, the thing I do want to see is the identification of the cigar on the band. For those that just smoke the same cigar, straight from the box day after day, the bands are pointless. The people who need the bands are the ones smoking a wide variety, trading singles, or travelling with a selection. In my opinion, those people need real identification of the cigar and not just the brand name. Brad
  15. This is really good news. I am too lazy to do much inspecting on my own, and now I won't feel like I need to. This is like being on penicillin 24/7. Time to party with the cello off! Brad

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