What Do I Do With My New Cigars and Humidor

So, Christmas has come and gone, and a kindly friend or relative gave you some cigars, or a humidor, or both. What do you do with them now? You're not a regular cigar smoker, so you want to learn how to take the best care of your new acquisitions. Here's a list of do's and don't's that will help:

With your cigars,
"DO"
- keep them in their little wrappers, (if they came wrapped)
- keep them in your new, (or old), humidor
- inspect your cigars occasionally, (make sure the wrappers are intact and they're still humidified)
- share your cigars with friends who show an interest in them, (nothing adds to a cigar like good company to share the smoking experience)
- smoke them yourself, (don't keep them forever, waiting for just the right moment to smoke them. You have 'em, enjoy 'em.)

"DON'T"
- leave your cigars lying around, (they WILL dry out, even on a rainy, humid day)
- store your cigars in the refrigerator, (a refrigerator's job is to suck the moisture OUT of things)
- smoke 1/2 of a cigar, put it down, then come back to it later, (cigars NEVER taste as good after they've been sitting around and are then re-lit)
- share just your crappy cigars with friends, (share the wealth, and let others enjoy what you enjoy.)

With your humidor:

"DO"
- break it in properly, (see a previous blog post about the "Care and Feeding of Your Humidor)
- put it somewhere where you have easy access to your smokes
- check the humidity regularly, (even when you think the ambient humidity is keeping your cigars fresh)
- use humidor fluid, (propylene glycol), distilled water, or proper humidifying gel crystals
- keep your humidor at the proper temperature and humidity--approximately 70 degrees F, and 68%-72% humidity--a little variation either side of these numbers WON'T destroy your stogies)
- check your cigars as well as your humidity, (to be certain your smokes are staying fresh)
- stock some premium, top-shelf sticks in your humidor that you know are always waiting for you

"DON'T"
- leave your humidor open to the air any longer than necessary, (especially in the dry summer months)
- let your humidor get overly warm, cool, dry, or moist, (see above suggestions)
- use tap water, (sediments have a tendency to gum up your humidifying brick over time)
- use anything to humidify your cigars unless you are CERTAIN it's the proper thing to use.

All that said, with a little care and attention, your cigars will remain fresh and smoke-able. It does take a little attention, but like any other hobby or endeavor, practice will make it second nature, and you'll know that you can always go to your humidor and be greeted by fresh cigars.