Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
Or.....some naked men get all zombie on each other in the streets....
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
Or.....some naked men get all zombie on each other in the streets....
BWAHAHAHAHA.... thank you for that visual Dustin!
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
Or.....some naked men get all zombie on each other in the streets....
BWAHAHAHAHA.... thank you for that visual Dustin!
Well, it wasn't two guys but something similar has happened...
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
I'm curious how people bite of their cat's ear on average?
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
Or.....some naked men get all zombie on each other in the streets....
BWAHAHAHAHA.... thank you for that visual Dustin!
Well, it wasn't two guys but something similar has happened...
Watch out for them zombies! They eat nice cigars on smell alone...*whooooooooo*
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
Or.....some naked men get all zombie on each other in the streets....
BWAHAHAHAHA.... thank you for that visual Dustin!
Well, it wasn't two guys but something similar has happened...
Watch out for them zombies! They eat nice cigars on smell alone...*whooooooooo*
Yeah. They better not touch that lonely t52 I sent. Ok I will have to come down and give you more work!!
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
I'm curious how people bite of their cat's ear on average?
You wouldn't believe some of the **** that I've dealt with in the past 15yrs, AJ.
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
Or.....some naked men get all zombie on each other in the streets....
BWAHAHAHAHA.... thank you for that visual Dustin!
Well, it wasn't two guys but something similar has happened...
Watch out for them zombies! They eat nice cigars on smell alone...*whooooooooo*
Yeah. They better not touch that lonely t52 I sent. Ok I will have to come down and give you more work!!
Road trip! You could come herf with the Mafia on a Thursday night, Justin!
What a great idea. Thanks for setting this up. Can someone send me the skype info?
Thanks Streater, here is the link. I am working with Marine (James) to set up a group so everything can be recorded and ongoing so we can always have the conversation from the previous week already up. I will post the info and how to log in and link up as soon as it is finished up!
I will definitely be paying attention! Thanks again for your help yesterday Brett, it calmed me down so that I could go back to work! As far as ideas, just the basic "from seed to cigar" would enlighten a lot of us newbs for sure. The little bit that you touched on in our telephone conversation was very interesting. Thank for sharing!
Ok brothers and sisters, the big day is upon us and tonight, June 1st at 7pm Mountain Standard Time, will be the first of many online social herfs and Irish Tabacaleras Classroom session!! The lesson plan is written and will be covering start-up, maintenance, and the theory/reason behind the what's and why's of the topics presented tonight. To offer "theme cigar" is a free-for-all smoke whatever you want; since there isn't a cigar or type of cigar that would reinforce the topics of tonight's session it's simply a smoke what ya got night. I am nearly finished setting up the group are on Skype (sorry I'm technology challenged so bear with me) so I need Every Person Attending to PM or text me their Skype contact info so that I may add you to the group so we can all attend the virtual herf. If you cannot make it to the Skype herf but still wish to learn and go through the lesson plan, fear not the lesson plan and session notes will be posted after the Skype session in this thread. When I get the program back up and running for the website, there will be a section dedicated to Irish Tabacaleras Classroom on the website as well with an archive of all lesson plans and notes. Thank all of you for helping to make this idea a reality and the amazing support you have all shown me in pursuing this! See you tonight!
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Oh and as an update and more information on the virtual herf, it will be online via the Skype instant messaging feature. To do a group video conference call would require anyone who wanted to do so, to pay for the premium Skype subscription instead of being free, so it will be s group IM chat session so that we ate all live and talking real-time.
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Friday night works for me, since I'll be at work with a wireless connection. I can sit on the patio and have a smoke while learning all things cigar, unless stupidity runs rampant and someone bites their cat's ear off while juggling four chainsaws and riding a unicycle with a flaming tire... I'm game for 7-9 pm.
I'm curious how people bite of their cat's ear on average?
You wouldn't believe some of the **** that I've dealt with in the past 15yrs, AJ.
I'm sure we both could tell each other horror stories you being in the medical field me being in the social work. But lets not ok?
Alright Boys and Girls of the classroom I need your contact information from your scype accounts by 5pm so I can get you all added. If you don't want to do that the scype classroom is under Irishman.Cigars. So please boys and girls either PM me your information or text me it at (303)888-2675, I do leave the house for errands. Remember you have my undying attention till 5pm after that I'll be helping Brett get the classroom ready.
Thank you sweetheart for the help! Everyone please send your Account name to myself or IrishAJ so we can add you all! Please add us at Irishman.Cigars on Skype as well
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Hey everyone who has given myself or Brett you're scype information accept our request so we can have a dry run before we begin tonight if you can of course but please accept our request as soon as you can before 6:30pm MST.
Ok, initial screen name adn group was a little off since it was accidentally mistyped to Irishman.ciagrs..... it is NOW changed correctly to Irishman.Cigars. Please add me (Irishman.Cigars) and accept my request so the group can all be put together and opened in the next few minutes.
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Well just got the internet back up and working this morning, sorry about the worthless technical difficulties of having the Skype die since we couldn't get online last night Here is the full lesson plan written up for everyone who wishes to read and learn a little! Thanks again, and I'll be on and off of Skype today for anyone that is on and has questions they still want answered!
Irish Tabacaleras Classroom
Lesson 1 Humidor and Coolidor Start-up and Maintenance
First off, Id like to thank everyone for joining us tonight and for all of your support for helping me and Amanda start this!
The starting weeks topic is Humidor/Coolidor Start-up and maintenance, so lets jump in and get started! For all intensive purposes I think it is safe to assume that we all know what a humidor is, and most likely a coolidor as well. Just in case though, a coolidor is simply a manmade humidor using a large cooler/storage Tupperware etc. I will break down the start-up/setup into two sections for the humidor and the coolidor for simplicity sake; however, the concepts apply to both.
Humidor:
As with cigars, humidors are actually fairly fragile themselves and like cigars need any and all changes to occur slowly and over a decent length of time. Since humidors, unlike coolidors, are made of kiln dried Spanish cedar making them very dry and porous before seasoning. They absorb smells, particles and other biologicals. Increases in heat and humidity causes the wood in the humidor to swell, and if it swells too much can warp the humidor or more seriously the lid. Because of this, wiping down the interior of your humidor with distilled water is not recommended, since it is easy to accidentally over humidify it and warp the lid. Through my experience, the best way to properly season a humidor is with a Boveda seasoning packet sealed inside the humidor for two weeks, and if any extra rH is needed, a small dish of distilled water open to the elements inside of the humidor. This lets the water absorb slowly into the wood and lets the humidor adjust slowly without damage to the structure of the humidor itself. The benefit of using the Boveda packs is that it is a two way humidification system since it gives off and absorbs humidity, helping to control spikes in rH or drops as well.
Coolidor:
Coolidors have a little more prep work ahead of them since it is a plastic container and gives off a strong natural odor on their own. Whether it is a new cooler or an old one you are retrofitting the process will be the same. You will want to make a solution of warm water and a mild dish soap and scrub out any and all surfaces. Rinse it clean using cool water and then air dry for 6 hrs or so, or until fully dry in all areas. Line the interior with newspaper and close it up and let the newspaper absorb any lingering smells. After 3-4 days the smells should be absorbed, if not fill a small cup or bowl with Baking Soda and repeat the process. Once the cooler is clean with no smell you can add as much kiln dried Spanish cedar that you have and then season in the same process as in the above example. Most cigar boxes are Spanish cedar whether they are stained, natural, or have paper/stickers covering them and are fine to use. The dividers, lips, and sheeting inside the empty cigar boxes are great to use to line the bottom and sides of the coolidor while the boxes themselves make great racks and open containers to hold loose cigars or open bags of cigars for sorting. Closed lid cigar boxes are also fine, but you will have to add more of your humidity source since it must humidify the cedar in the lid before it travels and makes its way inside the box to maintain the humidity of the contents.
Maintenance for Both:
Humidity is a measurement of how much water is held in suspension in the air. The higher the humidity means the more water that is in the air, and more specifically in the wood. A humidor is a warm, moist, and organic environment that houses very old and oily dried vegetation. It is a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, beetles and a host of other issues. Leaving humid warm air to stagnant and grow stale can impart a condition that leads to mold or beetles. Circulating the air once or twice a week will still keep the humidor in its optimal range of 62-68% rH and 60-69 degrees Fahrenheit, while letting fresh air in to keep the atmosphere from decaying or becoming stagnant. Controlling and maintaining that humidity is best used by a two way humidity source, such as humidity beads (Conservagel and Heartfelt to name a few) or Boveda packs. These both absorb excess humidity and release excess if necessary. These help to control spikes or drops in rH swings, but also take the guesswork out of the gel, kitty litter, or other devices. A small fan (converted computer cooling fans, Oust Fans etc) inside the humidor or coolidor tied to a two way on-off switch allows you to circulate the air making sure that all areas of the cooler or humidor (cabinet size etc) maintain equal rH and the air doesnt stagnate. At times due to high heat or rH you may get too ripe of tobacco smells or other smells and feel you need to clear out the humi/cooler so that it doesnt impact your cigars. After removing and safely storing the cigars, baking soda will once again work brilliantly for not only absorbing the odor, but also the excessive humidity rendering it back to zero and solid for cigars again.
Storing Parameters:
Where you store your humidor and coolidor also affects how well the rH and temperature stays inside the container and for how long. If possible, always store your humidor/coolidor out of direct or indirect sunlight and in as cool of an environment as possible. Sunlight is technically a radiation, when it makes contact with anything including your humidor it heats it up slightly. When you heat the humidor or coolidor, youre initially heating the outside making it swell and loose small amounts of humidity. This cycling of expanding/heating and then cooling/contracting will over time take its toll on the humidor and also the environment inside of it. The less the environment inside and outside of the humidor changes, the less the cigars inside will change as well, letting them age and acclimate under the best circumstances for the best experience as often as possible.
I will happily answer to the best of my ability any questions, specific or broad that anyone has relating to this! Thanks!
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Well just got the internet back up and working this morning, sorry about the worthless technical difficulties of having the Skype die since we couldn't get online last night Here is the full lesson plan written up for everyone who wishes to read and learn a little! Thanks again, and I'll be on and off of Skype today for anyone that is on and has questions they still want answered!
Irish Tabacaleras Classroom
Lesson 1 Humidor and Coolidor Start-up and Maintenance
First off, Id like to thank everyone for joining us tonight and for all of your support for helping me and Amanda start this!
The starting weeks topic is Humidor/Coolidor Start-up and maintenance, so lets jump in and get started! For all intensive purposes I think it is safe to assume that we all know what a humidor is, and most likely a coolidor as well. Just in case though, a coolidor is simply a manmade humidor using a large cooler/storage Tupperware etc. I will break down the start-up/setup into two sections for the humidor and the coolidor for simplicity sake; however, the concepts apply to both.
Humidor:
As with cigars, humidors are actually fairly fragile themselves and like cigars need any and all changes to occur slowly and over a decent length of time. Since humidors, unlike coolidors, are made of kiln dried Spanish cedar making them very dry and porous before seasoning. They absorb smells, particles and other biologicals. Increases in heat and humidity causes the wood in the humidor to swell, and if it swells too much can warp the humidor or more seriously the lid. Because of this, wiping down the interior of your humidor with distilled water is not recommended, since it is easy to accidentally over humidify it and warp the lid. Through my experience, the best way to properly season a humidor is with a Boveda seasoning packet sealed inside the humidor for two weeks, and if any extra rH is needed, a small dish of distilled water open to the elements inside of the humidor. This lets the water absorb slowly into the wood and lets the humidor adjust slowly without damage to the structure of the humidor itself. The benefit of using the Boveda packs is that it is a two way humidification system since it gives off and absorbs humidity, helping to control spikes in rH or drops as well.
Coolidor:
Coolidors have a little more prep work ahead of them since it is a plastic container and gives off a strong natural odor on their own. Whether it is a new cooler or an old one you are retrofitting the process will be the same. You will want to make a solution of warm water and a mild dish soap and scrub out any and all surfaces. Rinse it clean using cool water and then air dry for 6 hrs or so, or until fully dry in all areas. Line the interior with newspaper and close it up and let the newspaper absorb any lingering smells. After 3-4 days the smells should be absorbed, if not fill a small cup or bowl with Baking Soda and repeat the process. Once the cooler is clean with no smell you can add as much kiln dried Spanish cedar that you have and then season in the same process as in the above example. Most cigar boxes are Spanish cedar whether they are stained, natural, or have paper/stickers covering them and are fine to use. The dividers, lips, and sheeting inside the empty cigar boxes are great to use to line the bottom and sides of the coolidor while the boxes themselves make great racks and open containers to hold loose cigars or open bags of cigars for sorting. Closed lid cigar boxes are also fine, but you will have to add more of your humidity source since it must humidify the cedar in the lid before it travels and makes its way inside the box to maintain the humidity of the contents.
Maintenance for Both:
Humidity is a measurement of how much water is held in suspension in the air. The higher the humidity means the more water that is in the air, and more specifically in the wood. A humidor is a warm, moist, and organic environment that houses very old and oily dried vegetation. It is a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, beetles and a host of other issues. Leaving humid warm air to stagnant and grow stale can impart a condition that leads to mold or beetles. Circulating the air once or twice a week will still keep the humidor in its optimal range of 62-68% rH and 60-69 degrees Fahrenheit, while letting fresh air in to keep the atmosphere from decaying or becoming stagnant. Controlling and maintaining that humidity is best used by a two way humidity source, such as humidity beads (Conservagel and Heartfelt to name a few) or Boveda packs. These both absorb excess humidity and release excess if necessary. These help to control spikes or drops in rH swings, but also take the guesswork out of the gel, kitty litter, or other devices. A small fan (converted computer cooling fans, Oust Fans etc) inside the humidor or coolidor tied to a two way on-off switch allows you to circulate the air making sure that all areas of the cooler or humidor (cabinet size etc) maintain equal rH and the air doesnt stagnate. At times due to high heat or rH you may get too ripe of tobacco smells or other smells and feel you need to clear out the humi/cooler so that it doesnt impact your cigars. After removing and safely storing the cigars, baking soda will once again work brilliantly for not only absorbing the odor, but also the excessive humidity rendering it back to zero and solid for cigars again.
Storing Parameters:
Where you store your humidor and coolidor also affects how well the rH and temperature stays inside the container and for how long. If possible, always store your humidor/coolidor out of direct or indirect sunlight and in as cool of an environment as possible. Sunlight is technically a radiation, when it makes contact with anything including your humidor it heats it up slightly. When you heat the humidor or coolidor, youre initially heating the outside making it swell and loose small amounts of humidity. This cycling of expanding/heating and then cooling/contracting will over time take its toll on the humidor and also the environment inside of it. The less the environment inside and outside of the humidor changes, the less the cigars inside will change as well, letting them age and acclimate under the best circumstances for the best experience as often as possible.
I will happily answer to the best of my ability any questions, specific or broad that anyone has relating to this! Thanks!
Excellent write up, Brett! Hopefully the Internet/Skype situation can get straightened out and they'll accept my info next time.
Thanks Dan, it'll get going and I think all the Internet issues are done now. I will be available on Skype tomorrow night from 6 pm MST til around 9 pm MST for wrap up of the session sincethe first session was cut short. I encourage anyone and everyone that want able to make it on last night to hop on yo Skype tomorrow night between those times for me to answer more specific questions and finish up the plan. My Skype screen name is Irishman.Cigars, so please PM or text me your screen name so that I may add you to te group so we can all converse!
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Comments
Well, it wasn't two guys but something similar has happened...
You wouldn't believe some of the **** that I've dealt with in the past 15yrs, AJ.
Road trip! You could come herf with the Mafia on a Thursday night, Justin!
http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home
Irish Tabacaleras Classroom
Lesson 1 Humidor and Coolidor Start-up and Maintenance
First off, Id like to thank everyone for joining us tonight and for all of your support for helping me and Amanda start this!
The starting weeks topic is Humidor/Coolidor Start-up and maintenance, so lets jump in and get started! For all intensive purposes I think it is safe to assume that we all know what a humidor is, and most likely a coolidor as well. Just in case though, a coolidor is simply a manmade humidor using a large cooler/storage Tupperware etc. I will break down the start-up/setup into two sections for the humidor and the coolidor for simplicity sake; however, the concepts apply to both.
Humidor:
As with cigars, humidors are actually fairly fragile themselves and like cigars need any and all changes to occur slowly and over a decent length of time. Since humidors, unlike coolidors, are made of kiln dried Spanish cedar making them very dry and porous before seasoning. They absorb smells, particles and other biologicals. Increases in heat and humidity causes the wood in the humidor to swell, and if it swells too much can warp the humidor or more seriously the lid. Because of this, wiping down the interior of your humidor with distilled water is not recommended, since it is easy to accidentally over humidify it and warp the lid. Through my experience, the best way to properly season a humidor is with a Boveda seasoning packet sealed inside the humidor for two weeks, and if any extra rH is needed, a small dish of distilled water open to the elements inside of the humidor. This lets the water absorb slowly into the wood and lets the humidor adjust slowly without damage to the structure of the humidor itself. The benefit of using the Boveda packs is that it is a two way humidification system since it gives off and absorbs humidity, helping to control spikes in rH or drops as well.
Coolidor:
Coolidors have a little more prep work ahead of them since it is a plastic container and gives off a strong natural odor on their own. Whether it is a new cooler or an old one you are retrofitting the process will be the same. You will want to make a solution of warm water and a mild dish soap and scrub out any and all surfaces. Rinse it clean using cool water and then air dry for 6 hrs or so, or until fully dry in all areas. Line the interior with newspaper and close it up and let the newspaper absorb any lingering smells. After 3-4 days the smells should be absorbed, if not fill a small cup or bowl with Baking Soda and repeat the process. Once the cooler is clean with no smell you can add as much kiln dried Spanish cedar that you have and then season in the same process as in the above example. Most cigar boxes are Spanish cedar whether they are stained, natural, or have paper/stickers covering them and are fine to use. The dividers, lips, and sheeting inside the empty cigar boxes are great to use to line the bottom and sides of the coolidor while the boxes themselves make great racks and open containers to hold loose cigars or open bags of cigars for sorting. Closed lid cigar boxes are also fine, but you will have to add more of your humidity source since it must humidify the cedar in the lid before it travels and makes its way inside the box to maintain the humidity of the contents.
Maintenance for Both:
Humidity is a measurement of how much water is held in suspension in the air. The higher the humidity means the more water that is in the air, and more specifically in the wood. A humidor is a warm, moist, and organic environment that houses very old and oily dried vegetation. It is a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, beetles and a host of other issues. Leaving humid warm air to stagnant and grow stale can impart a condition that leads to mold or beetles. Circulating the air once or twice a week will still keep the humidor in its optimal range of 62-68% rH and 60-69 degrees Fahrenheit, while letting fresh air in to keep the atmosphere from decaying or becoming stagnant. Controlling and maintaining that humidity is best used by a two way humidity source, such as humidity beads (Conservagel and Heartfelt to name a few) or Boveda packs. These both absorb excess humidity and release excess if necessary. These help to control spikes or drops in rH swings, but also take the guesswork out of the gel, kitty litter, or other devices. A small fan (converted computer cooling fans, Oust Fans etc) inside the humidor or coolidor tied to a two way on-off switch allows you to circulate the air making sure that all areas of the cooler or humidor (cabinet size etc) maintain equal rH and the air doesnt stagnate. At times due to high heat or rH you may get too ripe of tobacco smells or other smells and feel you need to clear out the humi/cooler so that it doesnt impact your cigars. After removing and safely storing the cigars, baking soda will once again work brilliantly for not only absorbing the odor, but also the excessive humidity rendering it back to zero and solid for cigars again.
Storing Parameters:
Where you store your humidor and coolidor also affects how well the rH and temperature stays inside the container and for how long. If possible, always store your humidor/coolidor out of direct or indirect sunlight and in as cool of an environment as possible. Sunlight is technically a radiation, when it makes contact with anything including your humidor it heats it up slightly. When you heat the humidor or coolidor, youre initially heating the outside making it swell and loose small amounts of humidity. This cycling of expanding/heating and then cooling/contracting will over time take its toll on the humidor and also the environment inside of it. The less the environment inside and outside of the humidor changes, the less the cigars inside will change as well, letting them age and acclimate under the best circumstances for the best experience as often as possible.
I will happily answer to the best of my ability any questions, specific or broad that anyone has relating to this! Thanks!
Excellent write up, Brett! Hopefully the Internet/Skype situation can get straightened out and they'll accept my info next time.