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what now?(plastic or no plastic?)

ok guys I bought some sticks and would like to know.. should i remove the plastic before I put them in my humidor or leave it on?? thanks

Comments

  • CaptCapt Posts: 127 ✭✭
    This topic gets my vote for the most commonly asked question. http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/9552.aspx Do you plan on smoking it right away? Do you want to age it more than 1 year? Do you handle your cigars alot? Do you open your humidor every 5 minutes? Are you going to keep it, or gift it? I say take it off, but it all depends on your answers to the above questions.
  • vankleekkwvankleekkw Posts: 404
    I'd say that if you can plan well, pull the plastic off a week or so before smoking it. Otherwise it runs the risk of getting damaged when rummaging through your humi.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    cellophane BTW....

    plastic is something VERY different.
  • CaptCapt Posts: 127 ✭✭
    kuzi16:
    cellophane BTW....

    plastic is something VERY different.
    Good point. Cellophane (cellulose) is made from wood or cotton products, not to be confused with the man-made material plastic. I have a few boxes of cigars (Bolivars) that have been aging since 1993. The cellophane is so yellow, you can barely see the cigar through it!
  • kaspera79kaspera79 Posts: 7,257 ✭✭✭
    Capt:
    kuzi16:
    cellophane BTW....

    plastic is something VERY different.
    Good point. Cellophane (cellulose) is made from wood or cotton products, not to be confused with the man-made material plastic. I have a few boxes of cigars (Bolivars) that have been aging since 1993. The cellophane is so yellow, you can barely see the cigar through it!
    Don't you just love when that happens.. I've had several reach that point and man are they great at that point ! The Perdomo Champagne color the cello yellow to give them that aged look.
  • jlzimmermanjlzimmerman Posts: 282
    My vote is to remove the cello. It will help better balance the humidity in your humidor. IIRC, going naked also helps your smokes obtain bloom/plume.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    jlzimmerman:
    My vote is to remove the cello. It will help better balance the humidity in your humidor. IIRC, going naked also helps your smokes obtain bloom/plume.
    cello is porus so it should have no effect on the RH at all.
    as far as bloom goes... i have never taken the cello off of my cigars and i have obtained bloom. in fact, i think that cello on helps bloom occure. bloom is the crystaline appearance of tobacco oils on the surface of the wrapper. this usually occures with oily wrapers (sungrown or a good thick maduro) but in theory happen on other cigars as well. if you take the cello off of the cigar you wipe away the oils and therefore the bloom every time you handle the cigars.
    i have been wrong on things before and i have heard that cigars age faster with the cello off but for just about everyone i dont think it will be enough of a difference to notice.
  • CaptCapt Posts: 127 ✭✭
    Great answer Kuzi. Plume/bloom is formed by a sudden condensation of volatile oils on the wrapper of the cigar from sudden changes to temperature/humidity. The oils condensed are eventually re-vaporized, depositing minerals dissolved in the oil in a crystallized form. Current theory, of course. BTW, bloom/plume is no sign of age or reckless care.
  • thanks kuzi that helps alot.. But i've got another for ya (temp) what is a good temp if it matters at all...in the humidor!!!
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    sgvillian:
    thanks kuzi that helps alot.. But i've got another for ya (temp) what is a good temp if it matters at all...in the humidor!!!
    70 degrees or lower should be fine for you. If you shot for between 60 and 70 you'd be fine. The big problem with higher temps is the dreaded tobacco worm that can hatch once temps reach 72 degrees I think was the number.
  • Ive always taken the cellophane off. No particular reason, just personal preference.
  • DiasFlakDiasFlak Posts: 342 ✭✭
    i researched this alot and cellophane breathes in a sense so i think its a personal prefrence.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    j0z3r:
    sgvillian:
    thanks kuzi that helps alot.. But i've got another for ya (temp) what is a good temp if it matters at all...in the humidor!!!
    70 degrees or lower should be fine for you. If you shot for between 60 and 70 you'd be fine. The big problem with higher temps is the dreaded tobacco worm that can hatch once temps reach 72 degrees I think was the number.
    this is a true statement. in the summer my humi has been known to hit 77 but all my sticks are bug free. I only buy high end stuff... anything questionable goes in the deep freeze.
  • DiasFlakDiasFlak Posts: 342 ✭✭
    i just posted about the bugs and from further research i saw alot of people say 82 degrees for the bugs to hatch but as my new cigars liaisons told me freeze12-24 hours which i plan on doing if i see any signs
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    It could very well be 82, I was posting the temp I thought was the critical number. In any event, a humidor kept at or below 70 will fare just fine.
  • DiasFlak:
    i just posted about the bugs and from further research i saw alot of people say 82 degrees for the bugs to hatch but as my new cigars liaisons told me freeze12-24 hours which i plan on doing if i see any signs
    (BUGS) what are the signs to look for so i know what to look for.. i didnt know anything about hatching bugs..!
  • DiasFlakDiasFlak Posts: 342 ✭✭
    http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/10118.aspx I asked the same question goto this part of the forum and read.
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