First off, I have come to a realization that I spend TOO much of my day thinking about cigars but I heard something interesting last nite on the radio on the Cigar Dave show. (Disclaimer: Not a big fan of the guy seems like a Rush wannabe but only thing on the radio dedicated to stogies.)
Anyhow I know as fellow cigar lover we put A LOT of emphasis on proper storage of cigars and I think the merchants want us to believe that cigars are these delicate flowers that the slightest change in RH or temp will destroy them. I know I have put my fair share of green backs into humidors and humidification devices. But I have always wondered back in the day before 70/70 they didn't store cigars in perfect conditions and I am sorry but I don't care where you live even in the sultry island of Cuba RH and temp will flucuate and I don't think all their cigars were ruined because they didn't store them in a Manning with a paradigm device. And before Fuente started adding the little wetnaps in their boxes they shipped from the DR to your local retailor in the middle of the summer in blazing heat so in theory wouldn't they have been ruined and I don't buy that theory that because of the plastic wrap around them it kept them at optimum smoking condtion. Waaah! The whole thing is that everyone says that the oils will disappear but I thought we learned in chemistry oil doesn't evaporate?! Now I agree if you let a cigar TOTALLY dry out it will crack and turn brittle and if you try to rehumidify it it'll never be in the same shape. Like trying to rehumidify a dry leaf not gonna happen.
OK back to what I heard on the radio Dave was talking to General Cigar about a new line of cigar they were releasing and they were saying how they were shipping the tobacco they were using for it to the DR in the summer and back to CT in the winter to dry out so it looks like the retailors are not overly concerned with the precious oils drying out. I guess all I am asking is how REALLY important is it that the cigars be kept in prestine conditions because long before the acessories craze they weren't stored in ideal conditions and they still smoke wonderfully.
Anyhow I know as fellow cigar lover we put A LOT of emphasis on proper storage of cigars and I think the merchants want us to believe that cigars are these delicate flowers that the slightest change in RH or temp will destroy them. I know I have put my fair share of green backs into humidors and humidification devices. But I have always wondered back in the day before 70/70 they didn't store cigars in perfect conditions and I am sorry but I don't care where you live even in the sultry island of Cuba RH and temp will flucuate and I don't think all their cigars were ruined because they didn't store them in a Manning with a paradigm device. And before Fuente started adding the little wetnaps in their boxes they shipped from the DR to your local retailor in the middle of the summer in blazing heat so in theory wouldn't they have been ruined and I don't buy that theory that because of the plastic wrap around them it kept them at optimum smoking condtion. Waaah! The whole thing is that everyone says that the oils will disappear but I thought we learned in chemistry oil doesn't evaporate?! Now I agree if you let a cigar TOTALLY dry out it will crack and turn brittle and if you try to rehumidify it it'll never be in the same shape. Like trying to rehumidify a dry leaf not gonna happen.
OK back to what I heard on the radio Dave was talking to General Cigar about a new line of cigar they were releasing and they were saying how they were shipping the tobacco they were using for it to the DR in the summer and back to CT in the winter to dry out so it looks like the retailors are not overly concerned with the precious oils drying out. I guess all I am asking is how REALLY important is it that the cigars be kept in prestine conditions because long before the acessories craze they weren't stored in ideal conditions and they still smoke wonderfully.