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Why a Cigar Humidor?
I don't need a humidor, I can just keep these cigars in a plastic bag...
For years, Spanish Cedar has gone hand in hand with cigar storage. Humidors are lined with it, cigar boxes are made of it, and even in the cigar-making process it's used for storage of raw goods.
The first obvious sign that a humidor is a good idea is the fact that a cigar box is basically a crude humidor. If cigars were meant to be stored in plastic bags, makers would ship them in plastic bags. Ahh, but they can't use bags, the cigars would be crushed! Well, why not Tupperware then? Spanish cedar boxes or humidors are what's needed for several reasons:
First of all, cigars are hygroscopic. That is, they absorb moisture from the air. Spanish cedar is hygroscopic as well. It readily holds moisture from the atmosphere. Putting a cigar in an airtight humidor ensures that it will be in an environment with plenty of available moisture it can draw from without said moisture disipating into the air. There isn't much moisture in a plastic bag. I'm sure we've all heard that cigars need to be maintained at 70 degrees with 70% relative humidity. This has become the mantra of cigar gurus and the misinformed for years. If you delve deeper into the issue, you'll find that many knowledgeable aficionados maintain their private collections at 65% or even as low as 60%. Since we are dealing with relative humidity, the higher the temperature, the lower the humidity can be while still keeping enough moisture in the air to sustain your cigars. I've found over the years that I prefer to smoke cigars that have been stored at 65% as they seem to draw better.
Another great property of Spanish cedar is that it is a natural repellent to the dreaded tobacco beetle. Any time your temperature or humidity gets too high you run the risk of a beetle outbreak. But how do the beetles get into the humidor? Okay, you might want to sit down...if you've ever smoked a cigar, you've probably smoked a tobacco beetle egg. The eggs are microscopic and are in nearly every cigar. You don't even notice them and there's no way to prevent them. They only hatch into a larvae if atmospheric conditions are right, namely a temperature over 70-75 with a humidity of over 75%. It's really hard to regulate temperature and humidity in a plastic bag.
In summary, plastic bags are for getting the cigars from the store to your humidor at home. They offer some short-term protection from damage and humidity loss. While some aficionados might not think they smoke enough to keep a humidor at home, remember a $20 investment in a small humidor can save you in the long run. Some even prefer to keep a 10-count travel humidor in the house as it can serve the purpose while you're at home or on the road. Humidors protect your cigars from being crushed, from beetles, and from your wife seeing what you just bought! She just admires the beautiful cherrywood box you have on your desk!
We have humidors ranging from $19.99 to $800 - come in today to see them all. And ask about the Tobacco Bowl private selection cigar and humidor package: One humidor with humidifier packed with a dozen Tobacco Bowl private selection cigars, all for only $39.99!
Posted by Richard Alley at 11:07 AM
Mr. Foote
I would like to take a minute to say goodbye to an old friend of Memphis Tobacco Bowl. Shelby Foote, writer, historian, Southern gentleman, passed away last night (June 27) at the age of 88. When I bought the Tobacco Bowl in 1999 I was excited about meeting Mr. Foote. The first time he called so that I could prepare his tobacco I had visions of him as a regular who would sit around to discuss both history and the day's events with all of us here around the Round Table. Not so. He came in, picked up his tobacco and then left. He didn't even pay - I mailed him an invoice. He'd been doing it that way for decades and I saw no reason to change his ways.
Eventually we worked up to the point where he may linger to discuss pipes and pipe tobacco. He was amused by the prices of high-end pipes today and talked of how extravagant it was for him to spend $75 on a pipe years and years ago. From time to time he would bring a pipe or two in to be repaired and he would always say he didn't know why he needed to get them fixed when he had hundreds more just like them at home. Many, he said, were sent to him by people he'd never met. Fans, admirers, fellow pipe smokers.
At one point I foolishly thought I could outsmart the old man. He called one day to request his tobacco and I offered to deliver it to him as I live in his neighborhood. I had visions of being invited into his study - his Sanctum sanctorum, his fortress of solitude - to discuss the weighty issues of writing, reading and history. Instead he thanked me kindly and told me where I could leave the package just outside the front door. He did wave to me from an upper window, however, as I was getting back into my car.
His tobacco was a blend of cube cut burley, latakia and perique with a mild aromatic mixed in. He would buy the components and blend them himself. Eventually I blended them, named it Shiloh, and have been selling it ever since. It is a pleasant smoke.
One of the few perks of working in retail is the people one gets to meet. It was my pleasure to meet one of such a stature. The world, and the South in particular, has lost another great man of letters. The Tobacco Bowl has lost a great friend.
Posted by Richard Alley at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
Round One!
Heavyweight boxer James Toney stopped in the Tobacco Bowl for a visit and some cigars the other day. He's in town for the Johnson/Tarver fight Saturday, June 18 at FedEx Forum.
Posted by Richard Alley at 02:13 PM
Opus X
The elusive A.F. Opus X is on the shelves.
Posted by Richard Alley at 11:19 AM
Gran Habano V.L.
New cigar on the scene and in the humidor. This one is from our old friends at Gran Habano. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Gran Habano V(ery) L(imited). Not many of these were made at all so they packed them in these fancy blue boxes as seen above. Each box contains only 15 cigars, making it a very manageable box purchase under $100. By the stick they're $6.75 and $6.50. I looked all over the damn place for a review because I thought I remember reading one in Cigar Aficionado a while back but I can't find it now. I'll put the Savant on it ASAP. Until then, though, I'll just tell you that this is a full-bodied smoke - more so, I think, than their Corojo #5s - with a dark, oily Connecticut broadleaf wrapper aged 5 years, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan, Honduran and Columbian filler. Three great sizes to choose from - Gran Robusto, Churchill and Pyramid.
Posted by Richard Alley at 10:58 AM
Lottery breeds impatience...humor
As some of you fine cigar and pipe enthusiasts may have noticed,
Memphis Tobacco Bowl sells lottery tickets. While the long lines
these patrons create may cause impatience on your part (though we want to assure you that our tobacco customers will always come first), I thought I'd
share with you the real reason we have the lottery: entertainment
value.
jb: Can I help you?
Lotto man: How much is this one down here?
jb: The whole bottom row is dollar tickets.
Lotto man: So how much is this one?
jb: One dolla.
How much is this one up here?
jb: The one on the end is $10, the next one is $5, and the rest are $2.
How 'bout this other one on the bottom?
jb: It's a dolla. The whole bottom row is a dolla.
So how much is one of these?
jb: One dollar.
Hmmm...
jb: (tapping foot)
Gimme one blackjack... and how much is this one on the bottom?
jb: Three dollars.
And the one next to it?
jb: three fifty.
Hmmm... I didn't know they had three dolla tickets! That's a good deal!
jb: Yep.
Got any fiddy cent tickets?
jb: Nah. I think his concert is sold out.
Oh, okay.
Okay, just give me three mo' blackjack.
jb: Four total right?
Yep. How much is that?
jb: shakes head and takes a Xanax.
********************************************************************************
jb: Can I help you?
You gots any blackjack?
jb: Yep.
You gots any double blackjack?
jb: Yep.
You gots any triple blackjack?
jb: Nope. I guess you could get a blackjack and a double blackjack and
that would be like a triple blackjack.
Huh?
jb: Nevermind.
********************************************************************************
jb: Can I help you?
Yeah, I need two of that ticket I saw on TV last night.
jb: Sorry we're out of those.
Oh, okay. Well then gimme two blackjack.
*********************************************************************************
jb: Can I help you?
You got that one ticket... ya know the one where you try to add up to 21?
jb: Nope. We're out of that.
Okay, then gimme two blackjack.
***********************************************************************************
jb: Can I help you?
You got that one where you can win a motorcycle?
jb: Nope. We're out of that.
Okay, gimme two of those Harley Davidsons.
************************************************************************************
jb: Can I help you?
Yeah, gimme a Cash 3... box... 4, 6, 12.
jb: (Takes another Xanax) Can't do it.
Why not?
jb: You can only play single digit numbers.
A what number?
jb: You can only use 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or zero.
How many numbers do I pick?
jb: three.
How bout Cash 4?
jb: seven.
Hmmm... I don't know that many numbers. I'll just play cash three.
Gimme 4, 6, 11. Box.
JB
jb@memphistobacco.com
Posted by Richard Alley at 04:10 PM