Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars - BE KIND TO CELLOPHANE: THE CIGAR YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN

BE KIND TO CELLOPHANE: THE CIGAR YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN

BE KIND TO CELLOPHANE: THE CIGAR YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN

Plus: Stealing Perdomo Cigars . . . almost

Los Angeles, 10 January 2005 – Is plastic fantastic? Maybe . . .

The conventional wisdom has always been to remove cigars from any kind of individual container to allow better aging and flavor.

One of the world’s top retailers of cigars, Vahe Gerard of Gerald Pere et Fils in Geneva, Switzerland, insists on this in his landmark The Connoisseur’s Guide to Havana Cigars, published in 1992: “A cigar packed away in a metal tube or a plastic casing is a cigar that is dying and should therefore be smoked soon.

“As for the individually cellophane-wrapped cigar, very disputed by certain purists, it is useful for keeping a cigar properly in very moist regions; under ‘normal’ storage conditions, one should take into consideration the fact that it will slow down the proper humidification of good quality Havanas.”

Last week, Famous Smoke Shop’s Gary Korb, writing in his monthly “Shop-Talk” newsletter, answered the question of whether to remove cellophane wrappers, “yes, if you intend to store them over a long period of time. I’ve found over many years of personal experience that it really does help season the cigar. After having been in my humidor for 6 months, a Fuente 8-5-8 Maduro I smoked over the holidays was markedly better than the ones I smoked right ‘out of the box,’ and I find this to be true for most of my cigars. But that’s me.”

There is a contrarian view.

Hong Kong collector Min Ron Nee, author – with former Cubatabaco executive Adriano Martinez – of An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars (Interpro Business Corporation: Hong Kong, 2003), has another view.

In his Encyclopedia, a 491-page tome laden with illustrations of virtually every Havana cigar produced since 1960, he confronts the issue in his endearing, bull-in-a-china-shop style:

“Is cellophane really bad for cigar aging? The answer can be found in 15+ years old cigars which were presented in both the cellophaned and non-cellophaned versions. The Quintero Churchills and the El Rey del Mundo Panetelas Largas, both brilliant cigars, are excellent examples.

“All 15 to 20 year old Havana Cigars in cellophane happen to taste much better. It is possible that as time goes by, the oils deposited on the cellophane prevent leakage of large organic molecules and creates a mini ‘wine-in-the-bottle’ effect.

“Nonetheless cellophane no doubt delays maturation. Removing the cellophane accelerates the aging process. and is not an unwise decision for people who cannot wait.”

As Nee suggests that connoisseurs must wait at least 3-5 years before smoking almost any cigar, it appears there’s no middle ground. Korb wants to let his cigars breathe for six months or so, Gerard wants to let cigars mature – without cellophane – in their native cabinets or boxes for up to 10 years or so and Nee wants to wait decades before even thinking of smoking his cigars (he must have a long life expectancy).

There’s another factor as well: bugs. No tragedy is so great and so feared as the spread of the tobacco beetle from cigar to cigar in an otherwise perfect box. There’s real danger of this anytime the temperature or humidity reach up around the 80 degree F or 80% mark and it can happen easily on a summer’s day, especially if your humidor takes in direct sunlight.

Happily, individual cellophane sleeves on cigars can stop the spread and for this reason I recommend keeping your cigars in their original cellophane wrappers. Safety first!

And, who knows, those cigars will be absolutely great in 12, 15 or 20 years!

Steals and Deals:
Even with the holidays now past us, we found a really fabulous deal last week worth repeating from Cigars International.

On for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week is their “Platoon of Perdomos” sampler special, the perfect way to try the Perdomo range of powerful, full-bodied cigars.

The sampler includes a total of 20 cigars, notably including the Perdomo Reserve, Perdomo² and Cuban Parejo series:

• 3 La Tradicion Cabinet Series Perdomo Reserve Silver Label with Cameroon wrappers in various sizes.

• 1 La Tradicion Cabinet Series Perdomo Reserve White Label with Cuban Café wrappers in a 5 1/2 x 55 perfecto size,

• 2 La Tradicion Cabinet Series Perdomo Reserve Red Label maduros in two different sizes.

• 5 Cuban Parejos in two sizes: 3 maduro torpedos (60 ring) and 2 rosado-wrapped perfectos (62 ring).

• 6 Perdomo² (“Perdomo Squared”) in two sizes in Cameroon and maduro wrappers, plus

• 5 other special Perdomo blends made specially for Cigars International and not marketed nationally.

It’s 20 cigars in all, a great way to try these high-profile brands all at once and the best part of the deal is the price: $39.95. Yup, about $2 a stick! Available while they last, or until 9 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday morning, whichever comes first.

Our January-only Combo Offer:
We have a special offer available if you’d like to enjoy the new, 2005 Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars, along with our value-packed CigarWire service: just $32 for:

• A one-year subscription to the CigarWire and

• A copy of the new 2005 Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars!

That’s normally a $41.95 value, but we’re offering this special price from now through January 31, 2005. You can sign up today by clicking here!

Your subscription will also include our “Week in Review” newsletter sent each Thursday with a summary of our top stories of the week!
~ Rich Perelman

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