ask richie Archives – Cigar Thief

Wednesday, January 5, 2022 Cigar 101

Happy New Year 2022!

BACK TO BASICS

As the 2022 unfolds, we all know there will be many many new cigars introduced into the marketplace. Would you believe that there have been over 100 new cigars introduced onto the marketplace last summer and over 60 more in October 2021 alone! We here at Cigar Thief HEAR YOU! That’s why we been adding so many new brand offerings to our small family owned marketplace as fast as we can. We’ve been amazed at the appetite so many of our valued customers have when it comes to trying something new. Among these additions, we’re extremely excited and proud of the new AJ Fernandez Enclave Connecticut edition that was made exclusively for us which means it’s only for you folks too! Check out this great cigar on our site. Grab a five pack of your preferred size and I’m sure you’ll agree with me that they’re terrific.

No doubt “Supply Chain” issues have kept many popular cigars on what seems like endless back order. But Fear Not! We at Cigar Thief make a constant effort to keep as much inventory as possible. We don’t wait for products to run down or become out of stock before placing orders. We also actively search out new brands and work very hard to offer you the best variety and valued promotions available. You can be rest assured that if you want a particular product that’s available we’ll get it for the best price. If we can’t, we’ll tell you why. We’re proud of our transparency and ability to react quickly to market changes.

Even with all the requests for new brands, the majority of of you have always asked about long standing favorites. It seems as though the familiar herd of tried and true cigar brands that have been around for decades with some names extending their lifetimes over 100 years and more still retain tremendous popularity. It’s interesting that as much in demand as new cigars are, brand styles that have stood the test of time seem to represent a hefty part of what Cigar Thief shoppers buy.

Here’s just a few of my favorites:

Partagas #10….Been around forever. 90+
Partagas Black….one of the first to integrate Medio Tiempo leaves into the blend. Buckle up!
Punch After Dinner…..20 years and counting. 90+
Romeo y Julieta Bully……Always a winner!
Rocky Sun Grown Tube toro….15+ years. 90+
Avo Classic Blend….24 years and counting. The barometer for mild and smooth.
Camacho Connecticut ….10 years and counting. Consistently satisfying.
Baccarat Toro….24 years strong and still delivering a great smoke for a fair price!
Ashton VSG…12 years and remains in the top 10. Medium body that tastes so good, it’s scary.
Undercrown …..(Any Wrapper) There’s one for your palate!
Oliva Serie V…..A masterpiece of flavor complexity 90+
La Aurora 1903 Cameroon …..One of the best cigars for the price in the world! Rated 91
Davidoff 3X3 Tubos ….Get them while you still can is all I can say about these hidden gems.
Joya de Nicaragua Original….21 years young and still impressing smokers.
H.Upmann 1844 Reserve…..pick any size and enjoy a 178 year heritage of old world Cuban Style taste

I could go on and on. As you shop on our humble site, please take a peek at these brands and others that have been the bedrock of the industry. And please continue to stay in touch with me. Hearing your thoughts and opinions is much appreciated by all of us. As I’ve often said, without you, our great customers, we don’t have a business.

Cheers,

Richie.

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Tuesday, August 17, 2021 Cigar 101

What’s wrong with my cigar??

Summertime is in full force and our great Cigar Thief customers like you are certainly catching up on smoking your favorite cigars at what seems like a frantic pace. Good for all us, me included.

At a recent outdoor gathering of my car club, one of the members told me he was an occasional cigar smoker. Since I always carry a few cigars with me when attending social events, I suggested we enjoy a cigar with our espresso. As I handed him a Camacho Connecticut Toro, within lightning speed he removed the cello wrapper, pulled the entire cap off by hand and then reached into his pocket to retrieve a standard book of paper matches. Before I could intercede,he grabbed about six matches , struck them and immediately put a road flare looking burst of flames onto the end of the cigar and quickly began puffing. I’m sure onlookers thought they should call the fire department. Within a minute, he said, “You know, cigars haven’t been tasting good for me lately.” as he exhaled a sulfur laden stream of smoke.

I’m sure the vast majority of you know this is a great example of how not to cut or light a good cigar and that you also know why it tasted the way it did for my co member.

But what about that great , perfectly cut cigar you carefully light with a butane torch that begins to burn looking like it was possessed by the devil?

We’ve spoken about why some cigars have poor draws. As you know, premium cigars are handmade so human error can’t be avoided. No manufacturer knowingly wants to turn out a cigar that can’t be enjoyed with an ample, free flowing draw. I was once given an entire box of genuine Cuban Cohibas. I soon realized they were all so tightly wrapped from about an inch to the cap that I couldn’t draw on them. I ended up having to cut an inch off each one to smoke them.

After hearing from many of you asking me why your cigars are burning in so many different erratic ways, I thought we’d take a quick look at the most common “Bad Burns”. While there are some facets out of your control like the quantity or quality of any cigars contents and assembly, there are a few reasons why cigars don’t burn evenly. A word of caution. In the interest of not boring you, I’m going to be brief. If what we talk about leads you to get more specific and detailed information, that’s the idea.

You’ll probably recognize the “Canoeing” illustration at the top of the page. This issue is usually caused because the cigar is unevenly humidified in your humidor or it was lit up incorrectly. Check your humidors humidity level and rotate your cigars inside frequently. Also make sure you have some space in between them. You may find out you need a bigger humidor!

Please use one of the widely available inexpensive butane torch lighters. Forget matches and Zippos. Hold the lighter about an inch or so away from the foot and allow the end of the flame to heat up the tobacco. In a minute or so you’ll see some smoke rising. Keep the flame going around the entire end. When you start puffing you can slightly touch the flame around the entire foot. You’ll soon see an even burn ring develop. Canoeing can also be the result of fast puffing which will overheat the cigar. So slow down! Rotating the cigar as your smoking it can slow canoeing along with laying the cigar down in an ashtray for a bit so see if things even out. If you think things are going real badly, cut off the entire part of the cigar that’s misbehaving and try again.

That picture of a fork like ash is formally known as Splitting. This is usually caused by smoking your cigar too quickly…..like me! It can also be caused by noticeable changes in temperature and humidity differences from where your smoking and where the cigars are stored. Knock off the ash, slow down, let the cigar cool off and continue on. If you’re wondering why your cigar isn’t tasting quite right and you happen to look at the foot and see an empty hole in the filler like the picture above , you’ve got what’s known as a

“Runner” and it isn’t your fault. Whoever made what your smoking didn’t do a good job. Toss it and hope the rest of the batch is ok.

So, you’ve done everything right and your cigar is off to a great start and you see something like this! No, it’s not a gremlin inside digging a tunnel to escape. It’s what we call ”Mouse Holes”. And no, it’s not your fault either. When a pocket of air or dried out tobacco exists inside a side of your cigar when it’s being made, that little part burns at a much higher rate. Not to worry. These types of annoyances usually pass quickly.

This strange looking occurrence isn’t your fault either. It called a “Runner” which is usually caused by a large vein in the wrapper that acts as a fuse when you light the cigar. The bad news is if the vein is pronounced and spans the length of the cigar, your chances of enjoying this particular one are nil. You can try letting things cool down and relighting it. You may get lucky but I don’t think so.

While you can’t control how your cigars are made and how they’re stored until you get them, you can keep them in the right temperature and humidity and follow a few steps making sure they have the right environment so they’re ready for your enjoyment. You can be rest assured that all the cigars we have available for you on The Cigar Thief are stored in the right atmosphere right up until you make your purchase. Our humidor room is constantly monitored and maintained so you can continue buying from us with confidence.

Thanks again for you valued patronage. Happy smoking!

Cheers,
Richie

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Monday, July 26, 2021 Articles, Cigar 101

HumidiMeter by Cigarmedics

I’ve been in the industry for over 40 years and have rarely seen things that seriously get my attention. I came across this totally unique device months ago and reached out to the company to find out more about it. At the time, two young cousins from Chicago that invented it were just beginning to launch their product that reads a cigar’s humidity.

I’m sure you have more than a few hydrometers keeping you informed of the humidity level if you have a personal humidor. We all know this is key to maintaining the quality of your considerable investment. However, when you think about it, these devices read out the humidity level of the environment, not inside the cigars themselves. The HUMIDIMETER will tell you what’s actually going on INSIDE your cigars.

During my conversation with the owners, it was interesting to learn that most of the people buying this item are cigar smokers. “Consumers that shop at various stores want to know if the cigars they’re buying are being well kept for.” He added, “ We were surprised that there weren’t more retailers that wanted to know just how well their humidors were working.” While the jury may be out when it comes to retailers selling this device in their stores for customers to check out their cigars before purchasing them, I firmly believe that EVERY premium cigar smoker should have one on hand for themselves.

How many times have you wondered what kind of shape that cigar you’re considering buying is? We know that many cigars may feel hard because they’re jam packed with tobacco. Using this device settles the case immediately. More importantly, this device will help you determine if humidity levels are equally dispersed throughout your own humidor.

The two prongs can be placed into the cigars foot even through the cello wrapper without damaging it and will give you a reading in seconds.

Rarely has something become available for so little money that can help virtually all cigar smokers so much. Add one to your order next time you buy some cigars!

Humidimeter’s regular price is $29.99 but the Cigar Thief has it on sale for a special introductory price of $25.95! Grab this amazing opportunity to get your Humidimeter today!

Rich Cucharo

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