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ditto, 65 to 60

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I have a question about Xikar cutters, What is the difference between Xi-X3 cutters besides the price? I am thinking about getting my 1st bigboy cutter and I really like the Xi3 Multicolor one, but I am going by looks alone and not by performance, so what are the differences?

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I believe I read it was the components used. The newer models have better steel, spring, etc...

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That makes the best sense...thanks bro :tu

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IIRC

Xi1 is aluminum, Xi2 is fiberglass, Xi3 is Titanium.

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When is my humidor ready to hold cigars?

Its been seasoning for about 4 days or so and the RH is at 65 according to the hygrometer.

Can I throw my beads in and cigars and call it good?

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I would:tu

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I agree with my hubby cort, load that sucker up.

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The temperature in my humi hovers around 67 - 72 degrees. Those little fluctuations won't affect my sticks badly, right? The humidity stays at a constant 68

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If your temp stays between 67 and 72 degrees, you are very fortunate. Can't get much more ideal temps than that.

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Alright, that's good to hear. So, what is too extreme of a temperature for cigars?

Also, thanks for your quick response!

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There is no real too extreme in temperature for cigars. You'll find a sticky here about freezing cigars, you'll find many posts including a stickied thread on how to do so safely here. Even 100+ degree heat isn't bad in and of itself.

Wild fluctuations are another issue. Take a cigar from a house at 80 deg outside to -40 and you will probably have an issue.

The biggest concern with temperature usually revolves around the hatching of the tobacco beetle. This pest is common and invasive in all the worlds tobacco crops. All producers use pest management to reduce its prescence in a finished product. But there is no way to be 100% rid of this pest. The tobacco beetle egg, which is usually what is present in a finished cigar, as the beetle lays its eggs on the leaf, hatches between 75 and 90 degrees.

Most evidence suggests that temperatures below 75 degrees will supress the hatching. Freezing for a sufficient time will kill most live eggs, again no pest control strategy is 100% effective, and this is why there is interest in doing so with cigars. A tobacco beetle outbreak in a box of cigars can render the entire box or more into useless dust given enough time.

So in essence the real concern with temperature is about storage not in usage or temporary conditions. Cigars all in all are tough things.

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I haven't browsed through all this thread yet, so this may have been covered.

The only cigars available locally are those in plastic tubes (Cristales, Romeo y Julieta and Bances, from what I could gather from a phone call). They aren't kept in a humidor, so can they still be any good?

What should I look for when I go to the store?

Thanks.

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If they are not in a humidor, do not buy :tu Tubos are fine but they need to be humidified, try and locate a shop that has some sort of walk-in humidor or cabinet humidor.

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Since they are the only ones locally available, is it possible to "save" them from their dryness, by gradually humidifying them?

The alternative is the Internet, and since I can't import from other countries or even other provinces, the choice is scarce.

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:confused:

Why is that? I've never heard of such limitations. Except, of course, the US mmbargo on Cuba.

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We have many many Canadian members here that will tell you otherwise. I don't know where you heard such nonsense, completely untrue. ;)

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Think before you post, Grasshopper.

It could be that he has special circumstances. Such as part of a US Embassy or maybe being below a legal age. So before jumping to conclusions and making unsubstantiated claims, ask the questions. Such as "Why is that?". He may have an explanation that is not "such nonsense, completely untrue"

:2

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OK, perhaps I just jumped to conclusions too fast about importing from other countries, and that after paying the taxes, I can do so.

However, an Internet site (I couldn't remember which, because i surfed a lot of them in the last days) stipulated that it was illegal for them to ship to other provinces.

I guess my new question would be: How much taxes do Quebeckers have to pay when importing cigars from abroad?

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I think you over thought the above underlined phrase. Every country has different laws.