Quote:
Originally Posted by shilala
I agree and disagree, NJ.
If a person has no frame of reference on how wet or dry a cigar "should be", it's dang near impossible for them just to go on their gut. The worry will drive them insane.
I think it's an evolution. Bear me out...
Once a guy gets the salt test under control, then gets good hygros, then gets their cigars where they like them, then they have gathered lots of valuable experience. That whole process takes time. Maybe a year, maybe a couple years, maybe less.
Through that process, they'll have tried cigars stored at many different levels of wetness, and they'll figure stuff out. Important stuff like "it appears my cc's smoke a lot better at 55% than 70%" and "it appears my nc's smoke better at 65% than 55%".
I can pick up a cigar and smell it and feel it and know if it's too wet or too dry for my liking, but I have some time in. A guy who has just started in the hobby may not have someone with experience to teach them in person, which would be a lot better. So they rely on the next best thing, which is our brothers online.
In time, the new hobbyist isn't going to rely or obsess on hygrometers.
Or at least this is how it all progressed for me.  |
You're right.
And I think we're on the same page and trying to make a similar point.
I can simplify my rantings to this:
We could all probably afford more experience when it comes to cigars.
So to the point... I would encourage new enthusiasts (and even some old ones) to develop their experience through their senses (ie. feel)... and testing and hygrometers so that they too one day can pick up a BBF or a FFOX or whatever their "fave" may be... and know simply by feeling it if it's right to smoke... rather than simply trying to rely on the tests and hygrometers.
That being said... you can ALWAYS rely on Shilala's beads to keep a perfectly measured humidity.
I also feel like that's one of the coolest parts of the cigar lifestyle... and unfortunately I think a dying part... the next time you get ready to smoke your favorite stick... pick it up... feel it... smell it...take a close look at the veins and the coloring... even listen to it as you slightly apply pressure to the area just below the cap to check its elasticity. Using all of your senses to examine and enjoy your smoke will really enhance your experience. At least it does for me.