Cigars are like children; they get spoiled very easily.

The best way to keep cigars is in a humidor lined with cedar with humidity of 70 to 75 degrees. If the humidity goes higher, open the humidor for a couple of minutes close it and it should go down between 70 to 75 degrees. If you don’t have hydrogenating brick or any type of apparatus to control the humidity of the humidor, get a soft piece of Spanish cedar and a soft, thin piece of sponge. Wet the sponge and place it on the cedar piece in the humidor on top of the cigars. Never have the sponge touch the cigars; it should always be placed on the cedar piece. Check the sponge every couple of days to makes sure it doesn’t dry out. Best thing is to buy the brick or the hydrogenator where you soak it in water and place it in the humidor.

If don’t have a humidor, put cigars in a plastic grocery bag and place in refrigerator or vegetable keeper. When ready to smoke, take out a cigar, let it breathe a minute or two and light up. Don’t listen to the old story of putting cigars in a baggy with a sponge. This is an old wives' tale, smokers who give you this tip do not know about cigars. The sponge in the baggy will take away from the color, taste, texture, aging, etc. If your cigars are wrapped individually, leave them in the wrappers and put them in the vegetable keeper.

Two misconceptions about cutting cigars:
One misconception is the hole puncher, which makes a small, round hole on the crown of the cigar. The other is a V-cut, which makes a v-cut in the crown of the cigar. The V-cut was designed for smokers who think they know about cigars and also designed for companies to make monies.

Best way to cut a cigar:
Round circular cutter is the best for cigars. It leaves a perfectly round cut. That’s how to get the full flavor and body of a cigar. All other gimmicks and toys are a complete falsehood.

If you don’t have a circular cutter (guillotine), do what the old timers did. Put the cigar in your mouth, moisten the crown and start to turn. Use bottom teeth to push up the crown of the cigar. This takes the crown of the cigar off and you will have a perfectly round hole or cut for smoking.

Lighting a cigar
Never use a lighter with lighting fluid because the vapors of the fluid will actually get into the cigar and damage the taste, texture and the full-bodiness of the cigar. A cigarette lighter with lighting fluid is the worst thing you can use for lighting a cigar. You can use a butane gas lighter. It’s better than a cigarette lighter with lighter fluid in it. It is best to use matches, whether wooden or paper, to light your cigar. Matches will not destroy the texture, taste or full-bodiness of the cigar.

The best way to light a cigar is to light the match or butane lighter and hold the end over the flame, turn the cigar or lighter around the end. Do this for about five seconds. This will prepare the cigar for being lit. To actually light cigar, put cigar in your mouth, put your butane lighter or match at the end of the cigar. As you’re lighting it, puff on the cigar and twirl the cigar to get an even flame on the cigar. Check the end of the cigar to make sure the whole cigar is lit. If there is part of the cigar that is not lit, put the match to that part for a second and the cigar will be lit. Now, you sit back and enjoy your cigar.

With cigars, size does matter.
Cigars will age differently; their blends will be different. The texture and taste will be different. That’s why the smallest cigar I make is a 6 1/2” x 54 torpedo. The biggest ones I make are 8” x 60, 8 1/2” x 52, 8 1/2” x 54, 9 1/2 x 48”, 9 1/2 x 50 and 8” x 52. There are various other styles. My cigars are a Cuban-style smoke. They are mild, smooth and mellow. Every man who smokes one of my cigars will feel rich, satisfied, distinguished and sexy smoking these cigars. Believe me, you will also look sexy smoking one of my cigars.