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July 12, 2010
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Your Questions, My Answers (YQMA) Episode 31
Welcome back for another Episode of Your Questions, My Answers Episode 31. Just like last time, I’ve broken the show down into three segments all with separate video for your watching convince.
Segment 1
Question 1 from Bob via Contact Form
Walt, love the site.. I have two questions. 1.) Storing wrapped box’s of cigars in your humidor..is this ok. or should one take the wrap off and unbox the Cigars? 2.) In dealing with a large humidor one that can store say 300-500 Cigars. Mine can hold up to 500 depending on size etc. Is it better to have the humidification device..( in my case a Oasis xl plus.) located on the top tray or bottom. I have two trays and a storage space below for boxes. Does humidity drop or rise? If placement is needed lower in the Humidor then I will need a longer power strip from the manufacture.
Thanks.
Question 2 from Jason via Voicemail
How much does packaging affect the overall price of a box of cigars?
Question 3 from Paul via Contact Form
This message is primarily for Walt but the gang can chime in with their preference(s).
I’m a fairly recent visitor to this forum and have already picked up that Walt is not a fancier of Dominican filler tobacco due to the salty after taste.
What country do you prefer your filler tobacco to come from and why?
Segment 2
Question 4 from Rick via Contact Form
Ok I hope this question doesn’t get too long. Some people try to remove the band on a cigar before they light it. Some prefer to remove it after the cigar is 2/3 gone thinking the heat helps loosen the glue holding the band to the cigar. In either case there are cigars where the band is somewhat loose to start with or really stuck to the cigar and no matter how much they work with it, before lighting or after 2/3 gone, still destroys the wrapper when trying to remove it. What is your suggestion for these “hard to remove” bands?
Question 5 from Keith via Voicemail
I have a wine fridge as a humidor with an Oasis unit inside. The humidification device never seems to run, while the unit in my local cigar shops walk in unit is constantly running. Do I have a problem?
Question 6 from John via Contact Form
I am just starting to get into cigars and here is what I have found so far.
I like milder cigars.
I am on somewhat of a budget.
I like the longer size because i do not nurse anything very well so i want it to last.
Could you give me some suggestions for cigars to try out as a beginning smoker?
Segment 3
Discussion Topics include:
To enter to win an 601 Oscuro sampler (3 cigars total) send in a voicemail with your question for the next episode by 5:00 PM EST on 4/23/08 . Entires will be played during the show and a winner will be selected at random.
Voicemail can be sent through the Skype software to user wwhite72082 or by dialing (610) 572-2636
Awesome episode guys. Thanks for pimping my amateur cigar blog. I look forward to episode 32. Between Walt, Brian, Jerry, and Ed, the knowledge base will be enormous, and Walt’s video editing job will be painfull.
As for the infamous rant on the Opus X, I posted my raw footage below. You can hear Walt/Brian’s audio (while watching Ed and I deal with the studio audience and fumble around). But more importantly, you can hear and see Ed’s rant.
http://idiot0406.blogspot.com/2008/04/your-questions-my-answers-episode-30_13.html
Brian: you are one hearty soul to choose the El Cobre for an afternoon stick. I have to relegate El Cobre to the “clean up” cigar in a day because I find that it just dominates my palate.
Hey guys, good stuff.
Water vapor actually rises..as its lighter than air.
Hence, why clouds are generally up in the air, and we aren’t living in continual fog.
Actually, I should say less dense than dry air…
Tom, you’re one of the good ones.
And Ed, you’re my new hero. I feel the exact same way about the Opus.
Hey Walt. I was checking out the first segment. You mentioned tobacco from the Bahamas. I thought viewers could get the wrong idea. Being Bahamian myself I have yet to learn of any tobacco grown in the Bahamas on any scale worth talking about. The Graycliff does roll cigars in the Bahamas, but tobacco is imported form the usual South American regions.
zio698,
My mistake, the cigar I was thinking of was Bucanero, which is from Costa Rica and not the Bahamas.
Patrick,
Thanks for clearing that up. In my mind, wet air had to be heavier than dry air, which is incorrect.
-Walt
Walt -
Both you and Patrick are right. Larger dropplets will fall while finer (mist) dropplets are lighter than air.
Hey Walt,
I’ll send and Equus or two your way on Monday.
I was planning on sending you some smokes I was interested in hearing you review so I’ll just add a couple of those. Atlantic seems to just hand them out to whoever orders. 
I still haven’t had the guts to smoke one myself but ace did and survived.
Walt – The “Mystery Review” sounds fun!! You mention logistic and cost issues… no problem, Do one member provided mystery review per month. I am sure that over the course of a year 12 of us can provide a cigar each month.
Email me your address and I will send you the first one to review! (Unless Paul wants to be first… in which case I get to send the second!)
S!N -
I did send Walt a “blind review” cigar along w/ 5-6 others approx. 2 weeks ago to review at his convenience.
I understand the reviewers have busy schedules and time constraints which conflict with the reviews they’d like to do.
With that said, I’m sure that when the blind reviews start happening, they will be widely accepted by viewers and one more aspect of this site to look forward to.
The whole intent of my thoughts on this matter was not to put any reviewer on the spot, or see how accurate their palate can be. It was simply to add another dimension to the already well done reviews. Maybe add a lighter side with a splash of humor much like we get from YQMA.
My other thought was to have a team like Tom & Ed each review a different cigar. Rather than both comparing notes on the same cigar, each would critique his own cigar. Two birds, one stone.
The same format could also apply to a blind review by them. Or one could have a blind review while the other performs a standard review.
Let me sign off by saying I’m anxiously awaiting the first blind review just to see what type of feedback it generates. I think it would be great fun.
As for the humidity thing unless you have a fan in there or some heat source the humidity will fall. Only reason we have clouds up there as opposed to down here is that there is sunlight warming up the air/water and helping it rise. If you want to move it around you could use a real basic low power fan *either a PC fan if you can get a 12v transformer and feel like messing with that* to help circulate air around the humi… just my 2cents