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Cigar 101
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How to Calibrate a Cigar Hygrometer: The Salt Test and the Boveda Kit
Your humidor is only as good as the number on its hygrometer, and that number drifts. Here is how to check it with table salt or a Boveda 75% kit, how to correct a dial or a digital unit, and how often to do it, from the makers' own instructions and the NIST data behind the 75% figure.
By Cristian Ortiz Suárez · 21 October 2026
- Cohiba Behike vs Siglo VI: What You Pay For, Cigar by Cigar
Same ring gauge, same factory, same brand, and one costs twice the other per cigar. A Cuban smoker's honest read on where the Behi…
- How to Read a Cuban Cigar Box Code and Date (With Worked Examples)
Two lines of ink on the bottom of every Habanos box. One is a date you can read in ten seconds once you know the Spanish months. T…
- How to Store Cuban Cigars: Why I Keep Mine at 65%, Not 70%
Habanos says 65–70% and 16–18°C. After years of humidors in Havana and Malmö, here is why the low end of that range is the right o…
- V-Cut or Straight Cut? A Table by Cuban Vitola and Ring Gauge
Which cut for a Behike 56, a Montecristo No. 2 or a Lancero: a table of Habanos vitolas by ring gauge with the cut that suits each…
- How to Read a Cuban Cigar Box: Seals, Stamps, Codes and the One Tell That Never Lies
Turn the box over. Two marks burnt into the cedar, two inked underneath, a warranty seal with a hologram and a barcode, a chevron …
- Cuban Cigar Sizes (Vitolas) Explained — The 2026 Guide
A vitola is the size + shape spec of a Cuban cigar. There are over 70 named vitolas in the Habanos catalogue. This guide explains …
- What Is a Habano? The Complete Guide to Cuban Cigars (2026)
A Habano is a cigar that is 100% Cuban-grown, Cuban-rolled, and licensed by Habanos S.A. Every other 'Cuban-style' cigar is someth…
- Your Humidor Will Betray You This Summer — Here's How to Survive It
Summer is the hardest season on a humidor. The reason is boring physics, the fix is four simple moves, and the trick is doing them…
- My Cigar Selection : A Leader's Guide to Shape, Size, and Shade
A practical guide to cigar selection — how shape (vitola), size (length and ring gauge), and wrapper color shape your smoke. The f…
- What's the Best Way to Cut a Cigar? We Settle the Debate.
How to cut a cigar the right way. Guillotine vs V-cut vs punch, the anatomy you need to know, and how to handle torpedoes — even w…
- The Secret Lives of Cigars: What 'Puro,' 'Habano,' and 'Tobacco' Really Mean for Your Smoke
Tobacco, puro, habano — three words that get used interchangeably in cigar conversations and shouldn't be. What each term actually…
- Cigar Mold: What It Is and How to Get Rid of It
Cigar mold versus plume — how to tell them apart, what triggers a humidor outbreak, and a step-by-step protocol for saving the cig…
- The Aficionado's Nightmare: A Complete Guide to Cigar Beetles
Cigar beetles can destroy a humidor in days. How to spot them, what triggers a hatch, and the freezing protocol every collector mu…
- 10 Cigar Essentials Every Aficionado Should Master
Ten cigar essentials that separate beginners from serious aficionados — origin, fermentation, anatomy, cutting, lighting, draw tec…
- How to Light a Cigar
How to light a cigar properly — toast the foot, get an even cherry, choose the right flame, and avoid the four mistakes that ruin …
- The Aficionado's Code: Cigar Etiquette That Actually Matters
Cigar etiquette the way it's practiced — not posted. How to cut, light, smoke, ash, and behave in a lounge without embarrassing yo…
- First Steps Into The Cigar World
A working beginner's guide to your first cigar — what to buy, how to cut and light it, how to pace the smoke, and the etiquette ru…
- Pairings and Gear: Where the Cigar Ritual Has Actually Moved
Mezcal, agricole rum, smart humidors, and the gear that earns its place in a serious lineup. A working guide to pairings and acces…
- The Silent Keeper: Why Proper Cigar Storage is Your Secret to Unforgettable Smokes
Proper cigar storage decides whether a $30 stick smokes like one. Humidor humidity, temperature, hygrometer calibration, and the r…
