Padron Anniversary 1964 Superior
42 x 6 1/2 Natural
Nicaragua

A number of my friends really enjoy Padron cigars, so I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. So I tried one. It was good, but I wasn’t impressed. Since then, I’ve continued to hear similar raves and reading good things about the Anniversary Series, constantly. So I decided that my next Padron experience would be one from the Anniversary line.

I found this particular one, in a shop over in Charleston, while visiting a few weeks ago. I picked it up, along with a couple of other sticks I’d been recently looking for. I knew it was supposed to be good, I just didn’t know how good. Boy, was I in for an experience.

I can’t say enough good things about this cigar. It might just be the best non-cuban I’ve ever had, it’s certainly the best I’ve had since we started this site.

It lit with relative ease. The burn was even. The draw was smooth. The flavor was creamy and full, but not overbearing. Sound perfect? It just about was. I can’t wait to have another one of these.

I give it a 9.5 out of 10

Most new small humidors come with some type of humidification device but being that the humidity if the whole point of the humidor we are making an upgrade here. It is inexpensive and will make using your new humidor much easier.

Our new humidor came with a standard foam type humidifier but we picked up the superior Xikar Crystal 50. It is easier to maintain and is more reliable. We picked this one up from Little Anthony’s next to Moe’s downtown for about $13. Just make sure when you fill it you use distilled water.

Below is the humidifier that came with the humidor.

With our recent humidor purchase we also grabbed a new travel case. Previously found through Otter Box but now under separate management our new case is a Cigar Caddy 2-Stick hard travel case.

Here are a few of the specifics.

The Cigar Caddy and Cigar Humidor 2-Stick

• Crushproof, waterproof cigar travel case that can float.
• Keeps Cigars moist and fresh for weeks. It is airtight.
• Cigar travel humidor fits perfectly into a golf bag, glove compartment, or tackle box.
• Protect cigars to water depths of 100 feet guaranteed!

All Cigar Caddy cases are guaranteed to protect cigars to water depths of 100 feet.

Like we said before, we picked this one up with our  recent humidor purchace from cheaphumidors.com and we are really glad we did. The exact same one from cigarcaddy.com is $5 more. This is a great case for carrying a few sticks to the poker game because it is small enogh for a front pocket or for putting cigars in luggage and backpacks that would otherwise crush or bend them even in some leather cases.

We’ll do other post on setting up the humidor, seasoning, configuring the hygrometer, etc. later. Don’t worry it won’t be that hard. But first since we are going to have alot of pictures we are just going to have a post on unpacking our recent order from cheaphumidors.com.

Again as a reminder, Packing List:

25-50 Cigar Humidor (The Capri)
2 Cigar Travel Humidor (Cigar Caddy 3140)
HygroSet Round Digital Hygrometer (Adjustable)
Guillotine Cutter (Ring Gauges: Up to 54)

We placed our order with CheapHumidors.com on a Thursday and had it here by the following Monday. Had I ordered it on Wednesday I would have had it in by Friday. I did just the basic ground shipping so I thought as far as filling the order and shipping went it was a 10 out of 10.

Here’s a few un-boxing pics:

Now up until this point I was a tad worried that the other items I ordered may not have been shipped. It’s just that the packing was so tight and taped well that it didn’t appear it had ever been opened. However, indeed my additional items were shipped inside the humidor. Here are some pictures of the rest of the items.

We’re going to do separate post for each of the items in this purchase to highlight each one throughout the rest of the week.

Thanks to Cigar Aficionado for this tip.

Q: There’s plenty of spring cleaning to do around the house, but what about inside my humidor? Should that get a good cleaning as well?

A: Yes, but humidor maintenance should be done regularly.

Keeping your humidor in top condition should be a year-round endeavor, but a thorough spring cleaning won’t hurt. This may include emptying your humidor of its cigars and cleaning out any loose bits of tobacco that may have collected in the bottom. And when we say clean, we mean use a damp cloth: Never introduce soap or any cleaning solution to your humidor, unless you want your puros to taste like Palmolive.

While you’re housekeeping, check for evidence of cigar beetles, blemishes or mold — as opposed to plume which is a sign of aging — and rotate your smokes to ensure they’re receiving equal amounts of humidity. Also change the battery in your digital hygrometer and recharge your humidifying element with a 50/50 mix of propylene glycol. If it’s very old, you may want to even replace the element. And remember: These are things that you should do on a regular basis, not just at the onset of spring.

SOURCE: cigaraficionado.com

Here’s a heads up on a few of our upcoming reviews. We’d love to get your opinions and reviews on these too so go ahead and grab a few of these and do a write up to send in when we post the review.

- Ashton VSG Robusto (5 1/2 x 50)
- Padron Anniversary
- Montecristo Villenueva
- Joya de Nicaragua Puro Celebracion
- Romeo Y Julieta Habana Reserve

This was my first venture into this brand. And honestly, I haven’t heard or seen many reviews about it, good or bad. Generally, this turns out to be a good thing, so you don’t end up with some pre-concieved notions about any particular smoke.

Anway, this was also my first experience with a “box pressed” stick. For some reason, I consider this “box press” as some sort of novelty, it just seems strange. After some brief, initial difficulty getting it lit, it proceeded to have a smooth draw. However, the burn was quite uneven and made enjoying it a bit more work, as I had to continue to work it even.
The flavor was smooth and mild, making it a good starter stick for the novice smoker.
The finish still mild but was some work, having to re-light a time or two.

I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

More Information on this Cigar:

J.L. SALAZAR y HERMANOS Reserva Especial Robusto is a typical Box-Pressed cigar.  The tobacco leaves in the cigars are aged for over three years and specially cured through four fermentations.

Size: 5.5 ” x 52

We have heard of people finding humidors in T.J. Maxx stores for some time. Jonathan even picked one up there in the last month or two. So we decided to stop by and see if they got any more in. Well, they did. They have two pretty nice mid-sized (50-100) humidors on their shelves. Both humidors had trays, dividers, hygrometers, and humidifiers. Here are a few pics of what they had on 6/7/08. Let us know if you get one of these and how you like it. Also,where else have you seen humidors and other accessories outside of the traditional Cigar & Tobacco shops?

Glass Top Humidor($39.99)

Light Wood Humidor (59.99 - Slightly larger than glass top humidor)

We are going to show you the process from start to finish with a small entry level, affordable 25-50 humidor. It is ‘The Capri’ from cheaphumidors.com. We picked it up for just $21.99 with a $20 digital hygrometer upgrade. It comes with a humidifier but we are going to pick up a better one from Little Anthony’s that works much better (We’ll have a post for this later). The methods and things we will go through for this humidor will apply to any one you find around the same size. Here is a little information about the humidor we have ordered:

25-50 Cigar Humidor
The Capri
(item # HUM-25)

Features

* SureSeal™ Technology Standard
* Comes with Humidifier
* Scratch Resistant Felt Bottom
* Lined with Kiln Dried Spanish Cedar
* Solid Brass Quadrant-Hinges
* Beautiful Mahagony Finish
* Lifetime Warranty
* 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
* Setup Instructions

Dimensions: 10 1/4” W x 8 3/4” D x 4 1/4” H

As soon as it comes in we will document the process from unpacking to seasoning. Enjoy…

This article below from cheaphumidors.com will help anyone getting there first humidor or thinking about getting one ready to set it up.

When most people get their new humidor home, they are anxious to fill it up with their collection of smokes. If you do this without first re-humidifying the wood, you may ruin your cigars. Why? The wood has not had a chance to reach its equilibrium. So when you put your cigars in, the wood will absorb their moisture and you will be left with dry useless cigars. Not exactly the reason you bought a humidor, huh? To solve this problem, all humidors should be re-humidified before their first use.

Re-humidifying your humidor is easy, just follow these simple steps:

• Place a shallow container filled with distilled water in the humidor
• Place calibrated hygrometer inside humidor
• Charge your humidification device
• Place humidification device inside humidor

You have to check the relative humidity every day. Depending on a number of factors this can take a few days to a few weeks. When you get in the 70 range it is safe to store you smokes inside. As long as you constantly recharge your humidification device you will never have to wait to store your cigars again. I always suggest waiting at least 7-10 days, no matter what the hygrometer says before putting cigars in a new humidor.