The world of cigars and weddings

Figgy

I'm getting married in October. A tradition I intend to follow is buying your groomsmen a gift to thank them for helping out with the wedding/stag/bachelor party/etc.

One idea I had was to buy everyone a humidor and a few cigars. I found an online retailer who is willing to give me a discount because I will be buying six (one for myself and one for each of my groomsmen).

I'll get 25% off of these guys, making them $30 a piece:




Now, none of us are cigar aficionados, so I'm not worried about these being only 10 count humidors or even that they're likely on the cheaper side. I spoke to the store owner, and he says they're higher quality than most found, where they'll often use a paper veneer, etc. It comes with a divider and a humidifier.

Am I overlooking something? Are these things garbage, and they're just going to dry out the cigars?

I'm planning on buying some brass/silver/whatever plaques and having them engraved, then attaching them to the inner lining of the lid. Is this going to present a problem? Rust? Give the cigars a weird smell? Obviously, I'll have to be careful with the adhesive or whatever method I use, but the metal itself won't present a problem?

I'll also be buying some cigars to go along with them. A box of 25 would be fine to split amongst them, but which ones? Years and years ago, I used to work in a store that sold Cuban cigars, so I'm not 100% clueless, but it has been a very long time. My original plan for the groomsmen gifts was to spend no more than $75 on each of them, because I'll also be taking them out for dinner and what not a few days before the wedding. So, that leaves roughly $175 (or just over $200 if I factor in buying myself cigars) for this, but that will probably have to include the cost of the plaques/engraving/and perhaps cigar cutters or lighters I include with the gifts.

So a box of 25 cigars in the $100 range would be ideal, but I'd like something enjoyable for rookie smokers. Bonus points if they come in tubes or other fancy packaging.

Also, I'm in Canada, so Cubans aren't hard to find.

edit: And I'm seeing a lot of online cigar retailers that ship Cubans anywhere in North America. Obviously, this is kind of dubious, so I'm assuming their prices reflect this fact. Should I expect to get a better deal if I walk into a shop as opposed to ordering online?

ShimSham

Don't forget to give them a cutter of some sort too, because you don't really want to cut the cap off your cigar with a pocket knife. You can get a decent enough guillotine cutter for $4-10, or the bullet (or punch) cutters you can find and they are often small enough to fit on key rings. (I prefer guillotine cutters though)

Also consider maybe a small butane lighter for them too. Short of matches that'll be the best lighter for them.

edit: sorry, overlooked the cutter note.

Dr. Frenchenstein

bullets are less messy/easier, but guillotines are the preferred cutter by most. i guess you get more flavor?

I think you'd get better service if you went into a shop, but better prices online most likely. I think i see ads in the back of playboy all the time for ridiculously low prices on assorted cigars. I'm assuming the quality is suspect though.

Personally, i can't tell the difference between a mediocre cigar, and a better cigar. i can only tell crappy ones from the higher quality.

Figgy

Like I mentioned in the end of my post, I do plan on likely adding a cutter and lighter. I'm well enough versed to know how to prepare/light a cigar from my time in the shop years ago.

I'm chiefly interested in the verdict on small humidors like the one pictured. Worthless? Good for keeping a few cigars here and there?

And cigar quality, we're all likely in the same boat as French. Like buying wine, I probably couldn't tell the difference between a good wine and a really, really good wine. But I don't want to accidentally buy a shitty one, you know?

musanman

That's probably fine for what you're going to use it for. You need some propylene glycol though. Something like this, if they keep on it will work fine for probably longer than a year (just add some water!)

http://www.cheaphumidors.com/p_crystal-humidifier_HUMI-CARE.html

Figgy

musanman wrote: »

That's probably fine for what you're going to use it for. You need some propylene glycol though. Something like this, if they keep on it will work fine for probably longer than a year (just add some water!)

http://www.cheaphumidors.com/p_crystal-humidifier_HUMI-CARE.html

Isn't that just an alternative to the humidifier that's already included? That jar says it's good for a 300 count humidor. That seems a bit strong for a 10 count.

Stabbing Smoke

First off - Congratulations on getting married!

I've been smoking cigars for roughly 6 years now, so I'll give a bit of advice.

The humidor looks good, and is a decent price. Two things you'll want to check for are A) that you smell that Spanish cedar smell when you open it up, and that it seals well. You'll notice that when you close one, you can sort of hear the air being sealed.

One thing I notice is that there is no hygrometer, which comes pretty standard with most desktop humidors. You can pick up an analog one for under $10 a piece. It's inexpensive, and won't be as accurate as a digital, but it will get the job done for what you're looking for.

For the plates, I would recommend placing them on the lid or front of the humidor. While certain metals may not rust/mess up the taste of your cigars, adhesives will. Just to be on the safe side.

I haven't had many Cubans myself, but for my buddies who are newer to cigars I usually go for a mild to medium with a lot of flavor.

With this and your price range in mind, I'd suggest 5 Vegas Classics, Olivia Serie G or O, Padilla Habano, Punch, or Romeo y Julieta - Original or Habana Reserve.

Punch and Romeos are also great as Cubans, I hear.

There are a few sites, such as Cigar International, that will offer great deals on sampler packs. If you're looking to mix it up and have everyone try something new to find out what they'd enjoy - you may try buying a sampler or two. You should be able to get at least 25 cigars for $100 or less.

I hope this helps!

Rethius

The only thing I have to add is to give yourself a week or two to break the humidors in. If they're new, they'll probably need to be treated with propylene glycol for a while until they're able to hold the humidity in there. My humidor was super temperamental for the first week.

Beyond that, awesome gift and congrats!

November Fifth

Cubans can be of uneven quality. They don't age them long enough and the cigars taste of ammonia.

I would recommend the Carlos Torano Reserva Selecta.

As a bonus, they come in these really sweet glass tubes.