Stogie Tips: Cigars and Dating

If your cigar collection is anything like mine, there’s usually a surprise lurking. Sometimes it’s a cigar I swear I’ve never seen before, other times it’s the long forgotten survivor of a box purchase.

But even in my generally disorganized state, there’s one piece of information I almost always have at hand: how long the cigar’s been sitting in my humidor. That’s because I have a system I’ve actually managed to keep up with. It’s simple, cheap, and quick. Although I’m incredibly impressed with computerized databases, I know my limitations. I might start off OK, but I’d never keep up.

I’ll acknowledge up front that my system does have a drawback. It really doesn’t work on single cigars that aren’t sheathed in cellophane. But that’s a limitation I’m willing to live with.

Let’s start with boxes. It’s hard to get any easier. I just take a Sharpie and write the purchase date on the bottom.

For individual cigars, I simply take any sticky label laying around, write the purchase date on it, cut the label if necessary, and stick it to the cello. I know some smokers use a Sharpie to write the date on the cellophane itself. That works, but I’ve always worried the odor from the ink could seep through and infect the tobacco.

Of course, you’ll still have to hunt for your cigars. But when you find a stick you want, you can quickly decide whether it’s one whose time has come or whether it should have more time in the box.

-George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys