Cigar FAQs

Short answers, in plain language, to the questions that come up most often in our newsletter and our app’s support channel. The longer treatments live in the blog; if you want the full why, follow the link at the bottom of each answer.

How do I organise my humidor?

How to lay out a humidor so you can find what you smoke, track what is resting, and stop losing cigars to the bottom of the cedar tray.

Is 65%, 69%, or 72% humidity better for cigars?

How to pick between Boveda’s three premium-cigar humidity levels, the burn and flavour trade-offs, and which one suits your storage situation.

What is plume on a cigar?

What plume actually is, how to tell it apart from mould, and what to do when you find white powder on an aged cigar.

What is ammonia in cigars?

Why fresh cigars carry ammonia, how the off-gassing curve actually behaves, and what to do when you smell it on a cigar in your humidor.

How can I tell if a cigar is too wet?

The five signs of an over-humidified cigar, the patient drying that fixes it, and why forcing the issue with desiccant ruins the wrapper.

How can I tell if a cigar is too dry?

The five signs of a dehydrated cigar, the slow rehydration that fixes it, and why blasting it with high humidity makes the problem worse.

What happens if I smoke a cigar too soon?

The two failure modes a too-fresh cigar produces, why they happen, and how to recognise them before you write off a blend.

What is a puro?

The cigar made from a single country’s tobacco, why blenders choose this discipline, and which countries do it best.

What is the filler of a cigar?

The inner blend that does most of the work, the difference between long and short filler, and why filler choice defines the cigar’s body.

What is the binder of a cigar?

The structural leaf you never see, what it does for combustion, and why blenders pick binders carefully even though no one tastes them directly.