Humidor Ferret

Amazon Prime allows Unlimited Free Two Day Shipping on Millions of Items at Amazon

Maduro — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:42:00 +0000

I admit it, I’m an Amazon junkie. I get a lot of what I need off the web, and Amazon is one of the best ecommerce sites out there. I was skeptical when I heard about Amazon Prime and their free trial. Two day shipping free- one day shipping for $3.99. Nope, that’s not a typo, for four bucks you can ship millions of eligible items (items Amazon stocks, as opposed to it’s partners) to your house. Free for a whole month. After that they bill you an ANNUAL fee of $79.
Here’s what Amazon has to say:

Amazon Prime members enjoy the following benefits:
Fast Delivery
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items
• Upgrades to One-Day (Overnight) Shipping for just $3.99 per item

Simple Shopping
• No minimum purchase required
• Members-only 1-Click buttons on product pages
• No need to think about shipping charges

Convenient Sharing
• Members can share benefits with up to four family members living in the same household

Free Trial
• Amazon Prime new subscribers are invited to try Amazon Prime free, for one month.
After the Free Trial period, customers will be automatically charged the $79 annual fee unless they choose not to upgrade to regular annual memberships at or before the end of the trial period.

So I signed up for the free month, figured I’d order a few things and then cancel. Well the membership paid for itself when I ordered a big piece of exercise equipment. I paid an additional $4 for next day service, figuring I’d get an email explaining I couldn’t do that. Nope, next day it showed up on my doorstep. Suddenly I was able to expect 2 day delivery for free. I find myself upgrading to next day service quite a bit, it’s just nice to have what I need exactly when I want it. A month goes by, I did some math and my shipping last year was already over what a prime membership costs- so I took the plunge. I’ve been happily ordering for months- if you regularly order from Amazon it’s worth your time to take a close look at Amazon Prime.

A Cigar Humidor -Every Aficionado Needs One

Maduro — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:08:10 +0000

Owning a humidor is a true sign of a cigar aficionado. There is a common misconception that humidors are large and often expensive. Yes, you can buy large, even walk-in humidors that will cost you a year’s salary, but that it unnecessary unless you have enough cigars to fill a humidor that large!

The fact is that if you enjoy a cigar every now and then or even several times a day, you may want to consider purchasing a humidor. These handy containers keep every cigar at just the right temperature and humidity. This ensures that your entire stock stays fresh so that you can enjoy them when you are ready.

When you decide that you are ready to purchase your own humidor, you need to consider a few things. How many cigars would you ideally like to store? How many cigars do you think you will actually have on hand at any given time? The reason that this is important is because there should not be too much dead space in your humidor. This can throw off the humidity and temperature level.

Those walk-in humidors are most often seen in a cigar store or specialty bar, although some more wealthy people may have one as a status symbol. The majority of enthusiasts will choose to purchase a tabletop humidor. These generally hold up to three hundred cigars. In addition, you can purchase a travel humidor if you want to bring some with you.

As a cigar enthusiast, you want to get the best possible flavor every time you smoke. It is believed that aging in a humidor for up to ten years will heighten the flavor continually. While you may balk at the idea of waiting ten years to smoke a cigar, remember that it is entirely up to you whether you even choose to explore the aging process. Not everyone with a humidor chooses to age their cigars significantly, but the purpose of a humidor is to keep your stock as flavorful as possible.

If you do decide to endeavor into the aging process, then you should be aware of a few things. Not all are going to taste better with age. This is a personal preference and is not easily figured out without some experimentation. Cheaper cigars may not need to be aged at all, while some will greatly benefit from aging. Again, this is trial and error. A harshly flavored cigar will likely mellow in flavor the longer it is aged. If you don’t like the taste of a cigar, then aging it will not have any effect on your preference. As long as you understand that a humidor is not going to magically transform your cigars in a few simple months or years, you should be pleasantly surprised at your own findings.

A true cigar enthusiast will choose a humidor that meets his or her specific needs.

The Ideal Temperature and Humidity For Your Humidor

Maduro — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:34:41 +0000

A cigar is more than just tobacco leaves packed tightly together. A fine cigar is an opportunity to relax and enjoy the finer things in life. Don’t smoke a cigar when you don’t have time to fully enjoy it. Don’t smoke with people whose company you don’t genuinely enjoy. A great smoke with terrific company is truly one of the finer things in life. To keep that experience as good as it can be, you have to make sure to properly care for your cigars. We’re going to go into some detail on cigars and humidors in future posts, but here’s a quick rule of thumb. Keep your cigars at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and 70% humidity. This combination of temperature and humidity provides the perfect balance between too wet (hard to draw and light), and too dry (acrid taste- burns too quickly), and the moderate temperature allows the cigar flavor to mature without allowing beetles and mold. Keeping your humidor in a cool, dark place at 70/70 helps make that cigar the pleasure it was meant to be.