If you’re looking for a hobby outside of the more common pastimes, cigar collecting might be for you. Even if you’re not keen on smoking cigars, you can still collect them and appreciate the art that goes into their creation. Here is a guide on how to start a cigar collection.
Research, research, research
Before starting a collection of any sort, you should do a little research. When it comes to cigars specifically, you’ll need to know exactly what goes into caring for them. You need a humidor to store them in, as well as information about the different types of cigar and their needs. For example, you may have one cigar that requires 80 percent humidity and one that needs 60 percent. As such, you likely won’t be able to keep them in the same humidor or cell.
Learning about the different types of cigars, how their made, where to get them, and what care they require is a large part of the fun in collecting them!
Invest in a humidor
The humidor you choose to start your collection with will largely depend on which types of cigars you want to collect. A smaller, glass-topped humidor is a great option to begin your collection with. You can eventually upgrade to a larger cabinet-type humidor with multiple chambers once your collection diversifies and grows.
Purchase your first cigar
Now that you have the necessary tools at home, it’s time to start searching for your first collector’s piece. You can choose to go to a local cigar shop and peruse until you find the perfect one to kick off your collection, or you can research and decide which cigar you want. Some cigars are only available through import or specific places around the globe, so your cigar hunt can lead to some exciting adventures.
Research some more
Now that you have your first cigar, you need to learn how to properly care for it. A cigar stored at too high of humidity can cause swelling, making it difficult to smoke. It can even foster the development of mold, which would end the cigar’s life and require the collector to throw it away. Likewise, storing a cigar at too low of humidity can lead to it drying out, cracking, burning unevenly, and even burning faster.
Adjust, check, and care for your cigars
Once you know the proper humidity level to store your cigars at, enter them into the humidor and set it to a certain humidity. If you can’t find information on your exact cigar’s needs, 70 percent is a generally safe place to start. Make sure to monitor your cigars and pay attention to how they change or any discrepancies in their wrappers—these are indicators you may need to raise or lower the humidity.
Although smoking cigars isn’t an essential part of cigar collection, you may want to prepare in case you ever want to enjoy one of your collectibles. As such, you’ll want to learn how to properly cut and light a cigar. A fun addition to your collection could also be custom cigar matches—you can don them with your name or even the name of your collection. You can buy cigar matches wholesaleso hyou’re always stocked up and ready should the time come when you want to tap into your newfound collection.