Welcome And What Mythbusters Is

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the world of Perdomo Cigars. We deliver the most authentic in-depth cigar education to you, the Cigar Enthusiast. Brought to you by third and fourth generation master cigar makers, your hosts, Nick and Nicholas Perdomo. Recorded at the Perdomo Studio in Miami, Florida. This is the Perdomo Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Hi, I'm Nicholas Perdomo with Perdomo Cigars, and I'm alongside my dad, Nick Perdomo. And you are watching the Perdomo Podcast Show. Dad, welcome. But today is very, it's going to be very different, but very cool. We're going to be doing some different segments, and they're going to be called cigar myth busters. Love it. Yeah. So again, this whole show is about telling everybody how it is, right? Coming from the makers, coming from yourself, and coming from from me. And really, it's all about there's nothing, there's no information that's hidden. We have no secrets. We at this point, at this stage in your career and within our company, we really want to share information and we want to

Debunking The 70 70 Rule

SPEAKER_01 1:10

educate as much as possible. So cigar mythbusters number one is going to be on how to store cigars. And always the the myth, as you and I well know, has always been cigars should be stored at 70% humidity and at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. And do you agree with that? No. Okay. It's very simple, right? So 70-70 rule, as it's known as, it sounds nice, but you you know, we know it's outdated, especially for today's cigars, and especially for the cigars that we make. So without further ado, please take it away.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

First of all, how can you have 70 degree Fahrenheit inside a box in a humidor? I've always wondered that. Me too. So also here's the thing the point is tobacco from Nicaragua, as we know, is very thick and lush. And because of that, tobacco is like a sponge. Right. The thicker the tobacco, the more moisture it is it absorbs. So in reality, and we've we have tested this for decades on what the optimum relative humidity at our factory should be when we send cigars out to our consumers around the world. And the magic spot is really about 65% humidity. That is optimal. The problem is, is if you if you go up to 70% humidity, the cigars are going to absorb too much moisture. What's going to happen? It'll impede the burn. We all know that moisture and fire don't mix. No. It's going to hurt the burn capacity, the draw capacity of the cigar because it's so moist. And more importantly, it's going to hurt the flavor of the cigar because cigars are going to be more musty because it's wetter. Right. In some instances, a drier cigar is much better than a wetter cigar. But we've been told this 70 thing for years and years. Even thinner tobaccos that have more loamier grounds and sandier grounds like Cuba and the Dominican Republic, I would venture to say 68% humidity would be optimum for those cigars. As technology gets around and better seed varieties go around, even tobaccos from the Dominican and in Cuba, they're they have more texture today than they did maybe in the 40s and 50s. Sure. They're more loamy. So what happens is you really would I to be cautious and being on the on the right side, definitely Nicaraguan cigars at 65% humidity. Look at that.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

That's your sweet spot.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

That is the sweet spot for our cigars. I tell everybody that. Matter of fact, we charge the cigars to about 67% humidity because we know going through the ships, going through the UPS trucks, that they're going to drop about a percentage point or two before they get to the local retailer, but we have them right there at 65%. And because most of the imports today in the United States come from Nicaragua, I think the retailer feels good about it too. He's going to save a lot of electricity

Finding The Right Humidity

SPEAKER_02 4:20

in his in his walk-in humidor by not having his humidification devices running nonstop at 70% humidity. The only thing I would say is if you're on the West Coast, like states like Arizona or Colorado where you're at zero, I would amp up that humidity because as quick as tobacco absorbs water is as quick as it dissipates when it goes in the shock. I was just in the Scottsdale area, and my God, you you go from humidified state inside a cigar store directly into a bone-dry state, it puts a lot of pressure on the cigar. So you could amp that up a little bit on those on those really dry, arid areas.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

For compensation. Yeah. I mean, to your point, water and fire do not mix. You know, you're supposed to taste the cigars the way they were meant they were meant to be, right? And the way we blended them. And yeah, I agree. 65% humidity is optimum. And you know, to to this point, you know, and basically with what you just said, we can agree that it's an it's unfortunate because it's been said for so many decades, right? But cigar storing cigars is not universal. It's certainly not universal.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

Definitely not. You go to my humidor, you'll notice it says 65% humidity. I'm paramount on that.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

Well, you started talking about it a little bit, but cigars are not all the same. And excuse me, actually, tobacco is not all the same because when you look at Cuba versus the Dominican Republic versus Nicaragua versus Honduras, they're not all the same.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

No, definitely not.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Yeah, and you're talking texture. So everything, the bottom line is texture is everything, right? And we've talked about it on previous episodes from primings to you know just ring gauges and cigars. And like you said, cigars and tobacco is like a sponge, it absorbs everything. So you have to really understand. And the consumers need to understand, our audience needs to understand, you spend so much money, you know, you buy boxes of cigars, it's your personal investment for enjoyment. And so it's so important that, you know, and I think this is a very important subject to talk about because we really want our our our audience and our smokers to enjoy properly and not get bum information.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Why do we go through all the the different steps to make one of our cigars from picking the right seed to growing the tobacco optimally to curing the tobacco to ferment and aging it, making an incredible cigar with incredible instruct uh construction, then aging the cigars in cedar rooms for six months, putting them in the right percent of humidity, and then all of a sudden the cigars get stored incorrectly. It's not a one-size-fits-all modem. It doesn't work that way. You have to work with what the tobacco gives you. And you brought up a good point in the previous thing. You have to look at what's inside that cigar. Yeah. And these thick, lush, opulent tobaccos that we produce and put in our cigars need less humidity, not more humidity for those very reasons that I mentioned earlier. And I think, and I know

How A Proper Cigar Should Feel

SPEAKER_02 7:25

for this for a fact, if you store your cigars properly, you're going to get a much better smoking experience.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Yeah. And here's a question I have for you. When you grab a cigar out of your humidor, and of course, this is because of habit, because of the millions of cigars that you've personally checked in your life, when you what should the audience look at when they touch a cigar and they press and they feel a cigar, what there's always like a give, right? You don't want it to be soft, but really what is what in your opinion, what should they look for and how should they properly use their fingers to test?

SPEAKER_02 8:01

Well, in in our in our case, we make a very heavy cigar. Sarah was really into high weight standards because the entubing method will be funnel we'll talk about in the future in our construction. So our cigars are really often about five to six pounds per per wheel of 50 cigars heavier than the industry average because of the way we make our cigars and also because our tobacco is so heavy. Right. And with that being said, what I like to do is I don't care if the cigar feels hard. Okay. It should have just a slight amount of tension and give. Right. But because we draw test every cigar, it's irrelevant, and because we make it a real heavy cigar, it's irrelevant. But what the smoker gets is a big bang for their buck. They smoke a Robusto that might take 30 minutes from from a different cigar, and they smoke one of ours and go, My God, I smoked a Robusto and it took 48 minutes, 50 minutes. It's because of the way we make the cigar.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Yeah, it's true. And and I think that's something important because I know from experience, from your personal experience, our personal experience. Unfortunately, smokers are looking when they press a cigar that they want that cigar to almost be like a sponge where it it bounces right back and all that. And I try to explain to your point, you want a little bit of give and you want the cigar. I'd rather have a cigar, and you always taught me it's better to have a cigar that's slightly dry versus a cigar that's slightly wet, because that cigar is just gonna smolder, you're gonna have to relight. And talking about previous episodes, wet cigars and slightly wet cigars can make you sick because you constant puffing, relighting, and you almost turn into like the cartoons where you st where you turn green and you just get sick. And so having a cigar that's slightly dry is 10 million times better because there's still some humidity to it, but at the end of the day, that's something that's really that's what I that's what I prefer. That's what I prefer.

SPEAKER_02 9:53

We've even done tests with 70, 72% humidity in our cigars. We would put cigars in those in those relative humidities, and we would leave the cigars there for six to eight months. We would open up and the middle of the bunches would still be wet because those Lietos were so thick that they kept water absorption. And we tested this. Yeah, we've done this for decades, and we knew many years ago that 65 was the optimum for our cigars, and that's why we do what we do.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

You know, Dad, I've been with you many times and with at retail stores and on my own personal experience, but I remember going into a store with you and many stores where you you walk in the humidor and you come you come right back out immediately, and you've said, Hey, your humidity is way too high. And I remember one time doing an event with you, and guys were having an issue with cigars not burning, and we're like, hey, 75% humidity, 73% humidity. That's that's way too much. And cigars are like sponges, they absorb the lihedos in the middle of the cigars, they just they retain way too much water, they're not gonna burn. And you know, it's one of those things, and I've personally done it on my own with sales trips with our salesman before. Like, hey, you gotta you gotta lower it down. I think optimally for retailers now, I think 65 to 68 percent within your humidity outside of Colorado and Arizona and Nevada, where you have bone dry weather and

Cellophane As Protection And Barrier

SPEAKER_01 11:10

so forth. That's really optimum, and I think it's important to share that.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

That's why we use cellophane. We use cellophane for a couple reasons. First thing, it's clean, it protects the cigars. People are always taking the cigars and putting them up their noses and squeezing them and doing all this stuff. I wouldn't want a cigar that doesn't have cellophane. As beautiful as our wrappers are, it's a cleanly issue, it's a protection issue, and it's also a barrier in case a cigar store has high humidity. That's why when I when we went to that one store and people were smoking cigars and they were smoldering, it wasn't any of our cigars, but that's that was the proof to tell that retailer, look at what's happening with these cigars. Yeah, it's not happening with ours because ours had cellophane on them to build some type of barrier in case there was too much humidity outside of the cleanliness issue and to protect the cigars. We don't want broken wrappers, and we see people always pushing and squeezing these cigars for whatever reason, and that's why we use that barrier and use real cellophane. The cigars still age because it's a wood product and they could still do it. It's not plastic or polypropylene, but it is something that protects the cigars, and it also protects in case look, I've been to stores where people have had 75 and 80 percent humidity, have paint brushes with this plume, which is basically fungus that's growing on the tobacco. We're gonna get into that. Yeah, we'll talk about that a later episode, but I've seen that and they think, you know, oh, they're shiny, it's better, but no, it's it impedes the burning and really the taste of the cigar.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Well, you kind of just gave away one of our future Smith Busters, right? It is a plume or mold, I guess. So we'll be talking about that in the future. That's all right.

SPEAKER_02 12:48

People will forget and they'll be interested in talking about it and the real reasons why.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah, and I guess, Dad, going to my last question, what are the biggest mistakes people make with their personal humidors and you storing hundreds of millions of cigars over your life, right, in Nicaragua and our in our aging rooms and so forth? What is an expert tip that you have that can

Simple Humidor Habits That Work

SPEAKER_01 13:10

make people's lives simple and easy so that they can get the maximum enjoyment out of their cigar experiences?

SPEAKER_02 13:16

It's like a Christmas box, your humidor, right? Everybody is opening and closing their humidor, looking at their cigars. Right. It's the worst thing you can do because you're fluctuating humidity and temperature consistently by opening and closing. I know you want to look at your cigars. I get it. Right. The best thing to do is keep that cigar box closed, your humidor closed. The second thing is I only change my have a great humidification device. That's probably the second most important thing. And make sure you have a decent humidor and follow the instructions of of what the humidification device says, okay, regardless of what humidification device you have. Also use distilled water. It's really important. You don't want sulfur and these small and hard water to hurt the cigars when you're putting them in your in your humidor at home. And finally, you want to make sure I actually don't change my, I change, I put water in it every three weeks because I've learned about my humidors and how to keep them stocked. But I I don't open them unless I'm going to grab a cigar out of them. Another question that's asked of me is should you keep the cellophane on the cigar? How do you keep your box with what do you do? Do you keep cellophane or non-cellophane on your cigar?

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Honestly, mixed. Me too. I prefer to keep cellophane on a cigar because a lot of times I'm going somewhere, I'm going out, and cellophane protects the cigar. So I like to, I personally like to keep them. And also the rate of cigars that you and I smoke, you know, it's one of those things where it is what it is. But I mean, overall, I have a mix. I don't I don't purposely take my cigars out of out of the cellophane. Because they I know that they do breathe.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

I do because we use real cellophane and we don't use polypropylene and plastic. It's more expensive, but the cigars continue to age and breathe in the cellophane, but it's also a great protective barrier, which is why about half of my cigars stay in in cellophane, because if I want to put them in my pocket, I want them protected. And that is a great way. A lot of times I'll take one of our Humi bags and put them in, but I always keep the cellophane on there. Now, the ones that don't have cellophane are usually when I'm going out to the balcony to smoke a cigar with you or mom or or anybody in the family or friends, so I'll keep them without cellophane tubes. But just in case somebody was thinking

Key Takeaways And How To Engage

SPEAKER_02 15:35

about that question, and I wanted to know how you do it, and I do it the same way you do it.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

Yeah, I do. And I think at the end of the day, Dad, closing this episode, I think people need to really not overthink it too. And I think at the end of the day, if you store to our audience, if you solely smoke Nicaraguan cigars, keep it at 65%. If you have a mix between Nicaraguan or Dominican cigars or Honduran cigars, you know, keep it around 65 to 68%. You know, just a little bit of fluctuation. But overall, just just keep it simple and really just enjoy and don't overthink it. But Dad, this was a great the first of cigar myth busters. And we have many more. I have we have a lot that we have There are so many myths. There are so many myths, and it really pisses me off. But I, you know, I think it's important that we unveil these myths. And I think we'll have a lot more trust and a lot more faith from our audience. And I think overall we're doing something really important for the cigar community.

SPEAKER_02 16:27

Yeah, we're getting them to enjoy their cigars the way we intended them to be as blenders. And look, I want people to enjoy their cigars. So this information and knowledge, I think, is very important to them.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

They spent a lot of money on this parameters. I agree. It is. So I want to thank everybody, Dad. Thank you for being on the show. I'd like to thank everybody in our audience for watching. If you enjoyed this, please like, share, and subscribe to our Podomo Cigars YouTube page. Also, check out our new PodomoPodcast.com and also follow us and ask us any questions on any of our Podomo Cigars Facebook and Instagram pages. We really appreciate the support. Thank you so much, and we'll see you very soon. Thank you so much.