What is better: strip the cello from cigars when you put them in the humidor or not?

I usually do remove the cello off of my stogies when putting them in the humidor if I'm not going to smoke them anytime soon or let them age a bit...If I feel that I'm going to bring one to work to smoke within the next week or so, I leave the cello on so the cigar doesn't get damaged (especially if I happen to misplace my cigar case..which is pretty frequent)...Hope this helps..only my opinion...Keith

-- Cellophane on Your Cigars - To Remove or Not? --

Some cigars arrive individually cellophaned, while others are "naked." Here's the scoop on removing the cellophane - it's up to you. The argument against: if you have several brands in your humidor, the flavor of each brand will intermingle and "marry," and the uniqueness of the cigar will be diminished over time. The cellophane will also help trap in moisture to a certain degree for shorter storage periods. The argument for: if it's the only brand you plan to store in your humidor and you feel like it, then go ahead, because they will age better in the cedar-lined environment if left naked.

With the amount of action the cigars in my humidor get, I leave the cello on. This protects the wrappers. I have experimented with taking the wrappers off when I buy a whole box, but then when I want to send a cigar to a friend or whatnot, I end up short a cello-protection sleeve. Then the cigar arrives damaged and I have to replace the cigar, with another cello-less sample, because I tried to be cool and remove the cello from that one too. So I send it naked and it arrives damaged. Then I have a discouraged friend, where I was tring to have a pleasantly suprised friend.... So I send a replacement.....but I have no cigars with cello 'cause I tried to be a cool-guy and "let the essences 'marry'". So I send it naked......

an then there are the times I travel out of town, or go to a restaurant or bar with my cigars in tow. I get to my destination and pull out a cigar...... and remember that time I tried to be a hipster and remove all the cello from my cigars..... Then I think to myself.......If I have the time to take all the cello off of my cigars, I have the time to buy some vegetable gum and glue all the bits of cigar wrapper in the bottom of my shirt pocket back onto the cigar. But at that moment, my need for immediate gratification wins out and I stride over to the establishments acrylic cigar humidor (in which the savy barkeep has neglected to charge in the last 8 months) and purchase a dried out Don Tomas at the close-out price of $18.50. But at least its in good shape, as the bartender (not being an aficionado...) left the cello on. Then in the 7 minutes it takes this bone-dry peice of kindling to become a nub, I use the newly acquired cello to hold the remains of my other cigar wrapper freshly harvested from my shirt pocket. ..............................oh...........I mean....

"Check the archives, newbie. "

It's simple really. You put a word or a combination of words into the space provided below the words "Search the Boards" on the Forum homepage. You hit the "Search" button and voila, you are given a tremendous amount of information on the subject you are looking for. It's amazing really. Boggles my mind every time I do it. See, that way we don't bother our friends with silly, inane and often repititious (very repititoius), questions that can be easily answered. However, if you just want to say hi, that's ok too. Just keep it short....Have a nice day....Brent

Most craft store and all head shops have zip locks that will fit one cigar. The head shops use long ones for incense and they will ususally give you a few or sell them for about a dime. Craft stores usually sell them for about a dime in packs of twenty or fifty.

Thank dude. Do you know where I can score a dime-bag?

I usually remove the cello if I'm definitely going to be smoking them at the house. If I'm planning on tansporting or shipping them, I leave them in the cello(aka cigar condom).

Well, you've received the usual blather from those who hate repetativness, yet continue to repeat their plea to check the archives... Anyway, since this is a very common question, I think the real issue is this: Has anyone actually noticed a difference in the aging process due to the cellophane being left on??? Perhaps the only fair test would be two sticks from the same box, put into the same 'dor for equal time, one naked and one wrapped. I have yet to notice a difference in the aging, but I've never performed this experiment for lack of patience.

Leave the cello on, but try not to smoke em until the cello turns a nice shade of amber. Usually about 3 or 4 years. Does anyone have a time machine?

TOP

Hahaha!

Could this be the first cello on or off post?

Maybe...Slim actually answered the question!

Hahaha!

Marla

My opinion is you should strip, E-Chick.

AKA, a less frequently asked question is whether you should remove the plastic cover from a sealed box for long term storage. The answer is yes in most cases, because most plastic does not breathe. I recently bought a couple boxes that were 2 and 3 years old still in the original plastic shrink-wrap. I took the plastic off, but left the boxes sealed.

What eleltea said.

Here is an answer to this question that can be found in most posts on the subject. And on this point I believe there is little debate. It is added again only for the newbies and someone was bound to say it sooner or later. Okay here goes...

I always take the cello off before I light it. Ba Dum Dum!

Get it? Before I smoke it I take the cello...

Uhg

Thank you very much.

Steve

I think cello on or off for single cigars is a matter of preference. For long-term storage of boxes I'm not so sure. I've noticed that many of the boxes I've recently bought don't have cello wrapped around them. They have this stretchy plastic stuff (sort of like the old weatherproofing you used to tack over house windows in the Fall to help keep the cold out/heat in). I am cautious because it seems logical to me that this type of barrier would keep the humidity very uneven as the humidor is opened/closed. The danger, so I've read from a number of sources, is that by leaving this on, there is the possibility of condensation collecting within the sealed cigar box. Obviously, if this is dripping on the cigars there is the possibly of moisture saturation, mold growing, etc., that you would never know about it until you opened the box. Maybe I'm overly cautious, but the last thing I want is to open a box of PAM's that have been aging for a year+ (or any other box for that matter) and find them ruined. Therefore I ALWAYS take the wrap off a box before putting it in the humidor for aging.

Just my thoughts, paranoid though they may be,..........(Why take a chance?)

Jeez, if you don't like talking to new guys about basic stuff, you're probably in the wrong forum. Wouldn't it be easier (or at least more polite) to just not answer at all? Personally, I like talking to new guys about my hobbies, and when I'm searching for information, I investigate all sources. Why limit yourself just to the archives?

That being said: 1) I've been cello off since I started about two years ago, but I'm probably going to go cello on for a while and see what happens, and 2) Isn't it about time for E to post some new pics?

I'm with Cigarick,

Some of the people who responded to this post saying "Search the previous posts" were just plain rude about it!

Of course, you can search, but sometimes its easier to post a question than to have to trudge your way through ten thousand posts that all have "cellophane" in the title or body.

Plus, it gets people talking, which is the great thing about forums, and it lets us all share our knowledge, our experiences, and learn from others.

Now, about the subject. I usually leave the cello on, to protect them when I carry them around and to just not have to fool with it...but then again, I haven't been a brother of the leaf for too long, so I haven't gotten to age very many of mine yet. If I age them, I'll probably remove the cello, though most sources I've seen have said leaving it on or off doesn't make that much a difference in aging.

I never strip on the first date. WEll amybe for a cigar.

Cello ON!

I have found it doesnt matter, for aging. It seems to keep my cigars in primo shape while handling though.

How many times have you emptied your humi to rearange it and found a bunch of flakes off of your wrappers, from the non-cello stogies?

Also some of my best smokes I've pulled from yellowed wrappers. Just my opinion... :>)

Mag

I've said it before and I'll say it again, as long as there is no "seal" that is created on the cello or box wrapper, it doesn't matter because of the properties of diffusion.

Also, when you have 1200+ cigars it becomes a pain to remove cello off of all of your cigars...