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Not sure what you’re doing for New Years? Who cares! It’s all about what you drink on New Year’s Eve. Here is a list of five fabulous alcoholic drinks for your 2010 New Years Celebration.

1. Lime Margaritas: This classic Mexican drink is perfect for any New Year’s Celebration. Bud don’t even bother with the Margarita mix, use fresh limes for the best flavor possible.
2. Waborita: This drink is simply a fun twist on an old classic. It’s made with fresh limes and is also flavored with cointreau and premium Cabo-Wabo tequila.
3. Tequila Twist: Of course tequila and citrus are the ultimate mix. Try these shots served with a frosted shot glass and make sure its rimmed with sugar and garnished with strawberries. A few of these twists will definitely twirl you off your bar stool.
4. Tequila Fuego: This literally translates to Tequila on Fire! This super spicy shot will wake you up and seriously energize your taste buds. You should prepare it with Tabasco sauce or Tapatia and a jalapeno for that extra bing.
5. Sangrita: If you happen to get your hands on a super-premium bottle of tequila, you might just choose to enjoy it by the sip rather than mixing it. Make up a dashing batch of sangrita and use it as a sipper in between tequila shots.

This New Year’s Eve go wild with these super poignant, super tasty alcoholic drinks. Let your taste buds keep you up all night and give your mouth some kick. All of these mixes will have you dancing on bar stools and well, falling off bar stools. Play it safe and always party hard with a designated driver on hand.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/five-fabulous-new-years-drinks-1610146.html

As someone who works in the cigar industry, it takes a lot to get me excited about a cigar. I’m used to sales reps hyping up the “latest and greatest” from whichever brand they happen to be representing. It’s their job, I get it, but it’s made me very skeptical. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover that one company always delivers the goods. That company is Davidoff and their newest line, Puro D’Oro, did NOT disappoint.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t already partial to Davidoff. I don’t think I’ve experienced many cigars smoother than the Davidoff Thousands series that offer such an amazing caliber flavor profile. Emerson’s Cigars is one of the few brick and mortars in my area, Hampton Roads, Virginia, that offers Davidoff at all five of their locations for such an amazing price. So, when I heard Davidoff was introducing the Puro d’Oro, I knew exactly where I would be smoking my first one.

Davidoff Puro d’Oro is a very special cigar, not only because it’s from Davidoff, but because it has such an amazing story. Literally meaning “pure gold,” Puro d’Oro is a testament to what can happen when someone combines science, creativity, and lots of patience. In 1996, Hendrik Kelner began experimenting with tobaccos for this cigar’s wrapper. His initial attempts with Criollo seeds failed, at least to Davidoff standards, even though they were meticulously and expertly cross-bred with specially selected hybrid seeds. Then came the miracle idea. Hendrik hypothesized that the red, clay-like soil of Yamasa would produce a unique, interesting, but rich flavor as a wrapper leaf. Flash forward years later and success was granted. The Puro d’Oro was born.

I tried the Davidoff Puro d’Oro at the Emerson’s Cigars new location in the up-and-coming Peninsula Town Center in Hampton, Virginia.  They have an extremely comfortable and chic lounge area with beverages and flat screens. (If you can’t make it to one of their stores, they have amazing prices on their online store- (www.EmersonsCigars.com) I decided to begin with the Notable. Construction was impressive, not many veins, with a classic pigtail end. I’ve obviously never smoked a cigar with a Yamasa wrapper before so there wasn’t anything to compare it to!  The initial taste was buttery with a slight hint of cream. This moved into notes of spice, becoming heavier and more earthy through the end. I really love a Dominican puro. I think the flavors are bold without being overpowering yet delicate enough to be enjoyable. The burn was as even as could be and held a brilliant ash through the better part of the cigar. Price points are pretty fair. Emerson’s Cigars sells them in 25 count boxes and pre-packaged four packs. The Puro d’Oro from Davidoff is definitely a lovely, innovative, yet traditionally packaged and presented cigar. Well worth its weight in gold.

I stopped smoking over 15 years ago because the Government had jacked up the taxes yet again. I wasn’t going to pay (I think it was $2.00 a pack)! That was it. I had to stop smoking. <br>

Luck would have it that I wasn’t sitting with my father on the porch discussing fishing, when I noticed that he wasn’t smoking. Here was a man whose cigarettes were so strong and raunchy, that I even refused to borrow them from him. He had been smoking these air pollutants for over 40 years. I asked him why he wasn’t smoking. He informed me that the company he worked for had a program to help smokers quit smoking. He had taken it and he had smoked for over a month.<br>

I asked my father for a summary of how he quit. It was really quite simple. They were handed out a book “How to Quit Smoking” (the author escapes me), he gave me the book. Whenever I had a cigarette, I would read the book. The book revealed how much smoking controlled my life. I would go out in the middle of the night to get cigarettes, or even something simple like matches. Or I would wait until I had finished having a cigarrette before I entered a building. The worst was when I moved to the North-east and I had to smoke outside in an artic squall. It was so cold. It became unbearable.<br>

When the break bell ran at work I would jog to the nearest exit to have a cigarette, and if I was lucky enough I could quickly inhale 2 cigarettes. During lunch break I would wolf down my lunch and jog outside into an artic squall, have two cigarettes. It was quite pathetic when I look back on it. <br>

I had tried everything to quit smoking, I was even dumb enough to take the advice of a dear friend. He suggested that I should smoke a pipe or cigar. The logic was that I would smoke a cigar or pipe instead of a cigarette. This would replace the cigarette which was worse because you inhaled the cigarette, but not the pipe or cigar. What a great idea.<br>

Shortly, after I started this stop smoking program, I was smoking a cigarette, a cigar, and a pipe. I was smoking so much, I didn’t even have time to breathe oxygen. I smelt like an incinerator. People would turn the fire extinguishers on me. <br>

I chose a long weekend to quit smoking. I purchased 5 lbs of peanuts, this would help when I felt the urge to inhale. I made it through the weekend. I would still have an urge to smoke, but I would resist. Now 15 years later, I am one of those self-righteous non-smokers. Unfortunately, I think if I can quit a pack and half day, plus the cigars, and pipe smoking, everybody can. <br>

It is tough at the beginning, but if you can quit, the urges will pass. There are now so many inexpensive aids to help you, like the patches, the pills, hypnosis, etc. it can be done.

Cigar smoking is all about shared pleasure. After all, it swept Victorian England and became a national pastime in part because it gave men something to do with their hands while they talked after dinner. And it took off during the so-called “cigar boom” of the 1990s in part because new publications, online forums, cigar clubs, and other social venues allowed cigar smokers to talk about their passion.

So it’s no surprise to find cigar-related events all over the social calendar of smokers around the world. In addition to the lavish, expensive Big Smoke conventions put on by Cigar Aficionado magazine – at least two a year, in Las Vegas and New York City – there’s the Ybor City festival in Tampa, Florida, free and open to the public. And that’s just November. Check out a few other, more-exotic possibilities from all over the globe.

The Dominican Republic is the world’s largest source of premium cigars, surpassing even Cuba (from which many of the country’s cigar-making families and technologies emigrated during the years after Castro). La Aurora, Davidoff, Arturo Fuente, and La Gloria Cubana, among many others, all operate there, and as of 2007, it has its own yearly cigar festival as well! Taking place in Santiago, the two-day Procigar Festival (the first of which took place March 5-7, 2008) featured cigar factory tours, visits to tobacco fields, chances to hobnob with some of the world’s greatest cigar makers, and cigar-and-liquor matchups. Companies such as La Aurora, General Cigar Co., and Tabacalera de Garcia, among others, participated, and the inaugural bow was successful enough to motivate a second – to be held February 16-20, 2009.

While you’re there, if you go, you may want to check out some of the other sights offered by this important Latin American cultural capital. The Dominican Republic was the first place permanently settled by Europeans anywhere in either American continent – the oldest cathedrals, universities, and European-made roads can all be found there. Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, butts up against its southern coast, offering breathtaking views (the Procigar Festival takes place far further north, in Santiago, but the country is not super-large in total area). Four mountain ranges decorate the country; the Cordillera Central (“Central Mountain Range”) approaches Santiago, so visitors to the Procigar Festival could also schedule a day trip to see Pico Duarte, the jewel of the Cordillera Central and the highest peak in the West Indies (over 3000 meters). And, of course, Santiago is itself located in the Cibao valley – between the Cordillera Central and Corillera Septentrional (“Northern Mountain Range”), which run parallel to each other – and it’s this rich and fertile area that houses most of the country’s farms, including its tobacco farms.

Or you could follow in author James Joyce’s footsteps and visit Zurich, Switzerland, where the expatriate Irish modernist polymath-writer completed large sections of his surreal novel Finnegans Wake, and where the Whiskyship sails every November. (What is it with November and cigar events?) This whisky-tasting event, which also offers three hundred premium cigars for the sampling, allows those with sharp noses and tastebuds to enjoy single malt whiskies from all over the world, and to enjoy the companies of folks with similar tastes. The 2008 Whiskyship will be the tenth such event. Switzerland, of course, features all sorts of other attractions – among other things, there’s the James Joyce Foundation, but also, you know, mountains and pristine lakes and thousands of years’ worth of European scenery – and would be worth a visit regardless.

Another possibility – albeit somewhat closer to home, at least for North American smokers – is the Nebraska Cigar Festival in Lincoln. Taking place in late November (which pits it against the Ybor City Festival and the two CA Big Smokes in drawing the attention of Midwestern cigar fanatics who don’t feel like going to Zurich), the one-evening event brings in cigars, munchies and a pair of drink tickets for those willing to shell out the admission fees and deal with early-winter Midwestern cold.

The cigar smoking culture has been embedded in the American culture for over hundreds of years. If smoking a cigar is such an important event, then the accessories that help achieve it should be held with the same reverence. Cigar smoking accessories are important in the cigar smoking experience as they can affect the quality of the cigars and, as an aftereffect, the flavor and aroma of each cigar. One of the most important cigar accessories that one should always have is the cigar cutter.

A cigar cutter provides you a good, clean and smooth cigar cap each and every time; this is important because, if your cigar cut is not clean nor is it neat, then the flavor and the aroma of your cigar will be affected and your experience will be ruined. Not properly cutting a cigar with a quality cigar cutter and having a bad experience can have you missing out on one of the best and most relaxing hobbies in life.

Cigar cutters are available on the internet and local cigar shops. Cigar cutters are available in different designs and colors and, in some cases, they can be also be personalized to fit you. There are also cigar cutters that are multifunctional; some of them are key-chains and some of them come with cigar lighters too. There is a huge selection of brands and types of cigar cutters which can have the novice cigar smoker a bit confused as to which one to pick.

Whatever kind of cigar cutter you end up buying, what is important is that they perform well. Your cigar cutter needs to be able to cleanly cut your cigars. There are three types of cuts these different kinds of cigar cutters provide. They are the V Cut, the Hole Punch and the Straight Cut. This is where your personal choice lies, as the kind of cigar cutter you choose will depend on the kind of cut you want to have on your cigars. Keep in mind that the most common kind of cigar cutter available is the straight cutter.

Straight cuts come from guillotines which can have either a single or double blades. The double bladed guillotines are much more efficient as they provide cleaner and smoother cuts on the cigar. These are also the most convenient to carry around and it is also the cheapest kind of cigar cutters.

The V

Electric Cigarette Review

When you are trying to quit smoking you have to be aware of the steps you need to take in order to avoid weight gain. Many people experience weight gain within the first month of quitting. In this article I will reveal several tips which will help you quit this unhealthy habit without gaining any extra pounds.

Don’t try any harsh diets. This is probably the worst time to try any crash diets. All you really have to do is eat a little bit healthier. Choose whole grains, lean protein, low fat dairy and plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. Electric Cigarette Review
Buy healthy treats. Given that you will crave a snack every now and again, make sure that you buy low calorie treats (such as gum or hard candy).
Increase your intake of water. In order to reduce your appetite and help yourself feel full more often, make sure that you drink plenty of water. A tall glass of water before every meal will help you eat less.
Increase your intake of fiber. Fiber, similar to water, helps you feel full. Make sure that you eat plenty of fiber rich foods.
Exercise. Exercise will help you burn excess calories. However, aside from helping you burn excess calories, fitness is also a great distraction from food and cigarette cravings.
Speak with your doctor regarding any cessation aids. If you are having a hard time handling this situation on your own you can always speak with your doctor. Electric Cigarette Review

Starting up a new hobby can be intimidating. Going golfing for the first time with a bunch of guys who have been doing it for years can make a beginner feel self-conscious about his lack of prowess on the links. People just learning to play guitar will go for years refusing to play in front of others. Even someone learning to cook might be embarrassed to share a less than savory meal with his family.

Some people might not consider smoking cigars a hobby, but it certainly is a pastime and it has its own intricacies just like anything else. There are traditions and faux pas when it comes to smoking cigars that any old puffer at the country club will notice and call you out on in a heartbeat.

Good-natured as the ribbing may be, it can’t hurt to brush up on some cigar “do’s and don’ts” before you have a cigar among the aficionados. Included are some suggestions for classy cigars and accessories that will show off your sense of refinement and good taste.

1. It is not a race. Smoking a cigar should be a leisure activity. The best way to start is to smoke as if it is no big deal. Take your time and enjoy it.

The Ashton Magnum is a smooth and creamy cigar that is perfect for new smokers. The aroma and flavor is remarkably consistent so you won’t ever get a bad draw. Ashton Magnums are made from Dominican leaves and shade-grown Connecticut wrappers. It is truly a cigar to be savored.

2. Trim the end of your cigar with a cigar cutter. Don’t try to bite it off with your teeth. This may look cool in the movies but it will just leave you with an unsightly and decidedly uncouth mouthful of tobacco.

The Double Blade Stainless Round Cigar Cutter from Orleans is an inexpensive yet fully functional cigar cutter. In other words, it is perfect for beginners. It works with a dual-blade guillotine action, which ensures a shred-free cut. It is housed in a durable stainless steel case for a long lifespan.

3. Don’t grind out a cigar in an ashtray. Let it go out on its own. This is a handy technique for being able to re-light a cigar later on. It is also polite to not leave the smudged out remains of tobacco scattered around in an ashtray.

In your own home, it is also nice to have a relatively clean ashtray. The Flor De Gonzalez Ashtray is made of simple black porcelain with the company’s logo in the center. It is square with resting places for your cigar in all four corners.

4. If there is less than a quarter left, let it go out in an ashtray. When a cigar starts to get that short, it will begin to lose its flavor. Nothing gold can stay. When it gets to the ¼ mark, it is time to let it go.

Another practical and stylish ashtray is the Hexagon Crystal Cigar Ashtray from Orleans. It looks incredibly luxurious for its modest price. It has wide stirrups (that’s where the cigar rests) to accommodate bigger cigars and a deep bowl for plenty of ash.

5. Don’t show off. Nothing screams amateur more than someone who makes a big deal out of smoking a cigar. Cigar holders and fancy smoking techniques are the antithesis of the cool guy casually smoking a cigar. You are allowed to blow smoke rings though. That’s a cool trick that’s not overtly flashy.

The best way to look natural smoking a cigar is to find one that you enjoy. In the beginning, it is best to start with a milder cigar and work your way up to fuller flavors. The Montecristo #1 is a legendary Cuban-inspired cigar that is made in the Dominican Republic.

6. Don’t chew on it. You are not Peter Parker’s grizzled boss at the newspaper. You are not a grunt in World War II. Unless you are being shot at or trying to ruin Spider-Man’s good name, chewing on a cigar is just plain gross.

Fine cigars can be works of art and the Griffin’s Robusto Natural is not something that you chomp away at. It has a rich and mild taste that smokers of every level can enjoy.

7. Don’t ask for a light. Seriously, you are a cigar smoker now. You should be carrying your own lighter around. In the worst case scenario, ask the bartender for a pack of matches.

The refillable Xikar EX Windproof Flame Cigar Lighter is far more practical than it sounds. It looks good and is affordable without appearing cheap or flashy. It is a functional, fantastic lighter that gets your cigar lit. What else could you want?

8. Don’t be afraid to let it go out and re-light it later. If you have spent some money on a nice cigar, there is no need to smoke it all at once and no need to waste it. Just scrape the ash off and rotate it over a flame for a moment to catch it again.

The Davidoff Millienium Churchill is a full-bodied, hearty, Dominican cigar that you won’t want to let go to waste. These cigars are top-notch and have a complex blend of aromas and flavors. Don’t be afraid to let it go out and enjoy the rest later.

9. Take your time warming up the end before you light it. This prevents you from charring the tobacco.

The Vector Vulcan Triple Flame shoots out a powerful trident flame that will allow you to perfectly light your cigar without over-toasting it.

10.  Don’t smoke one after another. You are not chain smoking cigarettes here. Cigars are meant to be savored. Take your time and enjoy it. When it’s done, it’s done. Get on with your life for a while before having another.

If you find yourself enjoying your new pastime of smoking cigars, you are going to want to eventually invest in a humidor to keep them fresh. The Capri Humidor is a lovely, affordable way to keep your cigars tasting fresh for a long time.

Smoking cigars isn’t like smoking cigarettes. It is a hobby, not a habit. It is the difference between enjoying a fine glass of wine and slamming whiskey before noon. Take to heart these tips and smoke in moderation and you will be on your way in no time.

For those who do a lot of entertaining, it’s hard to come up with new party themes. But the recent popularity of cigars offers a great creative party idea for stressed-out would-be party hosts.

Putting together a good party is hard – and gets harder as you grow older. In college, it’s easy enough to satisfy your guests with, say, a bowlful of pretzels and a keg of beer, but friends burdened with adult responsibilities – a job to get up for, a child to raise – may not want to drive out to your place just for some stale salt-heavy snacks and a can or two of average quality beer. So you’ve got to come up with fun new ideas. But this gets stressful, complex, and sometimes expensive as well. After you’ve tried out your first two or three great inspirations, you may begin to burn out on entertaining all together.

But there’s hope. Try throwing a cigar-sampler party.

Cigars aren’t just your grandfather’s chosen indulgence anymore – they’ve grown increasingly popular during the past fifteen years or so. After bottoming out during the 1980s, cigars became the break of choice for a well-educated, younger demographic, even as other forms of smoking went into decline. They’re just luxurious enough to feel like the break you deserve, but, since they’re designed to be smoked slowly, one at a time, and in moderation (unlike cigarettes), they won’t break the bank. Their infinite differences in taste offer the pleasures of connoisseurship as well: experienced smokers learn to enjoy the differences between double claro cigars (light and generally dry-tasting, with very tan outer wrappers) and maduros (dark brown in color and sweetish), between the great cigars of Nicaragua and those of the Dominican Republic or Turkey. A cigar-themed party makes sense if your friends are smokers, and it also makes sense for those who aren’t (as long as, you make sure not to invite anybody who’s passionately anti-smoking or allergic to tobacco).

Here are some tips on throwing a cigar-themed party:

1) Buy a sampler or two of premium cigars, until you have enough to cover the number of planned guests. (Keep the guest list small – you’ll have better-quality interactions, and you’ll keep the party affordable.)

2) Cigar samplers are easy to buy online, but be careful. Some cigar stores “lead off” with a too-good-to-be-true deal – an inexpensive sampler labeled “premium.” Usually these cheap “premium” platters actually contain only a few top cigars, and are then rounded out with cigar pawns – cheaply-made knockoff cigars. Make sure that your sampler comes from a high-quality cigar shop or online store, and that you know what you’re getting.

3) Once you have your premium-cigar sampler, assign one cigar to each guest.

4) On the night of the party, serve simple snacks before you serve the cigars. (Cigars tend not to go well with ultra-creamy or rich foods.) Hard cheeses, dark chocolates, fruit, coffee, and fine red wines or beers are recommended. Remember – avoid anything too rich!

5) After folks have eaten and had a few drinks, bring out the cigars. Have everyone head outside with his or her assigned cigar and a drink; light everyone’s cigar, and tell them to smoke up. You’ll have given all your guests something new to talk about.

6) If desired, encourage your guests to bring their own cigars, which can be collected and served as part of a “second round” later. Guests could compare the tastes of their two assigned cigars. You could even encourage one of your guests to bring some non-premium cigars, even off-brand gas-station cigars, as a gaga – though only if you’re going for a second round of smoking!

Experienced cigar smokers will enjoy the chance to share their enthusiasm with others. New smokers and nonsmokers will be trying and enjoying something new.

Remember when lighting to cut the cap of the cigar, then, using a wooden match or a zippo lighter or other full flame (not a paper match), turn the end of the cigar in the flame a full 360 degrees until every part of it is lit. Remind your guests who haven’t smoked cigars before that they shouldn’t inhale – this isn’t a cigarette! Pull the smoke into your mouth and taste it thoroughly without allowing it into your lungs. Remember, it’s about the taste.

Any time I talk about writing articles, I hear people say things like “I don’t have the ability to write” or “I’m a really good writer but I have a hard time with procrastination.” Now, I don’t have a problem with the writing. I know I can write pretty well but I do have a problem with getting started and then finishing.

Of course, staring at my computer screen all day isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. Certainly, I’d much rather be carving waves or mountains. What would you rather do: toil away all day on your computer writing article after article or simply rewrite some high quality articles, tie them together, make them look like your own and then do whatever it is you like to do?

If any of the stuff above reminds you of the person that you see every morning in the mirror, then these four ways that you can profit from private label content are for you as are the other four in Part 2.

Here are four ways in which you can use private label content to easily make money:

1. Take the content, plug your affiliate links into the content and compile them into a spectacular little eBook.

I just love to use this little strategy Now, for instance, let’s say that you have a website that sells cigars. You buy private content about cigars that cigar aficionados would like then compile it into a mini eBook. Then load the eBook with links back to your website and encourage your customers to pass it along so that it will spread like a virus.

And you can take it a step further if you have a rebrander program. Don’t know what a rebrander is? With a rebrander, your affiliates can take your eBook and place their affiliate link to your store in it. This really is the essence of viral marketing because now it is easier and more profitable for your affiliates to promote your web site.

2. Make a solid report by culling some of the articles together and then give it away to promote your site. Also, if you use a rebrander, you can rebrand the report and allow your affiliates to promote your website by giving it away for free.

Of course, most salespeople know that it takes an average seven contacts with a customer before they will place an order. A few people will order the first time, but more often than not, you will have to contact them 4+ times before they will order. The small problem is that you need their email address because they’re not going to just hand it over… that’s way you give them the free report.

Well, the better the report the more trust you build with your customer and the more likely they become to open their wallet. I mean, let me ask you this: would a report with 25 articles in it make you happy? Damn straight you would!

3. Simply create a small niche content site and make money by placing Google Adsense on your website’s pages.

I love Google Adsense… it’s the easiest way to make money! Why? Because even a small little website with only five pages can make me $5-10 per day. You can make $36,000-73,000 by simply creating twenty little 5-page websites. A 25-page site can make me $25-50 per day… 365 days per year!

You do the math. A small little website + submitting your articles to article directories = $$$$. Simple. Awesome. Extremely lucrative. And with private label content… very little work!

4. With private label content packages, you get hundreds of articles across various niches every month so you can load up your articles to go out once a week and have a newsletter set for a year in advance.

Are you like me? Do you like to spend time setting something up all at one time so that you don’t have to deal with it for a year or two? Just so I never have to buy any for the rest of the year, I always buy two cases of toilet paper at Costco. Well, with private label content packages, you get hundreds of articles each month so you can do the same basic thing.

I mean, wouldn’t it be great to take the articles and put them together as an newsletter that goes out every single week like clockwork? Wouldn’t that be spectacular? Every day, money will flow into your bank account for work that took you one day months or years ago.

If you want to make money with private label content, then these four ways are an excellent starting point. Of course, these are not the only ways to make money from private label content. In fact, if you haven’t already done so, check out part 2 of this article. Just click on one of the links in the resource/bio box below!

Tobacco beetles can not only eat your cigars down to dust, they can cost you a pretty penny. While not a new pest for cigar lovers, it is the leading insect that threatens stored tobacco. These critters do not discriminate. They will attack tobacco at any stage of manufacturing, up to retail and travel to your humidor.

Though it is the most common, the tobacco beetle is not the only predator that preys on tobacco. Several other insects such as the tobacco moth, the tobacco worm and at least 12 other species of insects feed on the plant. Many of these insects were trapped either in tobacco factories, warehouses or found on cigars left in room temperature inside homes.

The tobacco beetle, which is larger than the cigarette beetle, is mainly a tropical species. It is identical to the cigarette beetle except that it is larger and is black instead of brown. The tobacco beetle attacks cured tobacco in much the same way as the cigarette beetle. The tobacco moth is sometimes a serious pest of flue-cured tobacco on the farm, farmers say. Infestation may begin even in the curing barn and continue until the tobacco is marketed. Most damage occurs in the pack-house, where the tobacco is bulked before being graded. Infestation may develop from moths flying from commercial storages or farms nearby, or it may be already established on the farm and carried over from year to year in scrap tobacco, peas or beans, stock feeds or other host foods. Tobacco dealers and manufacturers constantly practice insect-control measures and maintains damage-free on insect infestations.

Having a humidor is not a guarantee as friend from Davie found out. Despite stashing away his stogies in his safe haven, he returned and found his Cubans with holes like a strainer. That’s because the illegal cigars were not properly cured and the insects were not destroyed before the cigars were put away, allowing them to multiply. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he said. He lost hundreds of dollars on the coveted cigars “ For a while I thought someone had opened the humidor or I thought someone had sold me a dud.” But a friend explained to him that Cuban cigars are the most prone to developing beetles because they don’t fumigate their tobacco. The don’t take the same preventive measures as the other countries do. But if you do have Cuban Cigars beware!

Below are steps to eradicate tobacco bugs in your humidor and how to prevent them from returning.:

1. First, double bag all the cigars that were in the humidor with the contaminated cigars, even those which don’t have holes. They probably have eggs and larvae. You can also use tupperware containers. One inside the other (Because of the extra moisture produced by the freezing, the extra bag or container will act as a deterrent for the moisture the freezing might produce). In a regular frost free freezer the temperature should be 10 F. to 15 F. above Zero. If in a deep freezer the temperature should be -10 F. Keep the cigars in the regular freezer for 30 days and in the deep freezer for 15 days.

2. While the cigars are in the freezer, clean your humidor with a vacuum. Leave it empty and open for at least a week. The bugs will die without its food source, the tobacco.

3. When it is time to remove the cigars from the freezer, transfer them to the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then let your cigars reach room temperature as they sit outside for another day. Return your cigars to your humidor and humidify them again. Be patient, don’t try to speed up this process.

4. When ever you come across Cuban cigars freeze them immediately, following the steps above. Better safe than sorry.

Long ashes everyone.