Posted by
GeorgeBruno on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 10:18:45 AM
I ask questions about everything. One time I had it in my head that I was going to build my own custom cigar humidor and I was going to go to my local big box home store and get some cedar wood. A friend told me “NO! ... don’t use American Cedar in a humidor…you must use Spanish cedar” Of course, I had to question that and did some research on the topic.
Here’s what I discovered. Spanish cedar is not really cedar as we know it here in America. It is actually a deciduous tree which means that it has that leaves fall off once a year. It does not have needles like the cedars we know. It has a fragrance similar to our cedar, but much milder. It actually is a very beautiful wood. The grain is magnificent. I once seen a guitar made from Spanish cedar and thought it was the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen…and smelled.
Now if you use American cedar, you will impart a very unfavorable aroma to your cigars. American Cedar is great for your cedar closets and keeping moths out of your wool and silk garments, but not great for your cigars.
It is grown and harvested in Central and South America, the home of my personal favorite cigars. It is beautiful in color ranging from pinkish to orange to reddish brown. Take an old cigar box, sand it with a fine grit paper, and rub Linseed oil into the finish, and you could have something pretty enough to be a gift. A stack of various sized Spanish cedar cigar boxes on your desk or a shelf is a attractive accessory no office should be without.
Every boy should have a cigar box or two on his dresser or nightstand holding everything from baseball cards, jack knives, marbles, plastic army men, and of course, his iPod. All boys remember seeing a cigar box somewhere in their home. Dad may have emptied his pockets into it every night. It may have collected receipts, scratched-off lottery tickets, bottle caps, or nuts and bolts in the workshop. Believe me, it was there…somewhere.
Need a unique gift wrapping solution? Go to your local cigar store and most of them sell their empty cigar boxes for a dollar or two. It’s cheaper than wrapping paper or a gift bag and so much prettier. Your recipient may end up liking the box more than the gift and they will probably hang on to that Spanish cedar box for the rest of their life.
Discover the beauty of the iconic cigar box. Every cigar box is a work of art, courtesy of the Creator who put that beautiful grain, color and fragrance into the Spanish cedar.