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About James Yee
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
My main area of expertise is Cuban cigars but I can also assist you with cigar etiquette, humidor maintenance and troubleshooting. Unsure of a certain cigar brand? Wondering what a certain cigar tastes like? Have any questions about Cuban cigars? Just let me know! I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. (NOTE: My main focus is on premium, hand-rolled cigars and not cheap, machine made, convenience store cigars.) IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT PROVIDE CIGAR OR CIGAR-RELATED APPRAISALS. If you have a vintage cigar item and you want to know if it's worth something, please contact an antique dealer that specializes in "TOBACCIANA".

Experience
I currently have 15 dedicated years of cigar smoking (an average 4 cigars a day) and counting. I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. For 5 years, I studied with Cuban torcedores (rollers), catadores (taste testers) and revisadores (inspectors) on every aspect involving the production of the Cuban cigar and I am currently writing a book that will help beginners understand everything they need to know about cigars and cigar smoking.

   

You are here:  Experts > Hobbies > Cigars > Cigars

SubjectDate AskedExpert

Boveda Packs7/10/2009Bill Finck Jr.
  Q: well i have a slight problem with my humidity levels. its currently sitting at about 73, and i ...
  A: Since the cigars are in the basement, I assume it is pretty cool down there. 2 things to consider ...
Boveda Packs7/10/2009Bill Finck Jr.
  Q: well i have a slight problem with my humidity levels. its currently sitting at about 73, and i ...
  A: JP, I've never used the Boveda packs so I can't give you a recommendation. Are you trying to lower ...
Boveda packs7/10/2009James Yee
  Q: hey james! well i have a slight problem with my humidity levels. its currently sitting at about 73, ...
  A: Boveda packs are excellent. They're fairly inexpensive and they work perfectly. They're available ...
little cigars7/9/2009Bill Finck Jr.
  Q: I like small cigars (ex. Between the Acts) and would like to use a roller machine with paper to make ...
  A: Rich, Sorry, but I don't have a good answer for you. There really isn't any good loose cigar type ...
Humidor Seasoning and Humidifying solutions7/9/2009James Yee
  Q: As a rcent conver to cigar smoking and owner of a new humidor, please could you help? I want to do ...
  A: Yes, if you follow the instructions included with your humidor, it should be fine. If however, you ...
Humidor Humidity7/6/2009Bill Finck Jr.
  Q: .I bought a new humidor.. its a 15-20ct..pretty small..I have set it up and I'm getting a reading of ...
  A: Rish, You want the cigars to be a bit soft, just not mushy. If you think the cigars are ...
Humidor Humidity7/5/2009M J Robbins
  Q: .I bought a new humidor.. its a 15-20ct..pretty small..I have set it up and I'm getting a reading of ...
  A: 67F 71%RH is perfect! If you want it to go down a little open the box, check humidity and if it too ...
Humidor Humidity7/5/2009Bill Finck Jr.
  Q: .I bought a new humidor.. its a 15-20ct..pretty small..I have set it up and I'm getting a reading of ...
  A: Rish, A hygrometer measures relative humidity (RH) - that is the humidity relative to the ...
authenticity7/4/2009James Yee
  Q: i was recently given two cohibas as a gift - one coronas especiales and one siglo II. no idea where ...
  A: The cigar in that photo looks genuine. The band is evenly printed and cleanly cut. The gold foil ...
Opus X and glass jar humidors7/3/2009James Yee
  Q: Silly question maybe, but is it Opus X as in the letter X or as in Roman numeral 10? Also, what is ...
  A: The "X" in "Opus X" actually refers to the roman numeral as it took 10 years for Carlos Fuente Jr. ...
analogue hygrometer7/3/2009James Yee
  Q: I have been reading the answers you have provided to everyone about cigars and humidors and I have a ...
  A: The first thing you should do is salt-test and calibrate your new hygrometer to make sure that it's ...
cooledor7/1/2009James Yee
  Q: I have purchased a cooler (aprox 2'x1'x1' deep) also I have a peice of spanish cedar about 6' long ...
  A: With a coolerdor, the cedar lining does not need to be seamlessly assembled with precision. In ...
Minimum number of cigars in a humidor7/1/2009James Yee
  Q: James, First off, thanks for all the info you have posted. It is a lot of useful stuff. I ...
  A: It's good practice to have a handful of cigars in your humidor but there really isn't any noticeable ...
zippo lighters6/30/2009M J Robbins
  Q: Being a cigar collector, I'd imagine you have some knowledge of zippo's possibly. I have a 4 lighter ...
  A: This lighter set is late 1990s. As a distributor of Zippo we still have some singles for sale and ...
humidity too high6/29/2009James Yee
  Q: james, i was recently given a humidor as a gift. seasoned it, and after a few days it was ready ...
  A: Adding a few small drops of straight PG is fine. It won't harm your madeline humidifier. Be sure ...
humidity too high6/29/2009James Yee
  Q: james, i was recently given a humidor as a gift. seasoned it, and after a few days it was ready ...
  A: To lower your humidity, you can add a 50/50 pre-mixed humidor solution to your humidification ...
Beetles6/29/2009Bill Finck Jr.
  Q: I am in the middle of a freeze treatment on a huge stash of stogies right now. The sticks have been ...
  A: Aaron, Sorry about the delayed response - I forgot to set my vacation days on this site and just ...
Adding Aeration Grate6/23/2009James Yee
  Q: sorry to use up so much of your time but my cigars are very dear to me and I respect your good ...
  A: Don't worry, feel free to ask as many questions as you need. Whether or not you should season the ...
glass tubed cigars6/23/2009James Yee
  Q: James Brand does not matter, but I received a box of the Macs that come in glass tubes. How should ...
  A: For cigars sealed in glass tubes, it's perfectly fine to keep them in your humidor. If the cigar ...
Humidor6/23/2009James Yee
  Q: I recently got a cigar box, not a humidor, just the box the cigars come in, its all wood, and it ...
  A: It's perfectly fine to use a cedar cigar box for cigar storage as long as it has a proper ...
Temperature question6/19/2009James Yee
  Q: I have my humidor running perfectly at 70/70 with no more than 1 degree or RH fluctuation. However, ...
  A: Based on your situation, your best option would be to invest in a thermo-electric humidor. ...
High Humidity6/19/2009James Yee
  Q: I just can't find PG anywhere (I live in Lima-Perú) and my 50/50 mix don't hold the humidity below ...
  A: Yes, it's safe to use reputable brands of odor-free dehumidification beads in your humidor. When ...
Fat Robustos6/19/2009James Yee
  Q: Hope you are well. I've been smoking cigars a bit more constantly in the last few months and ...
  A: If you like the Gran Habano #5, try Rocky Patel Edge Battalion. Zino Platinum, La Gloria Cubana ...
wet cigars6/18/2009James Yee
  Q: I recently received a box of cigars dated sept. 08.The cigars are so wet they wont smoke properly.I ...
  A: It sounds like the cigars are over-saturated with moisture. This is a big problem as your cigars ...
Fat Robustos6/17/2009James Yee
  Q: Hope you are well. I've been smoking cigars a bit more constantly in the last few months and ...
  A: Here are some mild-to-medium, robusto-sized Cuban cigars: Vegas Robaina Famosos Romeo y Julieta ...
Counterfeit Cohibas6/16/2009James Yee
  Q: I friend bought me back a box of "Cohiba Esplendido" from Nicaragua. They were in a glass topped ...
  A: Again, the quality of counterfeit cigars greatly varies from counterfeiter to counterfeiter as there ...
Counterfeit Cohibas6/16/2009James Yee
  Q: I friend bought me back a box of "Cohiba Esplendido" from Nicaragua. They were in a glass topped ...
  A: Were the cigars you purchased in Playa del Carmen also glass top Cohibas? Did they also have the ...
aeration grate6/11/2009James Yee
  Q: Would you recommend the aeration grate shown in link below: ...
  A: Yes, that's a proper aeration platform for your humidor. Before ordering, be sure that it fits the ...
Cuban cigars fake or real?6/11/2009James Yee
  Q: I just received 2 boxes of cuaban cigars which a friend says they are fake. 1 box is Bolivar Royal ...
  A: In 2008, Habanos added the second "Epicure" band to their Epicure cigars. This additional band ...
RASS6/10/2009James Yee
  Q: Mr. Yee: Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I am fairly new to habanos and am ...
  A: It's not very common for a recently produced box of cigars to have older, discontinued cigar bands ...
Makeshift Humidor question6/10/2009James Yee
  Q: hope you had a great vacation. Hopefully where cigars are plentiful and cheap! Anyways, this is ...
  A: Water pillows are fantastic. I like to use them as well. They maintain humidity very well, perform ...
Makeshift Humidor question6/10/2009James Yee
  Q: hope you had a great vacation. Hopefully where cigars are plentiful and cheap! Anyways, this is ...
  A: Igloo iceboxes and thermos coolers are perfectly fine to store cigars. In fact, these "coolerdors" ...
Plans to build own Humidor6/9/2009M J Robbins
  Q: I am hoping to try to build my own humidor. I can't find plans to do so. Do you know how/where I ...
  A: Build a cabinet to these specifications 1" solid wood like mahogany, cherry or? Locking mitre or ...
humidifier mold6/7/2009James Yee
  Q: 1 is it ok to wipe down my humidifier with vodka which is 40% ethyl alcohol instead of isopropyl ...
  A: While vodka is safe around your cigars and humidor, it is lower in alchol content (when compared to ...
Repositioning Cigars in Humidor6/5/2009James Yee
  Q: James, I have a humidor half full of Cuban Cigars. My hygrometers are reading consistently between ...
  A: Yes, to ensure that all your cigars in your humidor receive an even exposure to humidity, you should ...
Propylene glycol to season my humidor6/5/2009James Yee
  Q: James, I just bought a new humidor and started to season it. I wipe it down about four to five ...
  A: You're not supposed to wipe your humidor down with propylene glycol. PG is only meant to be used in ...
cigar beetles6/5/2009Bill Finck Jr.
  Q: I recently acquired a dozen cigars from a friend who was going to throw them out because they were ...
  A: Charlie, As the cigarette beetle eats his way through cigar, he excretes residue that is deposited ...
tobacco beetles6/5/2009James Yee
  Q: I recently acquired a dozen cigars from a friend who was going to throw them out because they were ...
  A: I wouldn't recommend smoking cigars that were infested with tobacco beetles. Even though the ...
Are cubans somewhat overrated?6/4/2009James Yee
  Q: It may be because im still a beginner, and learning fine subtleties. But I feel as if at the price ...
  A: I don’t think Cuban cigars are overrated. Yes, there are some Cuban cigars that sell for $30-40 per ...
Cohiba behike6/4/2009James Yee
  Q: first I will like to apologize because maybe you will consider this like a ofense but please be sure ...
  A: As you mentioned, the cigars are a "copy" which means that it's not genuine Cohiba. This also means ...

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M J RobbinsBill Finck Jr.James Yee
   

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