I'm a DIY type of guy. I built my house, I built my boat, I brew my beer, I built my humidor, I roll my cigars. So I decided to explore the idea of barrel aging, which is all the rage right now. Rather than barrel age the leaf I decided to barrel age the whole cigar. Since I don't have a barrel I decided to age some cigars in oak sawdust to simulate a barrel. Of course I need to simulate a used barrel so I decided to soak the sawdust in booze. I wanted something with lots of flavor but I didn't want to waste any of my expensive scotch or bourbon on this experiment so I went with Port because it has a lot of flavor and would be more likely to transfer those flavors.
First I cut a bunch of red oak to create a jar full of sawdust. Then I pored in some Port, shook it up, and let it sit in a closed jar for a couple of weeks.
Then I put the sawdust into a tupperware and let it dry out until the RH in the tupperware was around 69%. I used a tissue to keep the sawdust out of the hygrometer.
Then I choose some inexpensive cigars that were pleasant but mild so any impact from my experiment would be noticeable. I decided on some Alex Bradley Occidental Reserve.
I buried them in the sawdust, put the lid on and let them sit for 2 months.
When I tried one I smoked it with a non-barrel aged one at the same time. The result was that there was a noticeable difference. It wasn't dramatic but the faux barrel aged was better. It had a fuller flavor profile with just a hint of oak. The port didn't seem to impact it much.
I may do it again with some bourbon and let them sit for maybe 4 months. Anyway, it was fun.
First I cut a bunch of red oak to create a jar full of sawdust. Then I pored in some Port, shook it up, and let it sit in a closed jar for a couple of weeks.
Then I put the sawdust into a tupperware and let it dry out until the RH in the tupperware was around 69%. I used a tissue to keep the sawdust out of the hygrometer.
Then I choose some inexpensive cigars that were pleasant but mild so any impact from my experiment would be noticeable. I decided on some Alex Bradley Occidental Reserve.
I buried them in the sawdust, put the lid on and let them sit for 2 months.
When I tried one I smoked it with a non-barrel aged one at the same time. The result was that there was a noticeable difference. It wasn't dramatic but the faux barrel aged was better. It had a fuller flavor profile with just a hint of oak. The port didn't seem to impact it much.
I may do it again with some bourbon and let them sit for maybe 4 months. Anyway, it was fun.