This may not be the right season to share this tip, what with the cold weather here and strengthening in much of the northern hemisphere. Yet, with so many of us relegated to heated smoking rooms, maybe it is exactly the right season for it.
Many of our cigars come in tubes (or tubos in Spanish). These tubes are great for protecting our cigars, but as they are individually sized to a particular vitola, once we smoke the cigar there is not much use for them. Until recently, I had just thrown them away. I know people who have used them for arts and crafts projects, but really… once you have smoked the cigar, there is not much use for the empty tube.
Almost every cigar tube I have ever opened – at least, for every high quality cigar – has a screw cap, and inside it has a cigar and a piece of Spanish cedar. which both serves as an extra layer of protection, and to use to light your cigar. Some will also have a small piece of foam between the cigar and the cap.
Here’s a practical use for a used cigar tube that you might want to try.
1) Remove the cigar and anything else from inside the tube. This will include the cedar, the foam, and anything else.
2) Fill the tube with water. Do not fill it to the top – leave maybe half an inch. You’ll see why in the video I made to accompany this article.
3) Seal the tube, and wash it thoroughly. Trust me, this part is important!
4) Put the sealed tube in the freezer.
It’s as simple as that. In a few hours, you will have a perfect way to keep your whisky cool. Plop the frozen tube into your whisky glass, and it will stay cool… without diluting it the way a melting ice cube would.
Click here to watch the video.
Seasons Greetings, and l’chayim!
Passion For Cigars 