Do you want to know why some smokers infuse their cigars? Are you wondering how you can flavor your cigars at home?
You'll see, it's simple!
Infusing cigars is an excellent way to enhance your smoking experience. While some cigars are already infused, most of them are low-quality products to which flavors have been added to mask poor-quality tobacco.
Without passing judgment, in this article, we will simply explain how to flavor your own cigars to achieve a new smoking experience.
The basic principle of infusion can be summarized as follows:
- Choose a flavor.
- Put it in a container.
- Arrange your cigars with the flavor.
- Wait for a few days/weeks.
- Monitor.
- Enjoy!
We will reveal several techniques in this article.
You will discover:
- What is the purpose of infusing a cigar?
- Why the choice of cigar is important.
- The flavors that pair best.
- The steps for a successful infusion.
- And more.
Let's start by addressing the most common question.
Why infuse a cigar? What is the purpose?
Today, it is possible to buy pre-infused or flavored cigars. However, originally, it was mainly a practice used to add moisture and flavor to the cigar by soaking it in a liqueur. It was a popular tradition long before cigar humidors became widespread.
What do you infuse a cigar with?
Some enthusiasts liked to dip their cigars in honey or maple syrup, while others chose what they were drinking at the time. It ranged from port wine, cognac, to whiskey.
With the advent of cigar humidors and the ease of humidity control at home, one might have thought that this habit would disappear. Not really. Nevertheless, the reasons for doing it have evolved, and the methods have diversified.
For example, one of the reasons is to flavor cigars that you do not particularly enjoy to avoid discarding them.
Which cigar to choose for flavoring?
In general, the choice is made by default when you have cigars that have been gifted to you and that you cannot seem to enjoy for various reasons. In this case, there is no question, and instead of throwing them away, try the experience of infusion with these.
A pleasant surprise could emerge, provided the cigars are fresh...
Our advice:
Alternatively, we recommend starting with inexpensive cigars. We are not convinced that you will improve high-quality cigars by flavoring them.
Moreover, it would be a shame to sacrifice a cigar from a prestigious brand for an "experimental" attempt, especially if it's your first try.
Before moving on to the next step, take the time to smoke one of your new cigars. Take the time to savor it. Take the time to "deconstruct" it, and finally, ask yourself:
- What is missing for it to completely suit my taste?
That's how you will get to know the cigar better and be able to imagine more or less reasonable combinations (still, avoid the most fanciful ideas).
Taste the cigar before smoking it:
Another advantage is that tasting a cigar before flavoring it allows you to distinguish the before-and-after and determine if the infused cigar is sufficiently so.
With experience, nothing will prevent you from flavoring it directly.
What flavors can enhance the taste of a cigar?
In the same way that wanting to pair a Sauternes with a ribeye steak would sound like blasphemy to your palate, you should think about "tobacco-flavor" associations to make a better cigar, while avoiding going overboard.
To give you an idea, here is a list of associations that are generally well-liked with cigars:
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
- Hazelnut
- Amaretto
- Orange
- Whiskey
- Brandy
- Rum
- Tequila
- Cognac
- Wine
- etc.
Think about the flavors you want to infuse into the cigar. Softer, smoother, buttery flavor profiles go well with lighter and fruitier flavors, while richer and deeper flavors are better suited to liqueurs.
How to go about flavoring cigars?
To infuse your cigars, there are several methods. Keep in mind that it is better to infuse a small number of cigars at a time, simply because if the result does not suit you, you will not have ruined the entire box.
Also, the more cigars you have to flavor, the longer you will have to wait, regardless of the method used.
Here are two infusion techniques.
1. Direct Infusion
This method is simple and quick to implement. The waiting time occurs during the drying process.
You will need:
- A baking sheet or a shallow pan
- Cigars you want to infuse
- The desired flavor (liquor, alcohol, syrup, etc.)
- Airtight plastic bags
Follow these instructions:
- Pour the liquor, extract, or infusion into the pan (or dish).
- Roll the cigars in the liquid.
- Once the cigars are coated with the liquid, place them in airtight bags.
- Let them dry.
You can potentially speed up the drying process by placing the bags in an airtight container like Tupperware with a heating lamp to facilitate the drying process.
2. Indirect Infusion
Not more complicated, this method differs in the waiting time, which occurs during the infusion. To start with, this is the method we recommend because it allows you to stop the infusion process when you want, even though the longer the infusion, the stronger the taste will be.
Moreover, it is possible to proceed in two ways:
A. Tupperware Method
You will need:
- Cigars to infuse
- A liqueur or shot glass
- A plastic box like Tupperware
- Ingredients for flavoring
- Optional: distilled water
Proceed as follows:
- Fill the glass with the extract or liquor of your choice.
- Place it in the Tupperware box.
- Place your cigars in the Tupperware box (no more than 4 or 5 to start with because the more cigars you infuse, the longer the process will be).
- Seal the box tightly.
- Store it in a place at room temperature and in the dark.
- Let the cigars infuse for about six to eight weeks.
Regularly check the level of liquid in the glass and refill it as needed; it may be necessary to do this after one or two weeks.
If you are using dry ingredients like coffee beans, you will need to include a source of moisture, such as a paper towel soaked in distilled water.
B. Freezer Bag Method
You will need:
- Cigars you want to infuse
- A plastic freezer bag (with a zip)
- The ingredients for your flavoring
- Recommended: humidity regulator (such as Boveda or Humidipak)
- Optional: distilled water and cotton balls or paper towels
Follow the steps below:
- Soak a cotton ball or paper towel with your flavoring.
- If you don't have a humidity regulator, soak the other one with distilled water.
- Place everything with the cigars in the bag (they should not touch).
- Let the cigars infuse for approximately six to eight weeks.
Check the moisture level of the cotton ball or paper towel frequently and re-soak it if needed.
With indirect infusion, taste one of your cigars after 3 or 4 weeks. If you are satisfied with the flavor, it means enough time has passed to adequately flavor them. It's up to you to stop the infusion process or prolong it to enhance the taste further.
Can I use a cigar humidor to infuse cigars?
If you have a nice cigar humidor, you might be tempted to use it instead of a Tupperware container (or freezer bag) to flavor your cigars.
You can... However, you will have to sacrifice it!
Your humidor will absorb all the aromas or extracts used to infuse your cigars, and you won't be able to use it in the future with other "neutral" cigars unless you also want to infuse them.
Similarly, after infusing a batch of cigars, do not store them in your main cigar humidor: they will transfer their flavors to all the other cigars in it.
In short: always keep flavored cigars separate from the non-infused cigars in your collection.
Which infusion method have you chosen?
You now know that flavoring cigars is not necessarily appreciated by purists, but it allows you to save a box of cigars that you don't enjoy and were thinking of throwing away.
As you have seen, the principle of infusion is not complicated and allows you to give a new life to cigars you found "average." The process becomes even more enjoyable when you try new flavors and have tasting sessions with your friends.
Have you ever tried infusing your cigars? What is your recipe? When infusing cigars, what flavors and cigars do you use?
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