Make Shift Humidor

We have all been there. You just spent 10 buck-a-roos on a fine cigar you plan to smoke that night and all a sudden plans change. Why? I do not know maybe there was a sale at Nordstrom’s were anything you can fit in your arms is completely free! But point here is that your not going to be able to smoke your cigar when your assumed you were going to. Since your working on building wealth and a cigar collection but at this point in life you still only have enough in your bank to cover your bills and some food, and you buy a cigar one at a time (no humidor). OK maybe your finically comfortable and don’t ever want a cigar collection, so you don’t have a humidor. Well my friend I have been there (broke scenario, no humidor). No humidor but you have to preserve your cigar someway? You don’t want to waste a potentially good cigar because you have to wait a few days. What to do?

No worries my friend! I have ruined enough cigars by having to wait that I have found something a friends little brother thought might work. Make a way the moisture stays with the cigar( love little bros). At this point I would say ALWAYS, ALWAYS GET A BAG WITH YOU PURCHASE OR ELSE THIS WONT HELP! There I was two cigars and changed plans. Lucky I got a bag. Follow these steps to preserve your cigar(s) for a few days. This is only a make shift alternative.



1st make sure your cigars are wrapped if not they don’t rest on anything wet.

2nd get a paper towel and fold it very neatly so it looks like the picture.

3rd Run warm or hot water depending on where you live and time of year to result in the desirable amount of moisture. DON’T SOAK IT JUST MOISTEN Example I reside in Utah and the day I did this it was warm and dry so I used hot water to help create moisture.

4th Place the moist paper cloth inside the bag with the cigar(s). Not touching. Just inside along with.

5th Put contents in a cool even temperature place. Not to dark or direct sunlight

Important to note: Temp should be around 70 degrees moisture should be about 70% avoid too hot will evaporate water and dry cigar(s) or too moist fungus and mildew can happen.

Hope this will help you prolong the life of your cigar due to changed plans or whatever else is preventing you from smoking your cigar sooner.

It you think this is not correct then make a comment or else.

Who knew. 50 yr old Barber Shop would have a connection to the babysitter of my wife?

Someone once told me you have to choose, you cant have everything (or I once heard in a Leona Lewis song Happy via Pandora as I write this) regardless I beg to differ. Here I was Tuesday May 4th I was in bad need of a cut. Like usual I was on Twitter via TweetDeck and I see this: “I'm at Ray's Barber Shop in Salt Lake City, UT” by dcharrison in the #slc column I have set up on TweetDeck. My thoughts instantly was this must be a prank, just someone who works at Rays Barber Shop mentioning their work to attract customer from all over the valley? No. Come to find out it is a long time customer of Rays I think I saw a recent tweet by dcharrison something like 15 years.

So what else to do once making my decision where to visit next, google where it is. After finding out that Rays is one of the target barber shops I have on a growing list of “Barber Shop hits” I remember I drove past this place near my home tucked away in Millcreek on 2100 East and about 1300 South. What a lucky thing for me because I had a business dinner that I had to attend later that night. So being close to my home I quickly ducked out from work being it was approved by my manager of course and visited this very special barber shop.

I must admit I had no appointment, I forgot my camera and pulling up quickly remembered both of these. Lucky for me the neon NO WAIT sign was lit and I had to rely on my handy dandy Iphone (better pictures of Rays bottom of post). Literally as soon as I got out the car my phone rang, my coworker from my other job seeing if I had time for a conference call regarding our dinner that night. What was I suppose to do say no? (he is married to the boss!) Truly. But then again we are all best friends. So I make the call connect all the parties letting them know I am about to get a hair cut at my next barber shop, they know all about my barber shop enthusiasm. I am doing the thing I hate the most being somewhere I am suppose to be off the phone and being on the phone. People inside Ray's must have thought I was weird walking back and forth finally opening the door to only see my phone stuck to my ear and walking back and fourth in their shop. Why am I mentioning this here? Because with being on a conference call there was times when I was not directly needing to listen you know when other parties are speaking with each other and your just kinda there. Well in these few moments I was able to get an outsiders listen and vibe judging on our Ray's Barber Shop. I can truly say this place is legit barber aura. There were people laughing hard not just those sympathy public laughs but like a friends would laugh with each other. There was a smell that only a classic barber shop can obtain. Finally! “Good bye I will see you all this evening.” Call was over.

Up next though I felt like a trespasser not quite new customer after all I was parading back and fourth in the entrance of the shop, and not as much a repeat customer. I was in the grey zone. I had no idea what I was suppose to do next. So I waited.....nothing. How can one barber shop veteran be so confused in a barber shop? Well I will tell you smarties. Its split in two!!! YES. Two different areas. Once you walk in to your right is a well decorated (barber shop lingo: older, vintage and well equipped) area and straight ahead is another. Different feel to them both. What happened next really clued me in, another patron came in and grabbed a number. Now I have written my name down on a sheet in plenty of barber shops, and played the game “uh he was here first”, but yet to pull a number. Thats why I was so confused it was not my norm but for them it is. Here is how its broken up. The area to your right when you walk in is VIP “appointments only” and the area straight ahead if common folk “walk ins” however after speaking with my barber Bonnie she informed me the “other side” will take walk ins if they are slow or have no appointments, and you can request an appointment with any barber even on the walk in side. Bonnie runs her Bonnie's Haircuts (check review found online by clicking Bonnie) out off Ray's she only does appointments on Mondays. Good to know, now!

After all this damn confusion caused by only me is figured out I walk back over the the walk in side and Bonnie my barber comes and greets me. Bonnie is her name. I was hesitant at first I did not admit that to her, but after finding out the “other side” is all appointments and the side I am on is walk ins makes me second guess not making a appointment. So I let Bonnie know I might take some pictures I am working on a blog that focuses on barber shops in SLC, she was cool with it and starts educating me about Ray's.

She said the shop has been around for some 50 years in SLC. It was owned by different people back when and she started working there a few years back. She was telling me how she just picked up a few hours before moving to Israel! Now I hardly meet people who move to Israel..wait that was my first. We started talking about why she went to Israel about all the history and everything. I was saying most people in UT who leave for a few years go on a LDS mission, and was curious if this might be why she went. She informed me that was not why she personally went. Oh okay. I starting telling her how I attend a non-domination christian church in Draper. No sooner had I said the name that Bonnie said she attended one in Salt Lake. At that moment I played to ol' to great game “do you know”. Well happens to be that the person I asked her if she knew married her sister! I was like really? That means she was THE BONNIE! NO I do not know any secrets about her BUT I do know she baby sat my wife when she was a teenage. My wife told me all about her. How cool she was and she had some pet birds or maybe someone in the family did when my lovely wife was just a young girl.

WOW now the barber I am getting to know is BONNIE. What a small world I thought. Makes for a great blog story also including telling her bro-in-law my good friend. Well it got smaller her husband is good friends with the people I was on the conference call with and we just laughed.

Now Ray's is owned by someone else, who has barbering in their blood. I have heard the owner's uncle owns 9 to 9 barber shop in Draper (the shop that got me wide-eyed over barber shops). Ray's shop is set up nicely. One unique thing they had at Ray's was a real shoe shine chair. Yes you can wear your shoes in and have them shined. Ray's has a wonderful story and history. I feel like I should not include all that story here now, because I can tell you OR you can find out for yourself by visting Ray's.

As the barber cuts your hair they position you toward 1 of the flat screens that had ESPN on. Nice touch! The cut was $13 but I saw a sign for straight razor shave and I have been getting request to refer people to places but I have not had any I would recommend. I said I would be back to try it and then if I liked it I would refer there. So if anyone knows of any barber shops that do a superb job with straight razor face shaves please let me know. BEST OF ALL they end their hair cuts the good ol' fashioned way! Classic shoulder massage! My hair looks professional and clean. Great job and very special barber shop experience for the barber shop connoisseur.

This is my story and I might stick by it. Hope you enjoyed. I would love to hear your barber shop experience and if you have received a face shave via straight razor from a professional where and who?

Found some professional pictures taken of inside of Ray's by Chris Detrick of the Salt Lake Tribune. Check them out. Click to view