Proper cigar storage is a primary concern for cigar lovers. You wouldn’t want to waste a lot of money by improperly storing expensive cigars so that they lose their freshness and flavor. Cigars will dry out in arid climates or absorb too much moisture when it is overly humid. In fact, they will continue absorbing moisture until the moisture content matches that of the environment around them.
(Freeimages / Jean Scheijen)
Smoking a damp cigar is an unpleasant experience. It is difficult to keep it lit and even harder to draw smoke from it, and the smoke tends to be dense, which can leave a sour taste with a rank odor. A cigar needs to have the proper temperature to allow good combustion of the tobacco.
On the other hand, when the cigar is too dry, the essential oils will evaporate, resulting in reduced flavor and aroma. The ideal cigar should contain around 12-14% of its total weight of moisture, corresponding to 60-70% relative humidity.
In order to maintain the optimal temperature and humidity of cigars, the following should be considered:
- Temperature and Humidity – It is important to monitor the temperature and humidity of your humidor. It is not enough to keep your cigars in a humidor and forget about them. If you want to keep your cigars fresh and flavorful for a long time, the humidity and temperature must be maintained at the optimal level. The ideal condition for cigars is 70% humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This condition will prevent the cigar’s wrapper from getting moldy or cracked.
- Quality – If you want a fantastic cigar that you can smoke over time, you should start by choosing one that is high quality. Reputable shops will sell top-of-the-line cigars that are well worth the money, but once you make your purchase, it is equally important to store them in a good humidor. If you start with inferior cigars, there is no hope of smoking good cigars in the future. Keeping bad cigars in good humidors will not make them worthwhile.
- Humidors and Humidifiers – A humidor is a well-made box that is exclusively designed for storing cigars. A good humidor usually has a lift-out tray and divider, which makes it easy to store and retrieve cigars. The dividers also help you organize your cigars better, and they give you easy access to whichever one you want to smoke at any given time. Humidors are available in various sizes and shapes. Depending on their capacity, they can store anything from a few cigars up to hundreds. The relative humidity inside the humidor can be maintained via a passive or active humidifier. Active humidifiers are powered by electricity and have a built-in sensor that determines if moisture should be added. Passive humidifiers are not powered by electricity but use basic vapor conduction to maintain relative humidity inside the humidor.
Storing your cigars properly will ensure that their freshness and flavor will not suffer with time.
