You just received a box of cigars as a gift on a special occasion. Provided that you’re an expert, there’re strong chances that you’re not well-equipped with the ways in which you can store the cigars and keep them fresh.
It’s extremely important to keep your cigars fresh if you want to have an enjoyable experience in totality. To do this, the most basic thing that you can do is maintain a consistent temperature and humidity identical to the one where the cigar was made. Apart from that, there are several other steps that can be followed to make your smoking experience a pleasurable one.
Remember, there is no single rule to keep your cigars fresh. All you need to ensure is consistency to enjoy a good cigar loaded with all its flavors and crispness.
What is the Best Way to Store Cigars?
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Without a doubt, the best and the most effective way to store cigars is to put them in a humidor. Not only does it require little maintenance but also maintains the overall construction of your cigars. A humidor sets up a temperature identical to that of the place where cigars are manufactured. Additionally, a humidor can be refurbished to suit the amount and type of cigars that you’re planning to store in there.
The list of its benefits doesn’t stop here. Humidors help to remove excess moisture, and at the same time, provide moisture when needed. They keep cigars fresh for short periods of time. Furthermore, they’re an ideal appliance if you wish to age your cigars for several weeks or even months.
However, a humidor might not be ideal for those who aren’t very invested in their cigars. If you’re one of them, there are a variety of cost-effective methods that you can opt to store your cigars.
How Do You Keep Cigars Fresh?
There are several ways to keep your cigars fresh. Here, we list the most effective methods to achieve the same.
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Buy the Right Humidor
The primary purpose of a humidor is to ensure consistency in the humidity and temperature levels. It is pivotal to ensure this stability for the cigars to maintain their integrity of taste and at the same time, their ideal construction in which they are manufactured to be delivered.
Now, what are the characteristics of a good humidor? Well, a good humidor extends the lifespan of the cigars. It tends to preserve the freshness of cigars and also promotes their aging. One can draw a comparison between cigars and wine. Just like wine tastes better as it ages, so does cigars.
Buying the right humidor is extremely important if you’re possessive about your cigars. Humidors vary in their costs and quality. While a budget-friendly humidor can be purchased for as little as $30, the cost of an advanced humidor can go as high as $500.
However, it cannot be ignored that humidors are an investment. For someone who isn’t looking to spend much on such an appliance, there are several other simples and basic ways to store your cigars.
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Maintain the Right Temperature
It is worthwhile to note that a good cigar is a living entity. Therefore, it must be kept in a room with a very nice temperature otherwise, there are strong chances that it will dry out, mold, or crack very quickly. To store a good cigar and keep it fresh, the temperature must be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The humidity furthermore should be around 70%.
If your cigar is of fine quality, it means the tobacco inside it was grown in a tropical climate. The humidity in these areas ranges from 65 to 72%. The construction of the cigar is directly influenced by the proportion of oil and moisture that it is exposed to. With regards to all this, it is pivotal to maintain the ideal temperature and humidity to retain the freshness of your cigar.
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Know How to Store Cigars Without a Humidor
You can choose several options other than a humidor to store cigars. One of the easiest ways to maintain the freshness of your cigars is to place them in a zip-top freezer bag along with a paper towel or a damp sponge. Thereafter, seal the bag tightly to ensure there’s no escape from air. The purpose of the sponge or the paper towel is to act as a provider of humidity, and the seal ensures that this humidity is retained.
You can also use a basic tupperware container as a temporary humidor. All you need to do is make sure the container is the right fit for your cigars and possesses an air-tight lid. Remember to position the cigars in the container along with a moist sponge, again to ensure humidity. Another point to note is the use of distilled water only as it curbs the growth of any mold. Wring the sponge properly to avoid any water in the container at a later period. Lastly, check the container to ensure the sponge hasn’t run dry.
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Buy a Humistat or a Hygrometer
A humistat or a hygrometer are two inexpensive devices that’ll assist you in storing your cigars, and at the same time, preserve their freshness. A humistats is a small appliance that performs the function of maintaining consistent humidity without any need for electricity. The raw material used to make most of the humistats is synthetic clay. A humistat ensures that the relative humidity is around 70%. You can do your research and opt for a humistat that best suits your requirements.
A hygrometer is a tool that will display the level of humidity in the surrounding areas. These devices come in both digital and analog versions. An analog hygrometer is an ideal option for you if you wish to save some money while at the same time, maintaining your cigars. Nonetheless, the advantage of digital hygrometers cannot be ignored. Although they’re an expensive option, they have a longer useful life and provide more accurate results than an analog version.
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Rotate Cigars
Why exactly is it important to rotate cigars? Well, rotating cigars ensures that each and every cigar is exposed to an equal amount of humidity. Practicing this method is especially crucial if you’re storing your cigars in a humidor. The reason behind this is that if your cigars aren’t rotated, the ones that are situated the closest to the source of humidification will absorb way more than the necessary amount of moisture. At the same time, the cigars which are farther away from the source may not even get the necessary amount of moisture necessary to retain their properties.
Additionally, the process of rotating your cigars involves a direct touch with your hands. Therefore, make sure you wash your hands properly before carrying out the rotation to prevent infesting the cigars with any bacteria.
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Don’t mix flavors
If you’re someone who’s into flavored cigars, make sure you store each one of those flavors separately. Cigars have the tendency to absorb the flavor of their neighboring components. As a result, if you place a cherry-flavored cigar in close correspondence with other cigars, there are strong chances that the latter will absorb the flavor of the former. Irrespective of the storage method that you opt for, make sure you stack different flavors separately to enjoy the original flavor of your cigar to its best.
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Unwrap them
Whether you should take off the plastic wrapper from your cigar is an important question to consider. If you wish to age your cigar for an enhanced smoking experience, it is recommended that you remove the cellophane. Furthermore, removing the cellophane of your cigar ensures that it is properly exposed to the humidity. However, if you’re in transit, it is important that you cover your cigar with cellophane or put it in a plastic bag with a zip lock.
Conclusion
It is essential to maintain the freshness of your cigar to enjoy it to the maximum extent possible. If you’re someone who will opt for a premium cigar but lack the essential knowledge on how to store it, you’re likely to find your cigars tasteless and dry. If sufficient care and attention are not provided, your cigars will be spoiled and therefore, be unfit for consumption.
Your cigar collection can be negatively impacted by several factors. The most prominent ones are mold and cigar beetle holes. An even more probable reason for a cigar’s demise is its drying out. The primary reason behind this is that if a cigar dries out, it has lost the oils that are responsible for its flavor. In the absence of those flavors, you’re sadly left with nothing but a bland and tasteless smoking experience.
As already mentioned, the simplest and most crucial step in ensuring your cigars’ flavors is consistency in temperature and humidity. Other than that, choosing a cigar humidor is the easy way out of the hassle to maintain your cigars. Nonetheless, there are several other equally effective measures to store cigars that we’ve already analyzed.