The Why's Behind The Hows - Cigar Storage

This is some pretty basic stuff and is primarily intended for noobs, but some of the info might be a good "refresher" for the more experienced.

Introduction

Conditioning vs Fresh

A fresh cigar is not the same as a "well conditioned" or "well kept" cigar. "Fresh" refers to a cigar that was just made: "right off the bench". Typically fresh cigars are at much higher humidity levels and are not ready to be smoked: a post production aging (Añejamiento) will be necessary for the flavors to blend and synergize. The first two years of this process, we refer to as, "rest". This is the period where, due to the wrapper being wetted during rolling, a final fermentation ensues and can render a cigar unpleasant, being characterized by a distinct ammonia note.

Under proper conditions, a cigar can age and develop for a lifetime. Essentially, aging cigars is the very slow process of organic decomposition, also known as Añejamiento. In that process, the flavors of the leaves will continue to marry and refine. Over time the cigar and wrapper will exude oils and develop a richer, glossier sheen. The flavor and aroma changes a cigar will go through will vary by brands and are impossible to predict. For that reason, cigar connoisseurs enjoy aging their cigars to experience the surprising nuances that develop.

A humidor is merely the container which will house the cigars and contain the humidity. It can be made of wood, plastic, glass, or any other material which will not contaminate the tobacco. The humidity is provided by a humidifier and measured with a hygrometer.

Humidors

A humidor is any container intended to store cigars at the appropriate humidity.

Cigars are hygroscopic in nature, which means they will readily release or absorb moisture from the environment until they are in balance. The optimal environment necessary to store cigars long term is 70% relative humidity (RH) and 70° Fahrenheit. Some people prefer to smoke cigars kept at 65% RH or lower. This is a matter of personal preference and it may vary for different cigars. Ultimately, 70% RH is still considered by many as being ideal for long term cigar aging which could span years or decades.

Storing cigars in a refrigerator or freezer will damage the tobacco and retard the aging process. Conversely, keeping cigars at higher temperatures can lead to the hatching of tobacco beetles. At higher temperature and humidity levels, the tobacco beetle larvae will hatch and the beetles will infest and eat through the cigars. In addition, significant changes in temperature and humidity will cause expansion, contraction, hydration, and dehydration that will negatively impact the natural harmony and construction of a great cigar. Consistency is ideal for proper storage.

Travel Humidors

Travel humidors are specifically designed to transport cigars. Some are built to float or withstand extreme weight, while others are miniature versions of desktop humidors without any bells and whistles. The most technically extravagant travel humidors have an extremely tight seal which requires an air valve to allow depressurization after airplane travel. These travel humidors tend to require very little water to maintain humidity since they are hermetically sealed. Other travel humidors are designed simply to be compact and convenient vehicles for cigar transportation. The most important feature of any travel humidor may be the interior cushioning which will keep your cigars and wrappers protected. In the end, your specific needs will determine which travel humidor is right for you.

Ultimately, any humidor purchased from a reputable tobacconist should do its job, regardless of price. 70° F and 65-70% RH inside of a piece of Tupperware has the same effect as 70° F and 65-70% RH inside a beautiful, handcrafted humidor made from Bubinga or Cocobolo wood. Tupperware may suffice, but the quality and craftsmanship of a superior handmade humidor should be commensurate with the quality of the cigars that you are caring for. If you invest in an extraordinary humidor, you can expect a lifetime or more of reliability and peace of mind.

Desktop Humidors

The most common type of humidor is the desktop; any humidor which can sit on a counter top and take up minimal space can be considered a desktop humidor. Desktops are usually rectangular boxes with lids and humidifiers that attach to the lid. While quality and aesthetics will vary greatly, this section should help you appreciate the depth and breadth of this product category.

Walk-in Humidors

A walk-in humidor is any room that is temperature and humidity controlled for the purposes of storing cigars. These are typically found in shops, but many among us have created their own personal home walk-ins. It's simply the ultimate in terms of elegance and convenience. No where can we better condition a cigar than in a good walk-in.

Much more to come.

Awesome write up Don.

I've missed cigar school with Don.

Good info Don. I guess i should stop keeping mine in the trucks glove box?

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Originally Posted by EJGarnut

Good info Don. I guess i should stop keeping mine in the trucks glove box?

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Before you do that, you should do the dollar bill test and the flashlight test...you just might have a good seal. throw a hygro and a boveda in there and you're good to go...:cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EJGarnut

Good info Don. I guess i should stop keeping mine in the trucks glove box?

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Naw, that's proper aging for your Swisher Sweets

Chapter II - Construction

SPANISH CEDAR vs. SEALED INTERIORS

Wood framed boxes with a Spanish cedar interior are the most popular type of personal humidors. The wood exterior provides an attractive and resilient enclosure for the cigars. The Spanish cedar interior is popular because it has traditionally been used to package and box cigars. Spanish cedar has a subtly spicy and slightly sweet aroma [in contrast to American Red cedar which is pungent]. Spanish cedar became the primary method for packaging cigars in Cuba because it was insect resistant, plentiful, cheap and hygroscopic, just like cigars. The aromatic quality of Spanish cedar adds a distinctive aroma to a humidor, which is then imparted to the cigars. It is important to note that Spanish cedar is not necessary for the proper conditioning of cigars; it is merely popular for historical, practical, and/or romantic reasons. The peril of Spanish cedar is that, when not properly processed, it can release sap which will ruin your cigars. Additionally, dry cedar can absorb oils and moisture away from well conditioned cigars.

A sealed interior humidor can be a made of plastic, glass, tin or any sealed wood that is not hygroscopic. Ultimately, the most important characteristic of any humidor is that they have a tight seal.

The following sections will help you understand the features that constitute a fine humidor.

LIP & SEAL

A relatively tight seal will keep the moisture inside of the humidor and the dry air outside. An attractive feature of any quality humidor will be the “male” and “female” lips that will lock together and create a superior closure.

HINGES

Strong, recessed, self-stopping hinges are necessary to sustain the weight of a heavy lid [or door] over the lifetime of
the humidor. A great hinge is a necessary feature of a quality humidor.

FLOATING & RECESSED BOTTOM

The bottom of a well crafted wood humidor should never be glued or nailed in place; rather it should fit somewhat loosely, in what is called a floating bottom. In addition, the horizontal wood on the bottom of a humidor should be recessed so it does not come in contact with the surface the humidor rests upon. Over time, as wood expands and contracts, a floating & recessed bottom will allow these natural changes to occur without forcing the sides to burst open, or allowing the wood to warp and adversely affect the integrity of the humidor.

JOINTS

A well crafted wood humidor will have mitered, locked, and/or dovetailed joints. Because wood is an organic substance which expands and contracts with changes in climate, the joints of a good humidor must be crafted with strength and longevity in mind. Attention to detail when forming the joints of a humidor will contribute greatly to its long term success.

QUALITY

A high quality humidor can last a lifetime or more. With all of the pros and cons of different humidor types, my own central value of rings true: quality counts! When investing in the container which will nurture and preserve your cigars, it is important to focus on quality to avoid the pitfalls and dangers of mediocre products. Humidor quality is a function of the materials and hardware used as well as the construction techniques employed.

HARDWOOD vs. VENEER

Solid Wood Humidors: Humidors made of solid planks of hardwoods are very rare and expensive. The challenge of creating a stable box out of hardwoods is extreme since a humidor must maintain 60-70% RH inside while allowing ambient conditions to vary. Remember: wood is a living, breathing, ever-changing material and this will affect the corners and lid in ways that are imperceptible to human senses.

Traditional/Thin Veneer Humidors: Traditional veneers are very thin, almost paper-like sheets of wood. Thin veneers can be beautiful, but they must be treated with special care. They can easily be over sanded and must have many layers of lacquer (or finishes) to protect the outer surface: that is why thin veneer humidors usually have the tell-tale high gloss look. They also frequently have trim around the corners/edges to hide the veneer lines.

Traditional/thin veneer humidors constitute the majority of products available in the marketplace - perhaps 90%. They can be very expensive with attractive woods and inlays layed over a medium density fibreboard (MDF). Or, they can be very cheap products which use photographs or illustrations of wood as a veneer, over a cheap framework, often utilizing foam, or other composite plywoods. The spectrum of quality for thin veneer humidors varies greatly: get educated and buyer beware!

Sawn Veneer Humidors: Perhaps the best of both worlds, sawn veneer humidors have the look and features of solid wood humidors while they have the stability and some of the production efficiencies of traditional/thin veneer humidors. Sawn veneers are approximately 1/8" thick pieces of wood placed over a stable framework like MDF or Spanish cedar. They have the advantage of not needing corner/edge trim and can have hand-rubbed, more natural finishes, since the wood is thick enough to be worked with.

Ultimately, anyone who has ever owned or tried to build a humidor knows the special value of it. A well made humidor, like a great cigar or pipe, is an extraordinary hand made work of art! While the humidifier may need to be replaced every few years, the box itself should last for a lifetime or more.

This is all great info. Thanks for spending the time on this.

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Originally Posted by EJGarnut

Good info Don. I guess i should stop keeping mine in the trucks glove box?

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That reminds me of some marketing history (former Ford engineer here). Vehicles come with cigarette lighters in the familiar 12V socket. I guess they still do - the last new vehicle I bought was a 2011 and it had one. In the 90's, when cigarette smoking was becoming politically incorrect, and when Rush Limbaugh and Demi Moore appeared on the cover of CA, we started calling them cigar lighters. I don't think that really caught on though. Now they're just "power points."

Chapter III: Humidification

HUMIDIFICATION: ACTIVE & PASSIVE

A humidifier is the apparatus which produces humidity inside of the humidor.

The most important facet of humidifier operation is to always use distilled water. Anything less will clog your humidifier over time and pose a bacterial hazard to your cigars.

The two general categories of humidifiers are active and passive. Active humidifiers generally have a fan blowing on [or over] water to produce a mist that is absorbed into the air. Active humidifiers are common in walk-in humidors and large cabinets.

Passive humidifiers are intended for smaller humidification needs and have no electrical parts. They work on simple evaporative and chemical equilibrium principles.


TWO-WAY & REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO)

Two-way humidifiers will emit and absorb humidity while seeking equilibrium at a specific humidity level, such as 70%. The first two-way humidifiers were often referred to as reverse osmosis (RO). 'Osmosis' means the diffusion of water through a membrane (evaporation), and 'reverse' refers to the inhibition of that process.

RO humidifiers units were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s. The first generation used a generic green foam as the hygroscopic medium: these RO units used an organic chemical called propylene glycol (PG) mixed in a 50/50 ratio with water to achieve 70% rh. Today, most two-way humidifiers still use PG to inhibit over humidification, yet they can use different hygroscopic mediums, such as crystals or plastics, instead of green foam.

RO humidifiers which use PG require a near perfect 50% balance with water to ensure proper humidity - too much PG can clog a hygroscopic medium like foam which will result in the humidifier not accepting water. Too little PG can lead to over humidification. Often, the key to successfully using an RO humidifier is to only add PG if your humidor is too humid. Another solution is consistently refilling the RO humidifier with 90% water and 10% PG (90/10). This ratio will allow the PG to break down (into inert sugars and water) instead of accumulating and potentially clogging the humidifier's hygroscopic medium.

Other two-way humidifiers can use salt-based solutions which release and absorb water until the ambient humidity reaches a specific level. An example of this principle is table salt, which will stop emitting moisture when the ambient air is 75% rh.

EVAPORATION

Evaporation humidifiers work on the principle that water will evaporate, or simply be absorbed by the dry, ambient air. The size of the humidifier must be perfectly matched to the size of your humidor to achieve the proper balance. It is important to pick a brand that has a bacteria and mold resistant medium for holding water.

EVAPORATION: ADJUSTABLE

Just like its name implies, this humidifier allows the user to manually adjust the flow of humidity. One benefit of evaporation-adjustable humidifiers is that the size of the humidifier does not need to be professionally synchronized with the size of the humidor. The user can simply make small adjustments to the humidifier to increase or decrease the flow of moisture. Another benefit is that a larger humidifier can be placed in a small humidor and adjusted to emit less moisture. This will greatly lengthen the time between refills and give you greater peace of mind.

DISPOSABLE

A disposable humidifier is not meant to be watered or charged with PG. Their useful life is over after they stop humidifying - which can last up to six months. Over the last decade, many cigar manufacturers have started adding disposable humidifiers to their cigar boxes.

Don, thank you for the why’s behind the hows. I found it really informative and will keep it definitely close by for future reference.

This is fantastic. Great morning read.

Bums,

This is the final installment in this series. I hope it's helped a few people to get a handle on what's going on as we tread the path of perfect storage and the optimally stored cigar.

Chapter IV

HYGROMETERS

A hygrometer is the instrument that measures humidity. The two main types of hygrometers are analog and digital.

ANALOG

Analog hygrometers react mechanically to the ambient humidity and represent that value on a dial. Many high quality analog hygrometers use horse, or boar hair, which expands at a predictable rate when the humidity increases. These are extremely accurate and hold their own against the best digital models. In contrast, an analog that employs a metal wire, or ribbon should not be trusted, as they are far too temperature-sensitive to be accurate. They are typically what you see as OEM on most inexpensive humidors and should be tossed. Analog hygrometers may have to be calibrated approximately every six months to maintain accuracy. Many analog hygrometers have an adjustable dial in the back, or inside, that can be moved +/- with a small screwdriver.

DIGITAL

Digital hygrometers use electric currents to measure the ambient humidity and require batteries. Conventional wisdom suggests that digital hygrometers tend to be more accurate than analog hygrometers because of factory calibration. Better still, some digital hygrometers are adjustable after they leave the factory.

LIGHT & HEAT

Cigars are best kept in low-to-no light conditions. Overexposure to direct or indirect light will damage and fade cigar wrappers, via oxidation and encourage oil evaporation. In addition, light can create heat which will further damage the cigars. For these reasons, it is important to place your humidor away from direct sunlight where temperatures are as stable as possible.

HUMIDITY VARIATIONS

It is natural for any type of humidor to experience variations in humidity: no system is perfect. When a humidor begins to dry out, the cedar or dry air will begin to absorb moisture and oils away from the cigars, starting with the wrappers. If the cigar wrapper dries out, it can easily come off the binder, begin to unravel, and flake apart. Further drying will lead to the filler tobaccos being ruined as well. The loss of moisture halts the aging process and evaporates the essential oils that have been developed in a cigar. Controlling and minimizing variations in humidity is critical to proper cigar conditioning.

OVER HUMIDIFICATION & MOLD

Over humidification will inhibit aging, drown out the flavors of the tobacco, and impair the proper combustion rate. A "wet" cigar will taste sour or acrid, burn unevenly, and go out frequently. In addition, over humidification can lead to cigar mold growth. Cigar mold can be blue, grey, purple, or other colors, and can coat the wrapper as well as grow inside of the filler of the cigar. Cigar mold cannot be totally wiped off a cigar like plume/bloom - a haziness or stain will remain. Moldy cigars are ruined and not worthy of smoking.

HUMIDIFICATION

Over-humidified cigars may be brought back to optimal conditions very slowly. The process of lowering the humidity of the cigar must be done in one to two digit increments, with time (days or weeks) to rest and stabilize in between. Slow, incremental decreases in humidity are necessary to keep the wrapper, binder, and fillers in balance with each other. If any of the cigar’s components dehydrate too quickly, the construction of the cigar will be compromised.

UNDER HUMIDIFICATION

A dry cigar is a dead cigar. At what level of relative humidity does a cigar lose its characteristics and value? How dry is dead? The answer varies and many connoisseurs have differing opinions. The only irrefutable fact is that cigar aging requires a stable, humid environment for the proper organic decomposition to occur. During proper aging, a cigar will exude its essential oils. A dry cigar will neither produce or exude these oils. A dry cigar will lose its essential oils and the characteristics that made it an organoleptic delicacy. Depending on the level of dehydration, a dry cigar will probably never regain its original grandeur.

Cigar dehydration progresses from the outside in. First the wrapper will dry out and begin to release from the binder. At this stage, it is still possible to salvage the cigars with minimal damage to the filler tobaccos. Next, because they are less exposed to the dry ambient air, the binder and filler tobaccos will begin to dry. A very dry cigar will be dry to the core and lose all of its elasticity. This condition is usually hopeless and beyond resuscitation.

RE-HUMIDIFICATION

At some levels, it may be possible for an under-humidified cigar be brought back to near-optimal conditions very slowly. The process of raising the humidity of the cigar must be done in one to two digit increments, with time (days or weeks) to rest and stabilize in between. Slow, incremental increases in humidity are necessary to keep the wrapper, binder, and fillers in balance with each other. If any of the cigar’s components re-hydrate too quickly, the construction of the cigar will be compromised, and it could literally burst open.

PERFECT HUMIDIFICATION: PLUME

"Plume", also known as "bloom" is a naturally occuring by-product of long-term cigar aging. As the cigar's oils are exuded through the wrapper, they dry and crystalize on the outside. It appears as a white powder-like substance on the outside of the wrapper. Plume/bloom (pictured below) can be gently wiped off with no negative consequences to the cigar: it is significantly different than cigar mold.

LONG TERM AGING

In addition to the perfect climate, cigars benefit from occasional rotation in the humidor as well as a slight massage to loosen and redistribute the tobacco. Giving attentive and individual care to your cigars will ensure that mold, tobacco beetles, under/over humidification, water damage, and other unforeseen catastrophes will not ruin your prized collection.

As a practical note, all dissimilar cigars should be divided or segregated in a humidor to avoid flavor marrying. A Connecticut shade wrapper will be affected if it rests next to a Cameroon wrapper for an extended period of time. If a separate humidor is not available, a cedar sheet, cigar box, cellophane, or a cigar tube can be used to segregate cigars while aging. Keeping cigars in cellophane or a cigar tube will also add another layer of protection from humidity fluctuations. But, under ideal conditions, similar cigars should age together with wrappers touching and ready access to humid air so they can breathe: there is a synergy that occurs when groups of similar cigars age together.

What is definable about cigar aging is that it is the process of organic decomposition: slowly the cellular fabric of the cigar leaves will break down. During the first few years, or decade, the flavor of the cigar may develop and become bolder; but just like a bell curve, there will be a climax and then a gradual decline. Conversely, there may be an increase in aroma potency and complexity with the mellowing flavor. Changes in flavor and aroma are occurring every few weeks, months, and years. A well aged cigar will release any impurities like ammonia and acidity, yielding sweetness and subtleties in their place. Ultimately, the flavors and aromas of the leaves will blossom, giving way to nuances, depth, richness, and complexities that were once undiscovered.

While a cigar will age and develop well for a lifetime, the proper conditions must consistently exist for them to flourish. Flavor development and changes during cigar aging are nearly impossible to predict. The nuances and provenance of the leaf have infinite possibilities that cannot be easily determined. Fortunately, the joy of long-term cigar aging is discovering the promise of a well-conditioned cigar.

Great stuff Don.

Awesome posts! Just a nitpick, under "HUMIDIFICATION" I believe you mean one or two "degrees" not "digits".

Great read! Thanks Don

Thanks Don. Very enjoyable and educational read!!!! +RG

Very nice. Learned a lot here! Thank you!

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