How Long Can I Store Cigars in My Cigar Humidor
There are a few factors to consider if you’d like your cigars to be at their best for years on end. How long you can store your cigars for optimum flavor is a matter of how much you like the tobacco to mature, what you consider the best age for a certain brand to be, what other cigars you’d like to marry them to in time, your particular storage conditions and how diligently you perform your regular check-ups.
Cigars come shrouded in a cloud of pomp and ceremony. Cutting, lighting and inhaling the cigar are matters of etiquette more than anything else, but the rituals extend far beyond the crispy tobacco leaves. Even cigar humidors are subject to some degree of decorum, and these essential cigar accessories have become symbols of status, perhaps just as much as the iconic cigar, itself.
The importance of humidors lies mainly in the delicate nature of the tobacco leaf. Cigars are made of organic matter, and are therefore prone to deterioration, but if stored appropriately, they are generally better with age, just like wine. Yet, it’s not only the perishable leaf that makes it absolutely essential to store tobacco carefully. The natural oils which keep the leaves moist, tender and fragrant, will eventually seep through the leaves or evaporate, unless a humidor is used. Not even your finest cigar will escape the dreadful fate of turning into a bitter, dry, dull hulk of tobacco rolls, if it hasn’t had the pleasure of settling inside a humidor.
Cigars will typically start yielding their best flavors after about 5 years, provided they have been stored adequately. Unless they are stored in a humidor, they can dry, rot or become infested in a matter of days, depending on the type of temperature and sunlight they are exposed to. It’s ultimately up to you to decide how long you should store your cigars, but it’s always a good idea to buy larger boxes and to take the odd cigarette every few months to sample and test for optimum flavors.
A good cigar should not be moist or dry, but somewhere in between. In other words, the essential oils shouldn’t seep from it, nor should the leaves crackle under pressure. A good rule of thumb is to press the press the cigar gently with your thumb and to check that the leaves regain their shape. A dry cigar will take weeks and considerable effort to revive, and the results are not always satisfactory.
Cigar Aging
Before they can be relished, cigars need to mature over the course of six months before being shipped to tobacco shops, but some producers and distributors bypass this stage for obvious reasons. Because cigars develop a more refined and balanced flavor during the aging process, cigar enthusiasts should store cigars for at least 3 months in a cigar humidor, before they can draw their first smoke.
Some people like to keep the cellophane wrap on cigars when storing them, but this is somewhat counterproductive. The whole point of using a cigar humidor is to have the air circulating freely around the cigars. The cellophane also tends to create a greenhouse effect and slightly raises the temperature within it. When there are no dividers, however, wrapping is quite effective in keeping the original flavors pure. Premium cigars will be delivered in wrapping made of Spanish cedar, to intensify the aroma. It is ultimately up to the owner to decide how to store the cigars.
Cigars have an unlimited lifespan, and if stored properly, can outlive even the most hardened centenarian. Premium cigars are cherished particularly because their tobacco flavors unfurl after many years or decades of storage. But a cigar’s longevity ultimately depends on your personal preferences, because each cigar brand will age differently.
Cigar Seasoning
As you store your treasured tobacco rolls, keep in mind that cigars seem to thrive on the fragrance of their environment, so surrounding objects will eventually impart their scent onto the cigars. To minimize the tendency of cigars to have their aromatic qualities tainted, dividers are used in cigar humidors. However, it’s recommended that different cigar brands be stored in their original boxes and that these boxes should not be opened in the humidors. This is especially important for cigars that have different countries of origin, and therefore, altogether incompatible flavor strengths.
Some cigar aficionados like to experiment and to marry various types and brands of cigars, and to store them for several months in unusual arrangements to obtain a certain flavor.
Cigar enthusiasts will tell you that the best humidors are made of mahogany, which is much more resilient to warping than most types of wood. The ideal lining is Spanish cedar, which doesn’t spoil the tobacco’s aromas, like other types of cedar could, and it keeps tobacco beetles at bay.
There’s nothing like that Spanish cedar aroma to bring out the best in your robust cigars, but you shouldn’t settle for classic mahogany boxes just because it’s common practice. In fact, even thermoelectric cigar humidors can be made with Spanish cedar. What’s more, they can be much more affordable than regular cabinets and boxes because they can hold hundreds of rolls. Besides enjoying a temperature controlled environment, silent operation, adjustable relative humidity levels and Spanish cedar shelving, your electronic cigar humidor brandishes a ‘Made in the USA’ stamp that gives you added peace of mind.
Regular Check-Ups
It’s common practice for cigars to be turned every 1-3 months because humidity levels inside a standard cigar humidor tend to peak in proximity to the humidifying system and plummet in the small recesses at the base of the dividers or trays. This is especially important with humidors that are filled to the brim. You should be looking out for three important factors: air supply, temperature and humidity levels.
0 comments