Once you start buying cigars you need to know how to store cigars in a humidor. There are various methods of storage but keeping the cigars at the right temperature and humidity is the main goal. Learn the best method of how to store cigars in a humidor today.
Store Cigars In A Humidor - Pick The Right Humidor
The first thing you have to do is pick the right humidor. There are many styles and sizes of humidors. Therefore, your humidor can be specifically picked for your cigar storage in mind.
Some people will buy a few humidors because one may not be enough, I have three myself. I have a travel humidor and two main humidors in my house.
The biggest factor in picking your humidor is the amount of cigars you will store. So if you are going to buy alot of cigars, then you need to decide on one big humidor or a few smaller humidors. The bigger humidors will have an option for temperature control also. Depending on your budget I believe this is a good option. They can go from about $250 and much higher. NewAir cigar humidor has a really nice one here you can read about.
The next determinate factor is the style of humidor or the looks of the humidor. There are so many different wood varieties and stains that humidors are just beautiful. You can see some of the different styles I have found below. You can find a great selection of humidors here.
Buy a good humidor in your budget. Make sure you get a humidor that is in your price range and is made with quality.
Finally I have many friends who bought a humidor because there is a lock on the humidor. If you are worried about theft, then that is a good factor to consider. Some humidors can be elaborate with glass and the hygrometer showing through so you do not have to open the humidor to check the humidity.
Humidor Lining And A Tight Seal
The inside of the humidor will be lined with cedar. This is a must for your bigger humidors but not all travel humidors will have the cedar lining. I have an old travel humidor that is just cloth on the inside. However, all my humidors now have a cedar lining.
Make sure you humidor has a good seal. There are many ways of evaluating this issue. One is to hear and feel the security with closing the lid. It should be soft and not with a bang when the lid is closed. Another great way is to place a dollar bill in the humidor where half is in the humidor and half is out of the humidor. Then shut the lid and give the dollar bill a tug. It should stay sealed and secure in the humidor and should not easily be withdrawn out of the humidor.
Charging Your Humidor
The next thing you have to consider is charging your humidor. Charging the humidor is the process of making the humidor at the right temperature and humidity. This process can take a few day to even a few weeks. Once it is charged be prepared to continuously check the humidity and temperature to make sure your expensive cigars are well taken care of.
So how do you do this task. First of all you have the humidor and you know it is a secure and sealed humidor by checking it as noted above.
Place a glass of distilled water in the humidor. Also place a receptacle with propylene glycol in the humidor. You can find that here on Amazon. The receptacle with the propylene glycol solution will be the main device to ensure the right humidity. What propylene glycol does is that it keeps the humidity at the perfect 72% range. If the humidity is low it will give off water to increase the humidity. If it is too humid then it will absorb the extra water vapor. This will always keep the humidity at the proper level. It does take some monitoring though.
One of the new ways of managing this is now the Boveda packets. They have the soft crystals with the propylene glycol in them. You just put a packet or two in the humidor depending on the amount of cigars you have in the humidor. You can find these packets here.
Just give the packets a little squeeze every now and then. If the packs are soft, then it will still work and humidify correctly. If the packet is firm and hard then the crystals of solution have done their job so throw it away. Boveda packets are great to have if you want an easy way to take care of your cigars.
However, I use the Boveda packets only for maintenance and not for charging the humidor.
Humidor Pitfalls and Fixes
Should I wipe the cedar down with distilled water? DO NOT DO THIS!! I did this in a nice humidor and it warped the wood and it never really sealed properly again. Therefore, I never recommend wiping the cedar down when you are charging the humidor.
However, I will say that if your seal is off a little because the wood is dry then you have to do something. In this case I have taken some distilled water and put it around the seal. You do this by taking distilled water and only applying it to the elevated wood for the seal. That way it may cause the wood to expand and then it may seal properly again.
I mention this technique only in a humidor that has lost its seal and you cannot get it to reseal. This would be in hopes of saving the humidor so you do noth ave to buy a new one.
Store Cigars In A Humidor - But Where To Place It??
Now you have to think about where to place your humidor. This is a really good question because it does matter. You not only want to keep the humidity proper but the temperature also.
Do not place the humidor near a window. This will fade the wood. It can also increase the temperature inside the humidor from the outside heat. I like to keep the humidor away from the setting sun. If I am going to place the humidor in a window it will be near the east of the house. However, if you buy a humidor with temperature and humidity controls, then you should be able to place it anywhere in the house.
Also, you want to make sure you home is properly heated and air conditioned. Some have even placed the humidors in closets. Don’t do this either, because humidors are made of beautiful wood and you want to show it off. Just get creative and find the right place in your house.
One final thought. When I started buying cigars I had people tell me to place them in the refrigerator. Please do not do this either. It is too cold and the humidity is not right. Your cigars will ruin quickly.
Do You Store Cigars In The Wrapper Or Not?
Now on to the storage of the cigars. The big factor to consider is to store the cigars with or without the wrapper. This is a big question to consider.
If you are storing a lot of different varieties of cigars, then be prepared you could get the melding of cigar flavors if they touch. I recommend separating them in the humidor so they do not touch.
After years of storing cigars I store them with the wrapper. I have done it both ways with and without the wrapper. My take is that if the cigar companies can store them in the wrapper, then I can too.
One big reason I store them with the wrapper is that I lost about $200 of cigars because of mold. One cigar goes bad and they touch the other cigar then it grows like crazy. Further, my take is that at least the wrapper can prevent the spread so quickly.
One other thing to remember is the dreaded tobacco beetle. I have experienced this too with buying cigars from questionable vendors in and out of the US. So just be careful.
What If You Do Not Have A Humidor?
What if you do not have a humidor or the money to buy one? Let’s say you received cigars as a gift. My recommendation is to get some Boveda packets to keep the humidity perfect. Don’t forget to check the packet for softness as mentioned above.
The best thing to do is just place the cigars in a ziplock bag and place the humidity packets in the bag. Now store the bag in a dark place like a desk drawer but make sure the temperature where you are storing the cigars is also maintained. You do not want to store them in a piece of furniture that can get too hot. As long as you check the packets often your humidity should be good.
How Do I Check A Cigar To See If It Is Humidified?
Now the cigars are stored and you are checking the humidity routinely. The temperature is perfect also. So you how do you check a cigar? Just grab a cigar gently and hold it up to your ear and just roll it between your fingers. Feel for slight softness and you don’t want it to crackle or crack while you are doing this. If it is dry and you squeeze it too tight, then you could ruin the cigar. So be careful.
Conclusion
As you can tell it is a very easy process to store and humidify cigars. However, it does take some effort on your part. You cannot just put them in the humidor and forget about them. If you do that then you will lose a lot of cigars and waste a lot of money. Set an alarm once every 2-4 weeks. This will be a great reminder to check your humidity on a regular schedule. Add your distilled water or propylene glycol as needed. Sometimes you have to add both to your humidification device. If you take the time to do this right, then you will enjoy your cigars for a long time.
All The Best,
Dr. B