Long term storage in boxes seems to be okay.
Alex had a bunch of questions regarding cigar storage. I’ve tried to address them below, and hope everyone can benefit from my cigar storage trials and tribulations. Alex, here you go…
Welcome to the world of cigar aging and storage. It’s a challenging place, but the rewards are great. I see you have done your research and all your intentions look good. Based on my experiences (which started out looking much like yours), I can make a few recommendations/suggestions:
Cello – I’ve gone around and around about cello on, cello off. I’m now keeping the cello on all the cigars I plan to age. I do, however, always keep a few “naked” in anticipation of smoking. I don’t like smoking cigars right out of the cello. I like a week or two of “naked conditioning” before ignition.
Cigar boxes – I don’t worry about what box the cigars are in. As long as there are some cigars keeping each other “warm” (touching like a pack of sleeping dogs), then I’m okay. But I don’t, however, store cigar singles in coffin boxes. I think the wood to cigar ratio causes the cigar to lose flavor.
Cigar box thickness – Here too, I don’t worry. Wood breaths and will pass moisture. Cigars in plastic containers will need internal humidification. My cigar closet contains loose cigars, cigars in cigar boxes of all kinds (wood, cardboard), and a few desk top humidors. I keep a hygrometer inside the humidors, and can see that they have maintained proper RH.
Cigar rotation – I don’t think you need to rotate your cigars. But I highly recommend a small fan to circulate the air in any large humidor or cigar closet/room. That is crucial in keeping all the cigars properly conditioned. Opening the boxes once a month is a good idea. The cigars will not only exchange air, but you always need to inspect cigars for mold. Mold can happen at any RH above 50% (that’s what the mold expert told me).
Smoking aged cigars – I recommend smoking one cigar soon after buying a box. If it tastes great, then smoke some more, then put the box away for a few months. Then periodically smoke another cigar. At some point the cigars in storage will reach their peak flavor. After that, the flavor will start to diminish. So If you find that, over time, a certain box of cigars has really started to bloom, then smoke them all. I’ve waited too long in the hope that more time will make the cigars even better, only to be disappointed that I overshot the cigar’s flavor peak.
I hope this has answered some of your questions.
Good luck and enjoy your cigars!
Arthur
Thank you for the info!!! But in my endless quest for knowledge and perfect humidor, I am now faced with a new set of problems. Contrary to rational thought, my RH is higher at the bottom of the footlocker than on top. My readings 69-72F avg ( a little high, but cant do much about that right now) and 72RH at the bottom ; 70RH in the middle and 67RH on top. I have the cigar oasis at the bottom and xikar 100 round puck on top. I moved the puck below for a day and it made the RH go to 74, so I moved it back to the top. The cigar oasis is currently at 69.5.
What would be my best option to have the bottom reading the same as on top. there are three cigar boxes at the bottom and two trays on top. Trays are 50% full ( one layer) and the bottom has 40% of it free. If i had to choose, Id rather the bottom be lower than the top RH, since my boxes will be aged longer than the single sticks.
Alex
Alex, chasing RH in a humidor is difficult. I’ve discovered two fundamental truths about using humidors. The first is to use calibrated hygrometers. If your measuring device is off, then you can never truly know how your sticks are doing. Secondly, placement of the hygrometer is critical. If you place it near the humidifier, the RH will read high. Move it just a few inches away and the reading will go down considerably. Also, if you have trays in the top part of your locker, then you, in effect, have two separate environments. That means you will need two different humidifiers…one for the top and one for the bottom. So, calibrate your hydrometers and make sure what they are showing is correct, and get some sort of fan to circulate the air within the locker.
I hope this is helpful.
Arthur
I have a question.. I just bought a box of ghurka warpig robusto cigars from cigar international I took the cello off the box and put it directly in my humidor.. after a few days I noticed a decent amonia/plastic smell coming from my humidor. It was definitely the box of ghurkas so I took out the box and just stored the cigars themselves back in my humidor. I wanted to keep them in the
Original box though but I’m afraid the plastic smell would ruin my other cigars it’s a 150 count humidor mind you. Thoughts? Should I let the box sit for a few days by itself open then try to put it back in the humidor with the cigars in it? Or just leave it be and Keefers p the box out of the humidor
Alex, thanks for your comment. It sounds like you have determined that the smell is definitely coming from the box and not the cigars. Sometimes cigars are put into boxes before the varnish or paint has fully cured. I’ve seen this a few times myself. I would do exactly what you have done. Remove the sticks and let the box fully cure a few weeks before putting the cigars back. But only do so if the smell is completely gone.