How to store a nice cigar?
January 8, 2011 1:57 PM Subscribe
How do I store a single nice cigar?
My wife gave me a single very nice cigar for Christmas. Right now it's in a ziploc bag in the cardboard box it came in. I don't have a humidor, and it's winter in Canada, so my house is hot or cold depending on the time of day, and always pretty dry. How should I store this nice cigar until I decide to smoke it?
My wife gave me a single very nice cigar for Christmas. Right now it's in a ziploc bag in the cardboard box it came in. I don't have a humidor, and it's winter in Canada, so my house is hot or cold depending on the time of day, and always pretty dry. How should I store this nice cigar until I decide to smoke it?
Find the spot in your house that is least subject to temp fluctuations. I keep my humidor in the basement since it stays about 60 degrees F there year-round. Your single stick is gonna get pretty dry pretty quick, though. I have to add water to my humidor's humidification device much more frequently in my forced hot air heated house in the winter, despite our whole house humidifier which manages to keep the house at like 40%. Some folks recommend Tupperware for short term storage, but ultimately you need a humidification device. I use drymistat which uses tap water instead of distilled. Ten bucks or so, lasts a long time.
posted by fixedgear at 3:14 PM on January 8, 2011
posted by fixedgear at 3:14 PM on January 8, 2011
Best answer: As a cigar smoker for 20 years, I can only say this: Ignore 99% of what you read online about cigar storage. Most cigar smokers want desperately to turn something extremely easy into some sort of science/sporting activity.
Perfection is not necessary. You'll be fine with tupperware and a humidification packet like this, which your local cigar shop will probably give you for free. Moisten the packet every few weeks. If you're going to smoke it in a week or 2, a slightly damp paper towel would even suffice. I don't entirely trust the seals on ziploc bags, but a freezer bag is probably as good as tupperware.
If you want to get serious about smoking, a nice cooler and some humidification beads can easily create a work-free humidor. I keep my beads in a nylon stocking and re-moisten them about once every 2 months to keep the humidor at around 65-75% humidity. I don't worry about temperature. Temperature fluctuations can be bad mainly because fluctuating temperature can mean fluctuating humidity, but that's not a problem if you're using the beads.
And if you really want to keep an eye on things, splurge for a digital hygrometer.
posted by coolguymichael at 4:50 PM on January 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
Perfection is not necessary. You'll be fine with tupperware and a humidification packet like this, which your local cigar shop will probably give you for free. Moisten the packet every few weeks. If you're going to smoke it in a week or 2, a slightly damp paper towel would even suffice. I don't entirely trust the seals on ziploc bags, but a freezer bag is probably as good as tupperware.
If you want to get serious about smoking, a nice cooler and some humidification beads can easily create a work-free humidor. I keep my beads in a nylon stocking and re-moisten them about once every 2 months to keep the humidor at around 65-75% humidity. I don't worry about temperature. Temperature fluctuations can be bad mainly because fluctuating temperature can mean fluctuating humidity, but that's not a problem if you're using the beads.
And if you really want to keep an eye on things, splurge for a digital hygrometer.
posted by coolguymichael at 4:50 PM on January 8, 2011 [2 favorites]
+1 to what coolhuymichael said.
In fact there are plenty of people out there, aficionados included, that say you can keep a cigar in a bag or tupperware and let it dry out, so long as you do throw it into some sort of humidor (tuperware) for a while before enjoying.
Enjoy!
posted by zombieApoc at 5:15 PM on January 8, 2011
In fact there are plenty of people out there, aficionados included, that say you can keep a cigar in a bag or tupperware and let it dry out, so long as you do throw it into some sort of humidor (tuperware) for a while before enjoying.
Enjoy!
posted by zombieApoc at 5:15 PM on January 8, 2011
Ideally, cigars should be kept at around 65 F, 65% humidity.
However, deviating +/- 10 in either direction makes little difference, particularly if you're not storing it for decades at a time.
Additionally, it makes little sense to go to great lengths to create this kind of environment for a single cigar. Some people have thousands of dollars of cigars they intend to keep for years, in which case I understand the desire to spend money on a high-quality humidor. But a single cigar?? Sheesh, just smoke it!!
posted by mikeand1 at 7:11 PM on January 8, 2011
However, deviating +/- 10 in either direction makes little difference, particularly if you're not storing it for decades at a time.
Additionally, it makes little sense to go to great lengths to create this kind of environment for a single cigar. Some people have thousands of dollars of cigars they intend to keep for years, in which case I understand the desire to spend money on a high-quality humidor. But a single cigar?? Sheesh, just smoke it!!
posted by mikeand1 at 7:11 PM on January 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Decani at 2:26 PM on January 8, 2011