It is important to know how to properly store a cigar.Proper storage will keep your cigars fresh.You will be able to keep your cigars in optimal condition if you know the basics about storing them.You can see Step 1 for more information.
Step 1: Take a measurement of the weather.
A good cigar needs to be in a nice temperature room or it will dry out very quickly.If you find a good cigar but don't want to smoke it, you can take a few simple steps to keep it fresh.A cigar needs to be stored at 70 degrees F with a humidity of 70%.In Miami, a cigar can be left in its wrapper for a short period of time without much concern for freshness.If you need to store the cigar for more than 24 hours in Arizona or Alaska, you'll have to address the dryness.The tobacco in good cigars was grown in a tropical climate.The construction of cigars relies upon them staying moist and oily, and they are made from whole wrapped sheets of tobacco.Cigars can dry out, crack, or mold if they aren't stored at the optimum temperature and humidity.If you want to store lots of cigars for a long time, you need to purchase a humidor.Go to the next method.
Step 2: When you're ready to smoke, keep a few cigars in an open plastic bag.
If you have a cigar or two but can't smoke it right away, the best way to store it is in an open bag with a towel at the mouth of it, in a dark space around 70 degrees.Many cigar retailers sell humidor bags, which keep cigars fresh for several weeks.At good cigar shops, the tobacconist will often ask you about how long you're going to keep the cigar, and might pack it in one of these bags anyway.You stand to learn a lot if you talk it out and ask.The towel needs to be clean and moist.Check the bag after a few hours to make sure there is no mold.Pull the towel back if it's possible.Cigars can be used to mold.cigars can be stored in a tub covered with a damp towel and kept at the correct temperature.The temperature is the most important factor when storing cigars.
Step 3: In transit, keep it in the tube or cellophane.
It's perfectly fine to keep your cigar in the wrapper until you plan on smoking it.Other types of tubes and sleeves will protect the cigar during transportation, while cellophane will allow air to get to it.The topic of storing cigars in sleeves for longer periods of time is different from removing them from sleeves.There's nothing to worry about for a short period of time.If you want to smoke a cigar for longer than a day or two, you have to get it in a humidor.
Step 4: It's best to keep it out of the fridge.
It's a common misconception that freezing or refrigerating cigars is an effective way of keeping them fresh.Unless you want a cigar that tastes like a refrigerator, nothing could be further from the truth.Don't keep your cigar in the refrigerator even if it's humid or overheated.Cigars need to breathe, so they can't be stored in perfectly-sealed environments.Unless you want to ruin the cigar, keep it in the freezer or plastic box.If Cigars are stored in a plastic box with a moist towel, they will likely become over-saturated and mold after a short time.If you can't find a place to store your cigar at 70/70, you should keep it in the kitchen or in a relatively cool place in your house.To make a bootleg humidifier, mist some water into the air.It's not ideal, but you can save a good cigar.You could smoke it.
Step 5: There is a box at the store.
If you don't have a place to store the cigar, and you know you're not going to want to smoke it right away, ask for advice at the store and ask if they have old cigar boxes lying around.Sometimes, they will give them to you.In a cool room, cigars will be fine for a while.
Step 6: Consider the price.
There are many different styles and sizes of humidors.If you want to keep your cigars fresh, you don't need to spend a lot of money on a humidor.You can explore options in your price range online or at the store.You should be able to get a handsome glass top humidor for less than $60 or $70.The quality of the temperature and humidity control elements can vary slightly.It would be better to get the smallest humidor for your needs.If you're less of a stickler for supreme quality, it's possible to make your own cedar chests from household ingredients.If you want to make your own humidor, skip to the next method.
Step 7: Consider the number of cigars you have on hand.
If you only smoke one cigar every now and then, you shouldn't invest in a humidor chest that can hold hundreds of cigars.To get the smallest-appropriate humidor, try to anticipate how many you will keep on hand at any given time.Larger cases can hold up to 150 cigars, while the desk top humidors hold about 25.You can keep full boxes of different varieties of cigar in different areas of the humidor with the help of humidors with multiple drawers.The most expensive option is several hundred dollars.Travel humidors are small, plastic-backed cases that hold 10 or 15 cigars at a time.If you're going on the road and end up collecting cigars, or if you just want a small and durable option, a travel humidor can be a cheap alternative to more expensive desktop varieties.
Step 8: You want the humidor to be lined with cedar.
It's important to buy humidors lined with cedar wood because it helps regulate the humidity.Even with proper humidifying agents, plastic or metal humidors won't maintain the same temperature as a cedar one.It smells great and maintains temperature and humidity.
Step 9: If you have a humidor, choose a humidifier.
Being able to distinguish between the different types and styles of humidification will allow you to make the most informed choice.There are two types of humidifiers: the most common and the cheapest.These usually line the lid of the humidor, and are soaked in a solution called "PG" which regulates the humidity in the box.The liquid can be found at cigar retailers for between $6 and $10 a quart.The popular brands for soaking the humidifier are Xikar and Cigar Mechanic.They are easy to use and can be recharged periodically to maintain the humidity in the humidor.A package of humidor beads costs between $18 and $20 and will likely never need to be replaced.You can use them by soaking them in distilled water and then spraying them with water to maintain humidity.They can be kept in a new women's stocking in the humidor.The most efficient are somewhat expensive.You can set the electric humidifier and forget about it.
Step 10: Buy a hygrometer and calibrate it.
A hygrometer is used to measure the humidor's humidity levels, and are available in both analog and digital models, which can be installed on the outside.For easy access, some humidors come with clock-style hygrometers on the front lip.Digital hygrometers can be used out of the box, but they need to be adjusted before use to make sure they're reading correctly.If you want to calibrate your hygrometer, close it in a plastic bag with a small amount of salt in it for between 6 and 12 hours.The hygrometer should read 75% humidity if you remove it from the bag.The hygrometer will be ready to go if it reads 75%.
Step 11: To create the microclimate, season the humidor.
You need to humidify the humidor for 7 days before you load it with cigars.A simple process, but an important one to prime your humidor and give your cigars the best possible home.You can season the humidor by soaking the humidity beads, the sponge, or setting the digital humidifier, and putting it in place.Put a cup of distilled water into a clean cup and place it in the humidor, then put a damp towel on the walls.Don't wipe them down, just rub them gently.Leave the humidor alone for seven days and watch the temperature and humidity levels.You can remove the glass of water at the end of the week, which will allow you to load up the humidor with cigars.
Step 12: A suitable container can be found.
Plastic bins can be used to make homemade humidors.These options can keep cigars fresh for a long time, even if they don't keep them fresh as long as a humidor.It's a good idea to make a humidor if you want to store the cigar for more than a week.After selecting your container, wash it thoroughly with warm water and antibacterial soap.Let it dry.The container should be large enough to hold the cigars.Make sure the container closes completely.It will keep the flavor from changing.You should expose your cigars to fresh air every two weeks if the container is air-tight.
Step 13: The container needs to be humidified.
You need to find a way to keep the air in your homemade humidor around 70% humidity.Add a jar of Xicar humidifier beads/gel to the container, soaked in distilled water and drained.There is a small sponge in the corner of the storage container that will work in a pinch.This will make sure that there is enough humidity inside the container when it is shut.Close the lid on your container.If you go to a local cigar store, ask if they have cedar dividers from cigar boxes.These can be used to make cigar tubes or to line the walls of your humidor.This will help regulate the humidity.
Step 14: The container should be stored in a dark place.
It's a good idea to monitor the temperature of the area you're storing them in.As soon as you get the chance, smoke the cigars and keep a temperature close by.Check your cigars frequently to make sure they don't get wet or suffer from too much humidity.There are signs of mold in the humidor.If this is happening, remove the humidifier and let some air in.
Step 15: The humidor should be kept at the right temperature.
It's your job to watch the temperature because humidors can only control humidity.It is recommended that humidors be kept in climate-controlled rooms at all times.
Step 16: Keep like cigars.
The location of the different cigars is a point of confusion for aficionados with a large collection.Can the various cigars of various strengths and flavors age next to each other?Yes and no at the same time.Natural and flavored cigars should be kept.It is possible for flavors to bleed between cigars, but not between all cigars.Remember the cedar dividers at the cigar store?From any natural tobacco cigars.Natural tobacco sticks can be leeched onto cognac-flavored sticks, making them taste the same.Natural sticks should stay together regardless of strength or flavor.If you must store a variety of cigars in the same box in a humidor or next to one another, consider storing them in cedar sleeves or creating your own from old cedar at the cigar store.
Step 17: Consider aging quality cigars.
There is a question of whether or not to store cigars in the wrapper or naked.If you want to age a high-quality cigar for a long period of time, and you have a quality-humidor that you maintain effectively, you should remove the cellophane by some.If you plan on smoking a cigar in less than a month, you can leave it in the wrapper for as long as you want.It's common to leave cigars in the tubes and wrappers they arrive in.
Step 18: The cigars will be stored for more than a month.
To keep the air fresh in your humidor, it's a good idea to move cigars around every month or so.If you have a collection of fine cigars that you've been aging for a long time, you don't need to schedule rotation if you are an avid smoker.To promote air circulation, cigars should be stored flat.Don't put cigars on top of other cigars.There is plenty of room for more cigars in a humidor.
Step 19: The humidity depends on the climate.
It's a good idea to check your hygrometer at least once a week to make sure the humidity is stable, and to change the fluid in the humidifier every couple of months depending on the climate in which you live.It's a good idea to change your humidifier fluid or replenish the beads every 3 months or so in dry climates.It's safe to change it every 9 months to a year in tropical climates.It's a good idea to take the hygrometers out of the humidor, store them in the bag with salt, and check to make sure they're giving an accurate reading.Most user-errors in storage are caused by faulty hygrometers.