Ever experienced smoking a cigar and noticing that it burns poorly? You’ve been so excited lighting it up but it just ends up in quite a disappointment. The most common reason for this is the extra moisture that comes during manufacturing or transporting. Some cigars also need to stabilize themselves before being ready to be used.
Cigar aficionados know all too well the importance of proper storage in keeping cigars fresh. This is how they’re able to preserve their precious cigars despite varying temperatures and conditions.
The key here is that you should be able to maintain the temperature and condition of the place or country where the cigar was manufactured. Cigars fare best in a humidity of 70% (62% to 72% humidity may be acceptable depending on the conditions) and a temperature of 68 degrees–and this is where it gets tricky, especially when you happen to live in a country that doesn’t get a lot of that kind of temperamental condition.
This is exactly why a cigar humidor is so important. Essentially, this is a stylish and sophisticated box that serves as a container for a cigar but inside, it recreates the perfect temperature and humidity levels for the cigars to stay fresh and unaffected by certain conditions. Humidors can vary in size and design, but usually, they’re all made of the same materials and features. An important feature is a tight seal that locks in the temperature and humidity that the cigars need. For some humidors, you will need to calibrate the hygrometer by yourself and set up the humidifier with a propylene glycol solution. The temperature and humidity inside can be adjusted, like add in moisture or remove any excess, depending on the number of cigars inside. This feature is so convenient for collectors that’s why they swear by these cigar humidors!
Not only are humidors working great to keep cigars fresh, but they’re also ideal for aging the flavors of cigars. It is believed that cigars taste best after about 5 years of storage, so if you are patient enough to have your cigars stored in the humidors for that period of time, you are guaranteed to have the best-tasting cigars!
Do you enjoy collecting cigars or know anyone who enjoys it?