We’ve all gone to a stag party, wedding, or even the birth of a friend’s child where someone presents you a cigar that you might wish to smoke one day.
The issue is that if you don’t keep your cigar in a humidor, this should dry out or become unusable in such a matter of a few days.
Do not, under any circumstances, take your uncle’s advice and place their all in the freezers or refrigerators; it will be ruined.
Of course, any cigar aficionado will have a humidor (or 2 or 3). However, you may well be caught without the need for a humidor, or you may not be a frequent cigar smoker, but you’ve been given a cigar as a present, say at a wedding, and you don’t want to enjoy it right away, but you believe you will someday.
The issue is if you don’t keep your cigar in a humidor, this should dry out or be unusable in a matter of days. If you reside in a chilly or desert area, where too much low humidity will quickly dry up the cigars, proper cigar storage becomes even more crucial. However, if a humidor isn’t readily available, acrylic humidor is best.
Cigars in Ideal Conditions
Cigars deteriorate owing to changes in humidity or temperature in the environment. It can influence the taste and affect the ability of a cigar to burn. The optimal circumstances for just a cigar are 70 percent humidity and 21 degrees Celsius, but any temperature between 65 and 72 percent moisture and 18 to 23 degrees Celsius would suffice.
When gently pressed using your fingers, cigars should have a gentle hardness with a little give, but not so many that the wrapping leaf cracks. Yet, not all cigars are created equal, with some mixes being wrapped more thickly or tightly than others.
Make comments on the shape and condition of your cigar when you buy it; that’s the ideal form and condition to strive for. Humidors are excellent for this since they maintain humidity and temperature conditions, ensuring that cigars don’t lose their flavor or feel as they mature. Humidor prices vary greatly based on the brand & size.
Sponge and Zip-Seal Bags
Basic approaches can be utilized if a humidifying pouch is not available or cannot be obtained in a timely manner. Wet an old wet sponge using purified water and place it, along with your cigars, in a fresh zip-seal bag. Without the hydrometer provided by the humidor, checking the humidity level won’t be an exact science, but it’s a simple and effective way to avoid cigars from drying out. Simply keep a close eye mostly on sponge and check it often to ensure it hasn’t dried out.
Coolers, which are typically used to preserve foods and colds at picnics, can also be used as a humidor substitute. Make sure it is indeed clean and that the closure is airtight so the cigars stay fresh. To simulate what is utilized in a normal humidifier, a humidification machine with such a digital hygrometer seems advised. You can also keep humidification pouches in the cooler as an alternative.