No, a cigar box is simply the container that holds your cigars, although some may be well manufactured, they’re usually made of wood or cardboard – they aren’t made well enough to offer any significant amount of humidity control for your cigars.
Why Moisture Levels Are Essential
Whether you’re new to the world of cigars, or you’re a seasoned aficionado, you know when you’ve got a good cigar or not – the taste, the flavour, the aroma, it’s all off.
The #1 cause of a poor cigar experience, it hasn’t been stored correctly.
Moisture levels are essential when it comes to the enjoyment of smoking a cigar, and this is simply why you can’t use a cigar box as a humidor.
Cigars are made with a humidity level between 12-15%, this is the perfect range for a cigar. It’s neither too damp, or too dry.
Too Much Moisture
Quite simply if your cigar is stored with too much moisture, it’ll become damp. Damp cigars make it very hard to draw smoke through cleanly, it’ll lead to tunneling (where one side of the cigar burns a lot faster than the other).
The excessive amount of moisture in the cigar will also create far too much smoke. Too much smoke takes away from the enjoyment and inhibits your senses from tasting the true flavours of your cigar.
Too Humid
The essence of a cigar is the flavour created by the oils, if your cigars get too humid the oils will evaporate away – not what we want.
What happens when somethings too dry? It burns far too quickly. When it comes to cigars, it’ll burn too fast and hot.. again, causing damage to the flavorsome oils and negatively affecting the quality of the cigar.
The Answer: A Humidor
Humidors are simple things and they have a straightforward purpose: they allow for stable humidity levels which retain the quality of your cigar.
A humidor is a wooden box than can be sealed tightly to lock enough moisture inside to keep your cigars at the correct temperature.
How is the moisture created? Easy, from a reservoir or a humidification unit, they’re usually built into the humidor. Humidors are made of Spanish cedar, or are lined with cedar on the inside – cedar is the perfect material when it comes to keeping the correct level of humidity.
DON’T MISS: Check Out Our Humidor Reviews!
Humidor Requirements
As mentioned above, always use a wooden, Spanish cedar lined humidor – the thicker walls the better, they allow for good insulation.
Always buy bigger, cigars come in different shapes and sizes, the last thing you want to do is get your hands on a Churchill, only to find it doesn’t fit in your humidor!
Make sure the humidor is a quality build. We’re looking for a few things:
- Does it close tightly and evenly
- Do the hinges look well made.
- How sturdy is the clasp.
Lastly, if your humidor doesn’t come with a humidifier or a digital hydrometer, make sure there’s enough room for your to put one in, ensuring they don’t touch your cigars when it’s closed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I leave cigars In their box?
If you plan on smoking your cigar within a few days of purchasing, yes you can keep them in the box. However, if you don’t plan on smoking them for a while, either put the box or decant your cigars into your humidor to sustain their quality.
How long will a box of cigars last without a humidor?
If you purchase cigars in a pre-packaged Ziplock bag, they cant last for a few weeks or possibly up to a month. If you’ve put your cigars into a store bought Ziplock bag, they aren’t completely air tight and will only stay fresh up to a maximum of 4 days.
Can You Put A Cigar Box in Your Humidor?
Yes, if your humidor has the space for it. Cigar boxes are porous, so cigars will stay humid in their box, if they’re inside a humidor. If space is a problem, take them out of the box and place them in the humidor individually.
Conclusion
Keeping your cigars at the correct humidity level is very important. Best practice is to get them into your humidor as soon as possible, if you’re taking them out with you, place them in a Ziplock bag and make sure you enjoy them within 4 days.