How to Store Cigars Without a Humidor
The best cigars improve over time in the right conditions. A humidor typically provides these conditions.
But what if you don’t have a fancy humidor for your collection? You can easily learn how to store cigars without a humidor by making your own out of a cooler, a Tupperware container, or even a plastic bag with a seal. Out of all these, the plastic bag is the least permanent solution.
The two critical elements to storing cigars outside of a humidor are the humidifying agent and a tight seal. You also want to make sure that the humidifying agent doesn’t rest up against your sticks, which can encourage mold growth.
So, you have cigars that need to be humidified, but you just don’t have the time to build a DIY humidor. What to do? Well, first of all, shame on you for being unprepared! Ok, so maybe you ended up with a handful of Cohiba cigars unexpectedly. It happens, but you don’t want those precious cigars to go to waste. You do, however, have an option!
Creating a humidor out of Tupperware, glass jar, or small cooler, is easy and relatively inexpensive, yet perhaps you just don’t have access to the items needed to make one. If not, then you can use a trusty Ziploc bag. While not ideal, the bag will serve as a temporary fix that will at least keep your cigars in smokable condition.
You will need to add some sort of humidification to the Ziploc bag. If you don’t have access to humidification packs, a small sponge will work just fine. If all else fails, you can use a damp paper towel. Yet you should replace it often to avoid mold or bacteria build-up. If the cigars are not in cellophane, just make sure they don’t touch the sponge or paper towel.
A Ziploc bag should be used as a temporary storage solution only. Try to get your cigars into a permanent, humidified home as soon as possible, so that you can better keep your cigars in optimal condition.
Cigars need to be kept in a range of 65% to 72% humidity to remain pliable and hold their shape. As cigars dry out, they shrink and will not smoke as the cigar maker intended. Over-humidified cigars can swell and eventually split open. Figurados or shaped cigars are especially susceptible to this.
How long a cigar lasts depends entirely upon climate conditions. A cigar will last much longer outside of a humidor in a high-humidity tropical climate than it will in moderate, dryer areas. That’s because these are the same conditions found in places where tobacco grows best, for example, in Cuba. In general, just a day or two outside of a humidor can have tragic results for a cigar. So it is crucial to have regular cigar maintenance and a consistently humidified space that is optimized specifically for cigars.
If a cigar does dry out, you can restore it. You must do so by gradually increasing humidity over several days so that the cigar does not take on too much humidity too soon and split. Just know that the cigar will most likely lose some of its body and taste along the way.
Whatever you do, do not place cigars in a refrigerator or freezer! Modern appliances utilize a frost-free function that removes moisture. This can make cigars excessively dry and cause irreparable damage to the leaf. The cold environment can also make tobacco less pliable and brittle. It’s just not worth it.
So be sure to get your cigars in a proper cigar humidor as soon as possible so that you can enjoy your smokes to their absolute fullest.
Blending exquisite taste and a long history, Cuban cigars are an experience enjoyed on many different levels. The fanciest humidor in the world won’t make a difference if you carry an inferior product in it.
Invest in quality and value, and whether you use an old wine cooler or a cedar-lined humidor, your enjoyment will only grow as your sticks age.
Find the very best Cuban cigars online. And sure, store them outside a humidor briefly, but them make sure you get them into a proper humidor for optimal ageing.