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How long is too long?

CigarStone

CigarStone

For once, knowledge is making me poor!
Joined
Mar 7, 2007
Messages
11,999
I have always read and believed that long term storage at 65% robbed the cigars of flavor.

I bought a probe and am conducting some tests to see what happens. I took about 20 CC's out of the 70% humi and put them into a tupperware at 65%. I can't say the probe is deadly accurate because it read a little different across cigars that were in the same humi for years. But .................. here is what I am trying to ascertain.
  1. How quickly will the RH drop when moved from 70% to 65%?
  2. How long will it take to notice a difference in burn and ultimately flavor?
  3. How long will it take to come to the realization that the probe is garbage?
 
I can't break it down to the number of hours, but honestly I do know it takes surprisingly longer than you'd think. I'd try full dry boxing....for a week. Seriously. And, rather than go by the gauge, I'd see how it smoked. Take five cigars, put 'em in your desk (assuming your ambient RH is much lower than 70%). Smoke one in four days, another four days after that, etc. Let the taste and burn be your guide. One man's opinion...... 😎
 
I’ve kept my walk in at 65 for more than 20 years. I like to smoke at 60 so I have a couple on deck humidors at 60. I’ve smoked and gifted cigars recently that have been at 65 for decades. I’ve rarely smoked cigars that were better or more well received.
 
It's funny, get a hundred experienced cigar guys together and ask them what they run their storage at. You'll get answers from 58% to 75%, no kidding. Storing 65-68% has always been the target for me and my cabinet. Some sticks get the 'desk drawer' treatment or the 60% desktop if they're stubborn. But, honestly, most are very good to go, right out of the cabinet. Seems the sweet spot, to be sure. But, don't forget a lot of guys don't salt test or cal their hygrometers, so honestly where they are, RH wise, is a bit of a guess..... My sticks smoke fantastically, that's what matters most to me.
 
lucasbuck said:
I’ve kept my walk in at 65 for more than 20 years. I like to smoke at 60 so I have a couple on deck humidors at 60. I’ve smoked and gifted cigars recently that have been at 65 for decades. I’ve rarely smoked cigars that were better or more well received.
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BlindedByScience said:
It's funny, get a hundred experienced cigar guys together and ask them what they run their storage at. You'll get answers from 58% to 75%, no kidding. Storing 65-68% has always been the target for me and my cabinet. Some sticks get the 'desk drawer' treatment or the 60% desktop if they're stubborn. But, honestly, most are very good to go, right out of the cabinet. Seems the sweet spot, to be sure. But, don't forget a lot of guys don't salt test or cal their hygrometers, so honestly where they are, RH wise, is a bit of a guess..... My sticks smoke fantastically, that's what matters most to me.
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This info from two brothers I would trust my collection to makes me think about changing my coolerdors to the 66%-68% range, particularly the Cuban coolerdors. Or I may look into another cooler to be kept at 65% and just move stuff in there for the next month or two of smoking.

I'd like @jfields to weigh in on this.

I have resorted to using Beveda packs rather than salt simply for the ease of use.

There is no way I could do the "desk drawer" thing as the humidity here in Ohio varies wildly, 20% in winter and 90% in summer and even the whole house humidifier in winter and A/C in summer doesn't help a lot.
 
65-67 RH.

Also, I have always stored my cigars within this range, sometimes slightly lower. I have cigars with over 20 years of age, and taste better than ever. Then again, some people like their cigars wet. IMO, cigars with too much moisture lose their flavor.

I had a new cigar the other day and it popped, like a small fire cracker. Reminded me of those cartoons where someone puts a stick of dynamite in the cigar and it blows up. Anyways, it did it again a few min later. Been smoking for over 25 years and can't say the last time I ever experienced this. Most likely due to too much moisture in the cigar, as I'm certain they were freshly rolled and kept at high humidity.
 
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Rod said:
65-67 RH.

Also, I have always stored my cigars within this range, sometimes slightly lower. I have cigars with over 20 years of age, and taste better than ever. Then again, some people like their cigars wet. IMO, cigars with too much moisture lose their flavor.

I had a new cigar the other day and it popped, like a small fire cracker. Reminded me of those cartoons where someone puts a stick of dynamite in the cigar and it blows up. Anyways, it did it again a few min later. Been smoking for over 25 years and can't say the last time I ever experienced this. Most likely due to too much moisture in the cigar, as I'm certain they were freshly rolled and kept at high humidity.
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Rod said:
65-67 RH.

Also, I have always stored my cigars within this range, sometimes slightly lower. I have cigars with over 20 years of age, and taste better than ever. Then again, some people like their cigars wet. IMO, cigars with too much moisture lose their flavor.

I had a new cigar the other day and it popped, like a small fire cracker. Reminded me of those cartoons where someone puts a stick of dynamite in the cigar and it blows up. Anyways, it did it again a few min later. Been smoking for over 25 years and can't say the last time I ever experienced this. Most likely due to too much moisture in the cigar, as I'm certain they were freshly rolled and kept at high humidity.
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Could the pop have been tobacco beetles/larva/eggs?
 
Please don't forget the all important temperature. Air at certain temperatures can only hold so much moisture, 70 RH will be different at 60 vs 70 degrees.

If you care to read more here is an excerpt from the web.

ABSOLUTE HUMIDITY:
Absolute humidity (expressed as grams of water vapor per cubic meter volume of air) is a measure of the actual amount of water vapor (moisture) in the air, regardless of the air's temperature. The higher the amount of water vapor, the higher the absolute humidity. For example, a maximum of about 30 grams of water vapor can exist in a cubic meter volume of air with a temperature in the middle 80s. SPECIFIC HUMIDITY refers to the weight (amount) of water vapor contained in a unit weight (amount) of air (expressed as grams of water vapor per kilogram of air). Absolute and specific humidity are quite similar in concept.

RELATIVE HUMIDITY:
Relative humidity (RH) (expressed as a percent) also measures water vapor, but RELATIVE to the temperature of the air. In other words, it is a measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air compared to the total amount of vapor that can exist in the air at its current temperature. Warm air can possess more water vapor (moisture) than cold air, so with the same amount of absolute/specific humidity, air will have a HIGHER relative humidity if the air is cooler, and a LOWER relative humidity if the air is warmer. What we "feel" outside is the actual amount of moisture (absolute humidity) in the air.
 
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