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FoodSaver appliance to seal box of cigar

A

andrewhac

Andrew Hac Nguyen
Joined
Mar 2, 2004
Messages
219
Location
Houston, TX
Has any one here ever used a Tilia FoodSaver vacuum sealer to seal a cigar box for long term aging ? I want to buy one but do not know what model to buy in term of cost saving and to make sure that the darn thing I buy will work ? I am thinking of vacuum-sealing all the cigar boxes that I plan to age for 3+ years or more and put them in a coolerdor and leave them untouched for 3 years. Is this a good idea ?

Thanks in advance.
 
Long term aging is not considered 3 years. Long term would be closer to 10-20. IMO, that would not be a viable solution due to the fact that air should/must be exchanged periodically. As Shane has stated, you are sealing the beetle eggs in there as well and may open it up at a later date and find that you have nothing left.
 
I don't think sealing them in an airtight container would be a good idea.
You need air exchange for long term aging.
As cigars age, they need to "breathe".
 
A well respected cigar aficionado on another board puts all his cigar boxes in zip lock bags for long aging. As this retards the aging process, letting it happen at a much slower pace which eventually enhances the flavors of the cigar.
 
O.K. So let's just scrap the FoodSaver air-seal vacuum thing. Now to age cigar in long term, let's say like 5+ years. I already have a coolerdor, do I need to put my cigar box in a ziplog bag (like a 1 gallon ziplog bag from the supermarket), seal the bag and then leave the bag in a coolerdor with humidity level between 65% - 70% and temperature around 70 F and refill the distill water once every 3, 6 months. Is this the way to go ?

Thanks again for your experience and input in this matter.
 
I "seal a meal" my boxes. This prevents air flow, retards aging which sounds counter productive but the lack of air flow over time can/will make for much more complex smokes.

It really all depends on what time frame we are referring to when aging your cigars. Most people who vacuum seal boxes often have 10-20 years in mind. If you're talking about 3-10 years, vacuum sealing would not be advisable (IMHO, of course).

I am an expert in anyway but "normal" storage (eg - in the box within a correctly humidified humidor) is the best way of storing cigars if you are not looking beyond say 10 years. If you are looking for aging at 10-20 years the you want to slow down the maturation as much as you possibly can.

Some air exchange will still occur with sealing because the plastic material is still permeable and they can't get all the air out of the bag.

Just be VERY careful not to crush your DBs when sealing those up.

It also helps to keep your paws off of them while they are aging which can be the hardest part.

Hope this helps
~Mark
 
Plastic bags generally are permeable to oxygen and do allow air into the cigars. Their proposed benefit is that they surround the sealed cigar boxes with a barrier to inhibit the amount of contact air. It is said that cigars are helped in their maturation process (ongoing fermentation) by air exchange, humidity and temperature levels. High = faster; low = slower. Much like cooking in an oven versus the microwave, quick versus slow cooked barbeque, slower maturity is considered to produce a more sublime taste effect. Thus, restricted airflow helps to slow down the maturity process of cigars (and greatly so when done in conjunction with depressed humidity and temperature levels).

Beetle larvae hatchings are often associated with high temperatures (70 degrees Farenheit being the negligible "benchmark"). I would be more concerned with keeping the temperature low than to worry about not being able to inspect my sealed cigars. That is just my opinion.

I have also seen it proposed that the amonia dispelled as a byproduct of the ongoing fermentation process has the effect of killing off any beetle larvae in a tightly sealed environment such as vacuum sealed bags. This hypothesis requires far more scientific thought than I can assemble to speak with any authority about it.
 
When sealing, Never SUCK The AIR OUT! Hit the seal button well before the machine would automatically seal. This will be significant - or else you will crush the package and you'll end up getting crushed cigars, which often can damage them at least ruin the draw. I really like to pull just enough air along to tighten the bag surrounding the box. So a qualified sealer is significant, like the maxkon vacuum sealer I ordered at crazysales. If you see the box lid bow inward at all, you're letting the sealer vacuum too long.
 
Mienshao said:
When sealing, Never SUCK The AIR OUT! Hit the seal button well before the machine would automatically seal. This will be significant - or else you will crush the package and you'll end up getting crushed cigars, which often can damage them at least ruin the draw. I really like to pull just enough air along to tighten the bag surrounding the box. So a qualified sealer is significant, like the maxkon vacuum sealer I ordered at crazysales. If you see the box lid bow inward at all, you're letting the sealer vacuum too long.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to CP. Is there a reason you are raising from the dead a nearly decade old thread? Also, we generally prefer if new folks spend the time and introduce themselves and have a dedicated forum just for that purpose.
 
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