How Cold Is Too Cold?

[Blowtorch]

I recently purchased a 12 bottle wine refrigerator and I'm not sure I want to keep it. For $100 I could buy a nice wood humi . I live in the North East so temps in my basement don't usually exceed 65- 70 F. I was thinking if I could keep beer or liquor in the space I'm not using ( just a couple bottles) it might be worth keeping and running the fridge. So my question is " how cold can I keep my sticks and what happens to them when temps are too low?
Thanks,
Gene

 

[Smok'em]

Maybe I misunderstod your question, but if temps are 65-70, I wouldn't worry about the temp for my cigars and would store them in a humidor. If you do decide to use your wine cooler, make sure you control your humidity. I have no experience with these, but would guess the standard RH is too low unless you do something.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

So my question is " how cold can I keep my sticks and what happens to them when temps are too low?

Well, cold enough for beer or champagne would be much too low . . . like keeping cigars in the fridge. :0

When I've smoked outdoors during one of my area's infrequent cold snaps, my cigars have shown a tendency to crack, unravel, and just generally blow up. I'm assuming storing them at too cold a temp---anything below about 60º imho---would have much the same effect. Not good!

If your basement temps don't generally go below 60º or above 75º and that's where you plan on keeping your humidor, you certainly don't need a Vinotemp.

~Boar

 

[fca_blake70]

I had a few problems recently with my humidor losing humidity because it was cold and had a bad seal. In my experience a cold cigar simply can't hold the appropriate humidity to maintain good conditions, but 65-70 degrees seems fine to me.

 

[Marcos]

As stated earlier, it is hard to keep the humidity up as the temp drops. I have a cooler in the basement and over the summer it never went above 73 degrees and in the winter it will be somewhere in the 60's. I have way more beads in my cooler then I should but the buffer is nice and it will stay at 65% humidity no matter how low the temps have gotten. Not sure on the science but I think I remember reading here that as the temp drops, aging will slow. Not sure if prolonged temps in the low 60's or even 50's will do permanent damage to the cigar though. My setup falls within what I think is an acceptable range so I try not to worry about it. Good luck!

 

[junkman_56]

Not sure if prolonged temps in the low 60's or even 50's will do permanent damage to the cigar though.

Keeping cigars at these temps (even for long term storage) will not hurt them at all.
As you already mentioned, it will slow the aging of the cigars.
For very long term storage, this not a bad thing

High temps is what will do damage.