badhangover
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
- Messages
- 701
I see many threads querying of the dreaded beetle outbreak possibility for cigar storage above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Well, I gotta confess - my cigars are often stored above that temperature milepost. Knock on wood, I've never had a beetle outbreak. I don't freeze newly acquired cigars either (although I do quarantine them for a month or two).
I live in Southern California. Land of warm and arid climate. I was fortunate to purchase an Avallo DDD cabinet humidor from a fellow enthusiast some time back. Not one of the snazzy relatively new cooled models. I wish it was. But, hey, the price was good. No, it was great. It was win/win for both of us. I was thus able to empty out the inventory from my wine refrigerators and use them for... wine.
I run my A/C during the oppressively hot periods. But not all the time. Even when it is on, it's not set to "Siberian wintertime" cold, and the cigars still may stay above 70 degrees. Let's say, up to a high of about 74 degrees or so. A couple of degrees higher during short periods of extreme circumstances.
I regularly inspect my stock for both beetles and mold. Even if that just means taking a good peek inside individual boxes while digging out cigars for my weekly supply (often kept in smaller humidors). I thoroughly inspect my entire stock at least quarterly.
I say again, knock on wood, no beetle problems here. I'm not trying to shatter any beetle myths here. I believe it to be a true concern and it is a constant concern to me. But it's no longer an obsession to me. Over time, I have learned to rely on actual taste, feel and sight over over any hygrometer/temperature display (although I still use several of them throughout my cabinet) as a barometer of proper storage conditions. In truth, this thread/post could easily be applied to humidity as well. Except I can and do control that with far greater ease than I can affect the ambient temperature.
Don't get me wrong, it's on my Santa list to procure a similarly sized cooled model cabinet so I can shake the last of my nagging concerns of my cigars' long term well being. But the shift from wine refrigerators to what is essentially a big ol' desktop humidor has ebbed my obsession about strict temperature control.
I'm curious how many others have had their storage above the dreaded 70 degrees for significant portions of the year(s) without suffering any beetle outbreaks.
I live in Southern California. Land of warm and arid climate. I was fortunate to purchase an Avallo DDD cabinet humidor from a fellow enthusiast some time back. Not one of the snazzy relatively new cooled models. I wish it was. But, hey, the price was good. No, it was great. It was win/win for both of us. I was thus able to empty out the inventory from my wine refrigerators and use them for... wine.
I run my A/C during the oppressively hot periods. But not all the time. Even when it is on, it's not set to "Siberian wintertime" cold, and the cigars still may stay above 70 degrees. Let's say, up to a high of about 74 degrees or so. A couple of degrees higher during short periods of extreme circumstances.
I regularly inspect my stock for both beetles and mold. Even if that just means taking a good peek inside individual boxes while digging out cigars for my weekly supply (often kept in smaller humidors). I thoroughly inspect my entire stock at least quarterly.
I say again, knock on wood, no beetle problems here. I'm not trying to shatter any beetle myths here. I believe it to be a true concern and it is a constant concern to me. But it's no longer an obsession to me. Over time, I have learned to rely on actual taste, feel and sight over over any hygrometer/temperature display (although I still use several of them throughout my cabinet) as a barometer of proper storage conditions. In truth, this thread/post could easily be applied to humidity as well. Except I can and do control that with far greater ease than I can affect the ambient temperature.
Don't get me wrong, it's on my Santa list to procure a similarly sized cooled model cabinet so I can shake the last of my nagging concerns of my cigars' long term well being. But the shift from wine refrigerators to what is essentially a big ol' desktop humidor has ebbed my obsession about strict temperature control.
I'm curious how many others have had their storage above the dreaded 70 degrees for significant portions of the year(s) without suffering any beetle outbreaks.
