Short term storage? 3-6 months?

[sylvester36]

I'm a fairly new cigar smoker, so I haven't yet purchased a humidor. I've been buying a few "box deals" at a local monthly event at a cigar shop. I keep the stogies mostly in the same box I buy them in along with one or two (usually one) xikar moisture pillow type packs and a small wad of paper towel I try to rewet every few days. Now, these cigar *seem* to be OK as I smoke them. They aren't cracking and seem to smoke about right. However, I'm starting to get bugged about it as it *seems* they taste better just after I buy a box and even after a week they seem to taste a bit bitter.

Right now, I don't have the budget for the humidor I want so I was planning on just doing this original box storage. However, I have an outdoor humi sensor and it seems because of the porosity of the box the RH level hovers around 65% which is pretty much ambient humidity - maybe a bit lower. I keep the boxes in a liquor cabinet in my house which is usually around 75deg.

Is this OK? How crucial is the humidity for even short storage? I probably wind up smoking the cigars within 3 months or so of purchase. The last box I bought were Oliva Cains. The Cain rep actually told me you could just keep them in a box without anything else - no humi necessary. I assume this was just sales BS At any rate, thanks much for any tips on this. Do I need to get a good humi ASAP or a coolerdor or something?

 

[BlindedByScience]

Why worry? You can buy a cooler and a couple socks of Heartfelt beads for about $50.00. Don't waste time worring about "preparing" the cooler too much; rinse it out with very hot water, leave it open outside for a day, put your smokes and beads in there....and you have the best storage money can buy.

No kidding....all a cabinet does is make the process "pretty".....:thumbs:

 

[b.dawgson]

Also, if the cigars taste bitter after only a week, they're probably over-humidified.

I'd suggest nixing the paper towel that's re-wetted and just throw the water pillow into a ziplock or tupperware with the box of cigars.

 

[JHolmes763]

Get a Tupperware container or anything that seals.

 

[MoeCizlak]

Get a Tupperware container or anything that seals.

x2. A Tupperware Lock and Lock will do the trick with a tube of beads. It was my first humi and I still have it and use it. Cheap and effective, don't get no better than that.

 

[mmburtch]

Get a Tupperware container or anything that seals.

x2. A Tupperware Lock and Lock will do the trick with a tube of beads. It was my first humi and I still have it and use it. Cheap and effective, don't get no better than that.

Yeah, but it attracts La Lunas

 

[Shamrocker]

Lock and Lock containers are my humidor overflow storage and they work great. My first humidor was a simple tupperware container with a broken down cigar dress box for the cedar, and some wet oasis foam in a shallow dish.

 

[BooBee]

I'm a newbie myself so I'm not entirely sure I have "taste" down packed but I am experimenting with different brands to try and differentiate between the tastes. For my first humidor I was going to go the tupperware route but found a humi on craigslist for $20 (used of course). Since my home can get warm when we are not home I've been tossing the humi in a large cooler with ice packs and added a barrier between humi and ice packs to prevent direct contact since I don't want wood finish to humi to get messed up from condensation.

So my first shot at a humidor is a small 20 ct box I got for $20, I have the Drymistat tube inside and I salt calibrated tested the hygrometer that came with box. My only concern is probably temperature (and those dreaded beetles) at this point since my home reaches about 80 degrees during these summer months and when I get home we keep house at 76 with a/c.

 

[Rod]

Like the others said, a cooler or tupperware is going to be your best option. Get some RH beads and you'll be all set. I store boxes of cigars for long-term aging in coolers.

I have several of these coolers, and they work great: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-70-Quart-Xtreme-Cooler/4807332

Can't beat the price either, especially with the free shipping.

 

[obmike]

Mine sits in the basement, so I don't care how it looks I got one of those waterproof file boxes from staples. I think $20. Picked up a pound of beads. I think I've sprayed water on the beads once (or twice) in a year. Been sitting at 68/68.

You hang around here, you will need a bigger box.