1) Storing cigars in cabinets allows less oxygen to interact with the cigars.
Funny - why would a cab have LESS oxygen?
Most dress boxes are packed, where the circular(sorta) set up in a cab allows for air gaps...no?
(uh-oh, here's Wilkey!)
:sign:
My theory is as follows. In cabinets, the cigars are packed in a wheel (either 25 or 50) whereas in a dressed box, the cigars are in two layers. Every cigar in a DB is in contact with a box wall. In a cab, only the outer layer of a wheel is in contact or exposed to a wall. When we say "less oxygen" what we are
really talking about is a slower rate of oxygen diffusion to the cigars on the interior of the wheel. Why should this be the case. Think of it this way:
The aging reactions are of two types but we'll consider only one here; the aerobic reactions that require oxygen as a reactant/oxidizer for the chemical reaction to take place. No oxygen, no reaction. One such example of this type of reaction is the
reaction that generates energy within our cells. No oxygen, no energy, you die. Aging reactions analogous to the ones in tobacco are known to occur in wines and in that area, they are well studied. Not so much in tobacco. At least nothing that's been published and readily accessible.
The aging reactions occur throughout the leaves, the cigars, and the wheel and oxygen is consumed. At the very center of the wheel, the cigars are farthest away from the walls and thus air and oxygen have a long way to get to them to fuel the aging reactions there. Less oxygen leads to slower reactions. Slower reactions leads to a different balance of reaction and this is the condition that is hypothesized to result in the state referred to as "gracefully aged."
Now, this theory seems to make sense but there are two aspects of this that are problematic. The first has to do with whether or not the cigars at the center are really more deprived of oxygen as compared to the sticks on the outside of the wheel. The second has to do with an implication regarding how cigars in various locations in the wheel will age.
Now, to see if anyone has been listening and to see if I've explained this so it makes sense, I'll send a fiver of cigars, some with age, to the first person who can identify and explain the two problematic aspects I alluded to above.
Wilkey
Note to Marcos. Cellophane is not heat sealable and it is not shrinkable. Check a bundle of Tatuaje or good quality cigars some time and you'll see that the end flaps are taped closed. The heat shrinkable film around boxes that are heat sealed is polyethylene. In absolute terms, neither of the two materials (especially in this thickness) provide much of a barrier to anything. Vacuum sealing works because you are using a multilayer film that is designed for low moisture and oxygen transport. That's what keeps things in Cryovac bags from spoiling or, if stored in the freezer, from getting freezer burn. Resistance to freezer burn is also a consequence of pulling a vacuum sufficient to remove air pockets. With respect to retarding aging, you might just as well seal without the vacuum as the bag film is what's doing the magic. Some folks pull a high vacuum enough to cave in the box and that's a mistake. The lower air pressure inside the bag will actually hasten the transport of oxygen into the bag. So for cigar sealing in Cryovac bags, think gentle.
