Like other finer things in life, cigars only get better with age. In fact, most stogies yield their best flavors over time.
But before you decide to store away a nice Cohiba for a rainy day, you must first consider the storage conditions — namely, the humidor.
A humidor is a device specifically designed to store stogies and keep them in their best condition over time.
Why Use A Humidor?
Since cigars are made of organic material, they are prone to rapid deterioration without using a humidor. Natural oils found in the cigar leaves will eventually evaporate over time, leaving you with a stale hunk of bitter unpleasantness.
A good stogie is neither moist nor dry. You can test a cigar’s freshness by applying a small amount of pressure to the body of the roll. If it crunches or crackles, then it’s too dry and will only yield the bitter taste of disappointment.
A humidor is essential for preserving a stogie’s taste, texture, moisture content over time, and developing its flavor. Here’s what you need to know about aging stogies to their finest.
Aging and Storage
Typically, cigars are aged for a minimum of six months prior to hitting store shelves. However, this isn’t always the case, as some distributors prefer to expedite this process to increase product output.
It’s impossible to tell from looks alone whether or not a cigar has been aged properly, so when buying a new stogie, your best bet is to let it age for a minimum of 3 months before lighting.
A common mistake that people make when aging their stogies is leaving the cellophane wrapper on. Humidors work best when oxygen can freely circulate around the stogies, and cellophane tends to trap moisture, raising the cigar’s internal temperature.
When stored properly, stogies have an unlimited lifespan. Most premium cigar brands are so coveted because tobacco flavor has to develop over many years.
Seasoning
Keep in mind that stogies will take on the aromatic qualities of whatever you store them with, which is why they come packaged in fragrant wooden boxes.
It’s also why you should store your stogies in their original boxes when aging. Dividers can be used in cigar humidors to prevent their aromatic qualities from being tainted, especially if you’re storing stogies of different brands and origins that have incompatible flavor profiles.
Conversely, some cigar aficionados like to experiment by storing different cigars together to obtain a specific flavor.
Spanish cedar is generally viewed as the ideal lining material for a humidor. This wood’s robust aroma brings out the best in a stogie and is more resilient to warping than other woods.
Fortunately, most modern thermoelectric cigar humidors have the option of Spanish cedar lining.
Other Tools To Keep Stogies Fresh
Humidors are not only an excellent investment for keeping your stogies fresh. Sometimes stogie smokers with humidors need extra help controlling the moisture levels inside. 2-way moisture packs for cigars are a great addition to your current setup if you can’t get the ideal RH levels inside.
Even though humidors are great tools and can be aesthetic staples for any home or office due to high-end brands offering luxurious makes and models, they are not ideal for portability.
Game-changing products, such as 2-way humidity control cigar tubes and bags that act like a humidor, are a terrific solution. With the moisture control technology built inside, users simply store their stogies ironside and are ready to go.