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Plenty of smokers prefer to enjoy high-quality cigars for better pleasure. Moreover, it is possible to do them at home. However, after having those, it is important to keep them properly. Cigars have their aroma and it requires proper climatic conditions for that. Humidity is an important factor, which has to be of a certain level. You can achieve that with the help of a humidor. When it changes from required levels, tobacco may suffer damage.

Cigars are a type of product that belongs to sensitive stimulants. Those who enjoy smoking them periodically understand the importance of humidity and how it can affect the quality of cigars.

How Humidity Affects Tobacco Products?

Real fanciers prefer to keep cigars in a special box called a humidor. There are different types and designs of them. It can be a

• Box
• Chest of drawers
• Walk-in closet

The last one is quite a popular choice among consumers of cigars. However, only those humidors that can provide stable humidity and other conditions are good to use. Experienced smokers advice to keep humidity in 65-68% range. Nevertheless, there is important information about what happens when the humidity is out of a preferable range for a long time.

Too humid air: risk of mold growth

Some consumers think that it is better to have higher humidity than a dry one. However, you will not be able to enjoy too humid cigars as they will not properly lit and burn. You may need to keep constantly lighting it. That is what makes the smoking process unpleasant.

Moreover, if you keep cigars in a hot place it can become dangerous to smoke them. After reaching some temperature begins the fermentation process of tobacco. Cigars can be covered with mold and have oily sheen and sweat. If you have them in such a condition it is better to dispose of them.

Drought spoils the aroma

Too dry air in a place where you keep cigars also is not good. In such a case the whole taste of them changes. You can feel acrid and inedible. However, you should not worry. You can save cigars if they were exposed to ambient air for only a short period of time.

Modern Air Conditioning For Professional Cigars Storage

In large, walk-in places you should not avoid using such devices as humidifiers. Quite often they are special models that provide, which does not require high temperatures. Such humidifiers are sensitive to measure the climate and automatically regulate it.

Humidifier

A humidifier is a kind of reservoir that maintains the desired level of humidity inside the cellar by evaporation of water. Its capacity must be adapted according to the number of cigars: three hundred vitolas will absorb more water than thirty will. It comes in the form of a plastic cassette, filled with a special foam that takes care of moisture.

Slots or fins on the housing ensure gradual evaporation. It should be fed with demineralized water, usually at least once a month, and whenever the hygrometer indicates a rate below 70%. More sophisticated humidifiers provide automatic 70% control. They work according to a physicochemical principle: water is mixed with a substance that blocks evaporation, once the threshold of 70% has been reached. These devices are used with distilled water, which is more expensive. They must also be fed regularly.

• A new (wooden) cabinet will absorb water for three to five weeks before stabilizing. Generously power the humidifier at the start.
• In the box, regularly move the cigars from the bottom to the top so that the humidification is homogeneous.
• Manufacturers indicate the capacity of their humidifiers; several small humidifiers may be suitable for a large cellar.

The Hygrometer

No need for a scientific and too sophisticated device: a good hygrometer will have a margin of error of 5%. It must be provided with a calibration mechanism: the degree of sensitivity, calibrated at the factory, must be adjusted to the cellar used. The relative humidity level is determined according to the expansion of a control material:

• Spring-loaded (also called bimetallic strip) is unreliable. The sensitivity of the metal is not very fine for measuring humidity. Besides, these devices have no calibration. They will at most report a significant variation in humidity.
• Synthetic membrane. The measurement is correct for a reasonable price. Not all are equipped with a calibration system.
• A hair. It is a real hair that is used for the measurement according to its dilation. Precise but more expensive, these instruments are benchmarked.
• Electronic hygrometers. The most accurate, with a margin of error between 2 and 3%. The measurement takes longer. To calibrate them, you must remove and replace the battery.

The device must be placed away from the humidifier for the measurement to be correct.

The relative humidity is also the result of ambient temperature. It is therefore not essential to couple the hygrometer with a thermometer. Too cold, a cigar will not deliver all of its organoleptic qualities at the time of tasting. Conversely, the heat will not cause them intrinsic damage to the cigar. The larvae of the lasioderm may contaminate a product of tropical origin. It presents a risk of hatching from thirty degrees.

Guide How to Maintain Proper Humidity

Maintaining the correct humidity level in a humidor is essential for hydrating and storing cigars properly. A cigar that is improperly stored becomes dry, which affects the taste of the cigar. It also detangles cigars while smoking. If you enjoy smoking cigars, remember to take steps to ensure that your cigars stay well maintained.

Step 1

Season your humidor before you start using it. Take a clean cloth or sponge and pour some distilled water over it. Wipe down the entire interior surface of the cellar with the rag. Leave the sponge in the empty cellar and allow the wood to absorb the liquid for the next day. When the wood absorbs distilled water, it prevents it from undermining any additional moisture intended for cigars.

Step 2

Use distilled water or liquid polypropyl to ensure humidity. Remove the humidifying device from your humidor, and pour the liquid into the device. Do not overload the device make sure it is saturated, wiping off any excess liquid. Place the device in your humidor. Like liquid evaporation, the liquid will moisten your humidor and your cigars. Repeat this step when the device dries.

Step 3

Refrain from excessive opening and your humidor, as this will cause your humidor to lose moisture. Only open your humidor when adding and taking out cigars or if you are rearranging them for long-term storage.

Tips & Warnings

In particularly dry climates, maintain humidity by using a shot of distilled water. In many dry climates, you will have a hard time getting the humidor up to optimum humidity even with the humidification device. An easy trick to do this quickly is to place a small glass of distilled water in the humidor for a few days. This will speed up the humidification process. Once the humidity is correct, continue to use the humidification device without using the projectile glass.

• If your humidor does not come with a hygrometer, buy one and learn how to use it. Check the hygrometer periodically to make sure your humidor is at optimal humidity.
• The key to this process is to get the moisture content of the water without imparting other flavors. Therefore, make sure that everything you use to transfer distilled water is clean. Make sure your glass is shot soapy and not. Make sure your sponge is odorless.
• When using a small glass to increase the humidity, remember not to jostle the humidor. Jostling the humidor could tip the glass, soaking your cigars in water.
• Do not use tap water in place of distilled water. Impurities in tap water will impart additional and unwanted flavors.

Various Ways of Storing Your Cigars

In the world of cigars, there are many methods for storing cigars to get the most out of their aromas and their characteristics that distinguish them. With this advice article, find out which methods are best suited to your profile and quickly become an expert in the world of cigars!

If You Are A Regular Cigar Smoker

Depending on how often you use it, the preservation system you should purchase will change. Indeed, if you are a regular smoker of cigars and therefore need to keep a large enough number, it is better to opt for a quality humidor (another called Humidor). Indeed, the cigar humidor allows you to store a large number of cigars, whatever they are. Thus, by purchasing this cigar humidor (a wide choice is available to you on our online store) as well as the various accessories necessary for its proper functioning (hygrometer, etc.) you will be able to keep your cigars in the best possible way.

If You Are an Occasional Cigar Smoker

If you rarely consume products such as cigars, it is not necessarily necessary to get a cigar humidor and all the accessories that compose it. Indeed, some solutions will be more suited to you. Among these solutions, you can find in particular the box. With the box you will not need to do a lot of handling, placing it in a ventilated place away from light and a little damp will be more than enough for the conservation of all your cigars. Constructed from mostly wood (cedarwood, etc.) it will keep your cigars from getting dry in the short term.

Other Ways to Store Your Cigars

Other than the box or even the cigar box, you can find various tips that are effective, practical, and quick to implement without having to invest anything.

The technique of wrapping them in a damp towel if you do not have a humidor or a storage box for them. With this method, you will not have to make any investment however, instead of using tap water we recommend that you opt for distilled water since tap water has a high number of bacteria. Using distilled water will keep your cigars from being infested with anything or losing flavor or characteristics. Be careful, this method can only be used and put into practice if your cigars still have their Cellophane packaging, on the contrary, the cigar leaf may be damaged.

If you have a cigar humidor, you must open it at least once a week and change the place of the cigars inside. Obtaining an adequate humidification system is important. You should not take a system that is too low-end for your cigars at the risk of degrading them, but you should not either take one that is too efficient at the risk of having invested for nothing when a humidifier at a good price would have been sufficient.