Expert: James Yee - 2/10/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi there!
I have just been out a bought a single Romeo Y Julieta No. 3 Cigar. I am looking at smoking it in about a weeks time and am unsure of how it should be stored during the next week.

Any advice would be very gratefully received!

Paul Kirkman

ANSWER: Hi Paul,

If you do not own a humidor and are planning to smoke the cigar within a week, you can just keep your cigar in a Ziploc bag and then place the bag inside a tupperware container and seal the lid tightly.  This will help the cigar retain its moisture.  Keep the container in a room where the temperature does NOT exceed 74 degrees Fahrenheit and 74% humidity.  (Humidity over 75% can cause mold growth while temperatures exceeding 75%+ can cause tobacco beetles to hatch.)

As an alternative, you can purchase a "humi-pouch" at your local cigar store/tobacconist and this will be more effective at properly maintaining your cigar.  Humi-pouches are Ziploc-style bags with humidified linings built right into the plastic.  Once the seal on a humi-pouch is broken, the bag can properly humidify cigars for up to 90 days before it needs to be replaced.  Humi-pouches are available in a variety of sizes and can accomodate everything from a few single cigars to whole boxes.  Depending on the size, they cost between $5 to $15 per bag.

Normally, I suggest that people invest in a humidor, travel humidor or even a humi-pouch but if you only have one cigar and plan to smoke it in a week, then it's not necessary to invest in these devices.  If however, you plan on purchasing more cigars soon, a humi-pouch is the best, inexpensive solution.  If and when you expand your cigar collection, investing in a humidor will be more appropriate.

Hope this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your great response! I assume I should keep the cigar in its metal tube until used? Will low temperatures have any effect on the quality?

Paul

Answer
Hi Paul,

Yes, keep the cigar in the cigar tube.

Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can cause a cigar to be dry and brittle.  The safe temperature range for properly maintaining cigars is between 67-74 degrees Fahrenheit while the ideal cigar storage temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Tobacco beetles typically hatch at 80 degrees Fahrenheit but there have also been cases of them incubating and hatching when the temperature is between 75-79 degrees Fahrenheit.

For humidity, too much humidity can cause mold growth while not enough humidity can cause your cigars to be extremely dry and taste stale.  The ideal range is also 67-74% humidity with 70% humidity being perfect.  (Hence the easy to remember cigar term "70/70"; 70 degrees Fahrenheit, 70% humidity.) Mold growth can easily begin at 75% humidity and will run rampant the higher the humidity becomes.

Hopes this answers your question.

Regards,
James