Expert: James Yee - 1/18/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi.  I have been a casual cigar smoker for a few years now.  I've never owned cigars, just smoked them when handed one at a party or on special occasions.  Well, I fell in love with a particular cigar (not at all expensive, but my favorite hands down) and I ordered 50 of them.  I also ordered a decent humidor to store them.  The problem is, due to weather conditions my cigars will arrive on the 19th and my humidor will arrive a few days later.  What do I do until I get it and season it?  Should I leave them in the box?  Will they have a cellophane wrapper or something?  Can I rig up a makeshift humidor?  How do I protect them for the next few days?  The humidor should arrive no later than next Monday so I'm looking at 3 or 4 days time.  It’s rather cold here in Kansas right now and quite dry.

Thank you so much for any advice.  Please, help me help my cigars.  lol.

John


ANSWER: Hi John,

Until you receive and season your humidor, what you can do is keep your cigars in a clean (and odor-free) Tupperware container with a sealable lid.  If you're certain that you will receive your humidor within a few days, then it's perfectly fine to just keep your cigars in a Tupperware container.  If you don't have a Tupperware container, a Ziploc bag will also work.  When your humidor is finally seasoned, just be sure to let your cigars sit in your new humidor for at least 7-10 days at 70% humidity before you smoke one.  This amount of time will allow your cigars to re-absorb any moisture that it has lost while away from a humidor.

Because your cigars will be without a humidor for only a few days, it's also perfectly fine to just leave them in their original box.  Just be sure to let your cigars sit in your new humidor a little bit longer before you smoke them.

As an alternative, you can also keep your cigars in a humi-pouch.  Humi-pouches are Ziploc-style bags with a humidified lining built directly into the membrane of the plastic.  They're designed for short term cigar storage and travel and can properly maintain your cigars for 3 months.  The best part about these bags is that they're completely reuseable during the 3 months so you can add and remove cigars from the bag as often as you like.  You can also use these bags to carry a few cigars with you when you travel or go out as the thick, rigid plastic protects your cigars from physical damage quite well.  These bags are available in a variety of sizes and can accomodate everything from a few single cigars, to whole boxes.  Depending on the size of the bag, these humi-pouches can cost anywhere between $5-$15 per bag and can be purchased at any cigar store/tobacconist.

Hopes this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James

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

QUESTION: thank you.  i have a plastic sealable container that should work. should i put a wet spounge or something in there with it?  

also, on a related note.  If i'm just going over to a friends house for the day and have about a 30 min drive to get there, do i need a humipouch or sum such device for that?  how long can a cigar survie in the elemnts without needing to be rehydrated?

Thanks, John

Answer
Hi John,

You can add a sponge but because your cigars will be without your humidor for only a few days, it's not absolutely necessary.  If you do decide to put a sponge in with your cigars, make sure the sponge is sterilized and unscented and only use 100% distilled water.  You should also place the sponge in a dish or plate and prevent it from making direct contact with your cigars.  Also, if you do add a sponge, do not seal the Tupperware lid close.  Let the lid rest closed but loose.  Sealing the lid will prevent the humidity to naturally vent and this will cause your cigars to absorb all the humidity and rapidly expand; thus causing them to split and crack.

When you go out, it's always best to store your cigars in a humi-pouch, cigar case or travel humidor.  Extremely cold and hot temperatures can easily dry up your cigar within a matter of minutes and this will make your cigar more susceptible to physical damage during carry.  Dried out cigars will also burn too quickly, burn irregularly and taste stale.  A cigar case/tube, travel humidor or humi-pouch will protect your cigars and prevent them from drying up.

Hopes this helps!  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James