Expert: James Yee - 9/23/2007

Question
Dear James:

My mother purchased 2 very expensive Cuban Cigars, for my husband, for his Christmas present, from Egypt 2-3 week ago, while on vacation.  They were not wrapped.  She kept then in a air tight baggie and now has them in her refridgerator, per the salesperson's instructions.

My question is:  Is there anyway to keep them fresh until Christmas without a Humidor??  What is your advise??

Thenk you...Georgia

Answer
Hi Georgia,

What you can do is store your cigars in something called a "humi-pouch".  Humi-pouches are basically Ziploc-style baggies with a humidified lining built right into the bag.  They're designed for travel and short-term cigar storage.  Once the Humi-pouch seal is broken, these pouches can keep your cigars fresh for up to 3 months straight (90 days).  After 90 days, you would need to replace the bag.  

Humi-pouches create the perfect amount of humidity and is more effective than storing your cigars in a regular plastic baggie.  (And you do not need to store the humi-pouch in the refridgerator.)  They're available in a variety of sizes and can store everything from a few single cigars, to whole boxes.  They are also very stylish and professional-looking so you can simply present the cigars to your husband in the Humi-pouch as is (wrap a bow around the pouch for that extra touch).  You can find Humi-pouches at any cigar store/tobacconist and depending on the size, they will cost anywhere from $5 to $15 per bag.  The best part is that the bag can be re-used for 3 months after the seal is broken so if your husband decides to buy some more cigars, he can just store them in the bag if he doesn't have a humidor.

Because the cigars were purchased 2-3 weeks ago and have been in a regular, refridgerated baggie all this time, my advice is that you move the cigars to a humi-pouch immediately so that they will have the proper amount of time to re-adjust to the proper humidity.  If you move the cigars to a humi-pouch now, those cigars will be perfectly fresh and ready to be smoked by Christmas time.

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

Regards,
James