How to store cigars without a humidor
As you have landed on this article, we can safely assume that you love cigars just as much as we do and you care about the importance of keeping cigars fresh.
Indeed, only a perfectly kept and humidified cigar is a good cigar.
You probably want to know though how to store cigars without a humidor for at least a couple of days. Look no further. Here is all you need to know:
Be it because you are just occasionally smoking cigars, or you simply don't have a humidor (yet). These storage devices are pricey, you have to educate yourself on purchasing and seasoning a humidor, and who knows how much of a passion it will become for you.
Keeping cigars fresh can be done in multiple ways. They might be short-term solutions, but they work and won’t embarrass you, once you literally pull the stick out of the hat. In all honesty, only a cracked and dried out cigar will.
After all, the quality of tobacco will notably decrease after 3 days already, if not kept in proper environments.
So, the question is: How to store cigars without a humidor in a simple, sustainable, and safe way?
The answer is: In a Ziplock bag, with a humidity pack.
Next time you purchase a couple of cigar, make sure to get a humidity pack (i.e. by Boveda or Humi-Smart). The process is as simple as dropping the pack into a Ziplock bag. It provides a recommended humidity level, so you can store your cigars for a number of weeks. One pack should work perfectly fine for 2-3 cigars for approximately a month.
Now what, if you have no humidity pack and little time to buy one? Keeping cigars fresh in this situation is still possible:
With a sponge inside the Ziplock bag.
Wet a small piece of sponge with water (or even better distilled water) and place it inside the Ziplock bag. Check the sponge every 3-4 days to ensure it hasn’t dried out. Also, make sure it doesn’t touch the cigars.
Alternatively, most cigar retailers these days will put your newly purchased corpus delicti into a humidification bag, either from Boveda, one of the cigar companies or some other form of merchandise. You can reuse these bags for your own storage purposes.
If you don’t have a Ziplock bag, or it's too small...
Opt for Tupperware.
Just like the Ziplock bag, you can take a humidity pack or a damp sponge, and leave it inside the container.
How to store cigars without a humidor is more or less critical, depending on the location and season. Temperature and humidity are key to keeping cigars fresh and functional. Maintaining both is a balancing act, especially between seasons. They should always stay under 24°C (75°F), whereas the optimal temperature range is between 20°C (68°F) and 21°C (70°F). This helps keeping cigars fresh and ages them gracefully. In any case, one thing you should always avoid is direct exposure to the sun or the air condition.
Now you know: keeping cigars fresh is easily possible with just a couple of DIY tricks.
Light ‘em up and enjoy!
Reinhard
Sensory expert, cigar passionado, and host of the Light ‘em Up Lounge
