Like any agricultural product made for enjoyment — wine, beer, flowers — the fresher cigars are when consumed, the more they’ll be enjoyed. Even the best cigars can’t be good if they’re stale. Fortunately, keeping good cigars in good condition for a good long time is fairly easy. Just store them properly.
The two factors that affect cigars the most — and they work together — are moisture and air.
Air has oxygen, which combines with many of the organic compounds in the cigar tobacco, ultimately deadening it. The chief reason is one similar to why metals rust: oxygen combines readily with many things, changing their chemical character. In the case of cigar compounds, there are oils, plant molecules and others that literally change into something else when they mix with air.
The other destroyer of good cigars is moisture, either too much or too little.
Too much can encourage the growth of beetle larvae and other organisms that even the most diligent quality control can not entirely keep out of cigars. It also encourages the growth of mold and can wilt and loosen the wrapper, while it spoils the interior. More moisture also means more oxygen, bringing the harmful effects listed earlier.
Too little moisture can also harm cigars. A dried out cigar causes tobacco to feel and taste stale. It causes the recently living plant to wither like dead flowers, with similar effects. Flavors become deadened and the wrapper can become crumbly and lose protective ability.
To keep them as fresh as possible, the right level of moisture (humidity) is needed. The best way to do that is by storing the cigars in a humidor, in which the humidity level can be carefully controlled.
Humidors, which come in a hundred sizes and styles, are boxes typically made of wood (and sometimes glass). Spanish cedar is popular because of its excellent insect resistance and moisture control.
Most have a gauge that allows you to judge the level of humidity, some of which are visible through glass. Maintaining the interior humidity level is accomplished by a combination of the wood, water holding mechanism (often a small sponge) and a tight seal.
For small amounts, one or two cigars, a glass or metal tube is often sufficient if they’re not stored there too long. They’re most often used when traveling or for partially smoked cigars. Since a good cigar can often last an hour or more, and are often more than an individual wants to smoke at one time, glass storage tubes are handy for storing the unused portion.
Never put a partially smoked cigar back into a humidor. The odor and compounds can steeply undercut the flavor of the other cigars. That lessens the value of a few dozen to a few hundred cigars (some humidors are huge), for the sake of keeping half a cigar for later. Not a good trade off.
Keep your cigars at the right level of moisture and away from the open air and you’ll find they can last for weeks or longer in top smoking form.
