The effects of dry boxing

[adic88]

I keep my regular rotation cigars in a chiller, about 15 boxes or so. 18 C 65%RH constant.

Recently, i've taken to "dry boxing" my cigars i.e. keeping them out of my chiller for 24-48 hours before smoking them. I stumbled across this by accident.

I attended an event a few weeks ago, and brought along a couple of cigars in my leather cigar case. I smoked one at the dinner, and left the other two. Getting home i just chucked the leather case (with the cigars still in them) into my accessories drawer (which isn't in the chiller or even in a humidor). A few days later, i remembered i had cigars in there, and smoked them, rather than put them back in the chiller.

The cigars were fantastic. Perfect burning, and very flavourful. It made me wonder. The next day, i took out the same brand cigars from their boxes in the chiller and smoked them. They were good, but not great; the burn wasn't perfect, and flavours didn't seem quite spot on either.

Since then i've repeated the experiment a few times, this time intentionally leaving the cigars in my leather case a day or two before smoking. It's a bit troublesome because i have to pre-plan my smokes, but it seems to ensure a very good cigar each time.

I wonder why this happens; seems that taking them out of the chiller gives them an opportunity to dry out a bit, and "settle down". That's the only explanation that i can think of.

But isn't 18C and 65%RH perfect storage conditions anyways? that's the thing that confuses me.

Any thoughts you might have to share on this would be great, fellas.

Smoking a dry boxed Diplomaticos now. And its awesome.

[Wil]

I've wondered this too. Why not store them at lower humidity and eliminate the need to drybox? I assume it has something to do with ideal ageing and smoking requiring different conditions?

[adic88]

The other really strange thing i've noticed is that my local favourite B&M's walk in humidor is a constant 70F/70RH (there have electronic hygrometers all over the walk-in), and their cigars feel much dryer than mine do fresh out of the chiller. What gives?

[LeafLover]

Dry box all the time. 24 hours minimum. I have dry boxed for 4 days (unintentionally). Of course, the climate where you live in matters as to how long or if you even can dry box.

[Rehman]

I think "dry-boxing" allows cigars to "transit" or "decompress" from their storage conditions to the ambient atmosphere of where they're smoked. In our case, here in the tropics two degrees of latitude north of the Equator, consider that your cigars are going from 18C/65RH to 25-30C/80RH where you smoke them.

[Cohiba007]

I don't think that I have ever dry boxed. I think I am afraid that I will dry out the wrapper.

[adic88]

I don't think that I have ever dry boxed. I think I am afraid that I will dry out the wrapper.

Try it if you can sometime. It really makes a difference. 24 hours is not long for a cigar.

[Colt45]

We have a number of members who dry box cigars prior to smoking - especially thinner ring cigars. But I also know of at least one member who smokes

his cigars at a higher humidity than his normal storage. I don't dry box - in summer months the humidity outide my humidors is higher than within.

I guess it all comes down to personal preference, and to be honest, I don't think the actual "number" matters that much. If you find your cigars smoke

better at a humidity lower than that within your humidor, why not try to lower your storage humidity? I know some members go to great lengths to

maintain particular climate conditions - climate for storage, climate for smoking - but I imagine they choose conditions that are to their personal smoking

and aging preferences via experience.

I've come to the realization that the more I learn, the less I know. I've let go of trying to maintain "perfect" climate conditions for my cigars, and am happy

as long as there are no abrupt changes in conditions. I actually sometimes wonder if it is better to keep cigars in a vacuum (so to speak), or to let them live

and breath - going through natural seasonal changes - in my mind, I've chosen the latter.

On a somewhat more technical front, perhaps your humidity is not what your hygrometers read, or the humidity within boxes is different than the overall

cabinet humidity, or your tobacconist's humidity is not as it seems, or........

After a while, it becomes less of a pleasure and too much of a chore - not worth it to me

[dicko]

No idea about the "why" but I find dry boxing makes for a much better smoking experience and try to do it where practicable. I agree that the "pre-planning" factor can be a bit of a nuisance lol

[armedak]

In my experience, cubans tend to smoke better for me at closer to 60% relative humidity which would appear to be what you are experiencing with your dry boxing I presume. You might try lowering your storage humidity and see what happens.

[Habanos2000]

...two degrees of latitude north of the Equator, consider that your cigars are going from 18C/65RH to 25-30C/80RH where you smoke them.

Astute observation. It seems in certain climates then, you could refer to this as "wet boxing".

[asuavea1]

I've noticed the same thing with my chiller. I now keep several sticks of my stock in a desktop humidor at all times.

[PigFish]

I am one of those nutty types that Ross hints about. While I am too old a bunny to really fuss over my cigars, I am pretty concerned over their storage.

I am a believer in the robust nature of the cigar, within certain limits mind you. Having cigars ebb and flow with your home environment, I believe does little damage to them. I do have some knowledge of material science and I understand that organic fibers and cellulose structures don't last forever. Rapid changes and cycles, organisms and pollution can all work against the long term storage of your cigars. That about covers my storage angle.

I started smoking Dutch type dry cigars. No, these were not premium cigars by any means but they fit my budget and liking in my youth. I have run the gamut since those days in my early twenties experimenting with humidity, flavoring agents such as rum, apple slices and flavored liquors. I think I tried to make cigars into a flavored pipe tobacco experience.... hell I have lost count of the many things I have tried to infuse a cigar with over the decades. Back then I smoked shitty cigars, made of shitty tobacco and I tried to make them less "shitty." I never understood exactly how good a really good cigar was and figured it was up to me to make them to my taste. I lived and learned the old school way, just by personal experience.

The thought of smoking a flavored cigar today makes me want to puke! I now have a taste for real premium Cuban tobacco and have no desire to take my experiences to any different levels. That does not mean however that I am not looking to constantly improve my day to day smoking experience. In some ways I have come full circle and back to enjoying dry cigars.

An extremely dry cigar is too my taste. I have found that the dryer the cigar, the more distinct flavors i can experience from it. Beyond that, any acrid or foul tastes that I attribute to over humidification completely disappears. You simply can't get a cigar too dry for me. If I were not afraid of ruining thousands of dollars of cigars, I would dry them down to the 50's because that is the way I like to smoke them.

At what level of humidity can the cigar be stored without ruination? I don't know the answer to this question and frankly experimenting with my cigars, en masse, is not sound judgement as I see it. I store my cigars in the low 60's and consider them ready to smoke at that level. I often leave several cigars in my car! Having a cigar roll around in my car for weeks is not really unusual for me. A cigar dried to the 30's level is not unusual for me and frankly they smoke better that way.

I think the key is not to simply make the wrapper brittle by drying. I think that 48 hours in the 20-30 RH level does nothing but potentially ruin your cigar. I don't see that as dry boxing! Why do I say ruin? Good question. I say ruin because 48 hours does not dry a cigar. 48 hours may dry your wrapper, but i don't think it dries much beyond that. Drying your wrapper and leaving moisture in your filler can simply split your wrapper as the moist hot air of smoking expands your filler. The key to drying cigars is a rather lengthy process of an extremely dry environment that affects the filler as much as the wrapper and binder.

I think you have not really had a Cuban cigar at its finest until you have really dried one to the point of believing that you have ruined it! Try it sometime any you may never find your way back to moist cigars. The drawback of course is actually ruining the wrapper and binder until it cracks. Drying cigars has it risks... but it also has its rewards! Good luck and happy smokin'.

-Piggy

[onemoretime]

I have always taken my cigars from my chiller 16c - 65rh (converted wine cooler) to my desktop for at least a week before I smoke them. I have found that it does in fact improve the burn and taste for reasons beyond me. I usually take two from each box of the cigars in my chiller that I plan on smoking for the coming week. It works out nice as I always have a good selection to choose from. I have never tried to dry box but this is an interesting idea. Going to give it a try.

[Ginseng]

My taste must run counter to those inveterate dry-boxers here. In general, I don't prefer my cigars bone dry but, conversely, too damp is simply a horror show. To experience this for yourself, try smoking a lancero on your covered porch or in your garage during a summer rain. That cigar will sponge up humidity in the 100% RH atmosphere faster than you can spark your Blazer in a vain attempt to ignite the soggy mess that results. But I digress.

Here's my guideline. Thinner cigars, low on ligero: smoke at higher humidity. Thinner cigars, high on ligero (i.e., La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero, Graycliffe Espresso Elegantes) smoke much drier. Fatter cigars, milder: smoke at higher humidity. Fatter cigars, stronger: smoke drier. In my humble experience, I find blanket dryboxing to be unsatisfactory to my enjoyment.

As I think about this, dryboxing is a nothing more than a simple tool to try and shift the normal "getting wet with smoking" process/curve that all cigars experience. That is, combustion will gradually make the cigar more damp on the inside so that by the time you're nubbing, acridity and nastiness will prevail and the last inch or so becomes an exercise of the will to smoke. Starting out drier simply shifts that curve downward. Well, perhaps it makes for a gentler slope as well. Dryboxing in conjunction with a slow draw rate will soften the progression even more by keeping the combustion temperature down and allowing for more time for the cigar to relax and release its combustion products (which include water vapor). Again, I draw on the example of the strongest and oiliest of the bunch, the LFD DL and JdN Antaño. Both of which are powerful, oily, cigars at the limits. I cannot smoke these except by keeping the draw rate so low and the draw intensity so low that they are on the verge of extinguishing. Under these conditions, I can expel nasally and enjoy the hidden flavor components that would otherwise be drowned out by the virulent loading of ligero.

So I suppose in answer to your wonderings, Aizuddin, dryboxing does something. And that "something" is a tool that can be used to tailor the experience to our individual preference.

Wilkey

[ZAZ]

Good info in this thread. Thanks to all who contributed...

[deejank]

this is the good stuff that gets left behind until a new member comes and finds these old discussions

[TomF]

It all boils down to this: every individual is going to do whatever the hell they want no matter what anyone says...

[Colt45]

this is the good stuff that gets left behind until a new member comes and finds these old discussions

I don't think it's so much left behind as it it there to be mined

For newer members (or any member, really, doing research / seeking information), there is a wealth here provided by some well versed, generous and passionate people. One should never feel unsure about asking a question, but spending a little research time can help start a new dialogue.

[Orion21]

When I know I'm going to have time to smoke I go to my wineadors and pick out what I want to smoke for the next week or so and put it in my travel humi. I don't put boveda packs in my travel humi and I love my cigars this way. I used to pull my cigars directly from my wineadors before smoking, but frankly, I got lazy. During an extended trip I discovered how well my cigars were smoking not having been humidified for 3, 4, 5, 6 and up to 7 days. Today this is my normal practice. I find the longer my cigars sit in my travel humi the better they smoke. They don't die on me, the burn well and I don't get a lot of tight draws. I absolutely think many of us over humidify our cigars because we are scared to death if we don't have oily supple feeling sticks. My humirdors are kept about 65F and between 58-63% rh. OMG 58%!!!! Yes, high 50's to low 60's and my cigars are beautiful. I would highly recommend letting your cigars rest outside of your humidor environment for at least 48-72 hours before smoking. First try it with a sampling of your favorite cigars and if you don't care for it - don't repeat.

[earthson]

No idea about the "why" but I find dry boxing makes for a much better smoking experience and try to do it where practicable. I agree that the "pre-planning" factor can be a bit of a nuisance lol

Amen to that! I've put cigars in the drybox and then my erratic tastes will change and I find myself wondering why the hell I brought that specific cigar out when I'm really dying for something completely different!

I notice this conundrum occurs less the less I smoke; after not smoking for 4 or 8 days, I'm happy smoking my crappiest sticks, even though I'm ready for something great! Damnit - another conundrum!

I love this hobby.

[PapaDisco]

In San Francisco, I can take my sticks straight out of their 65/65 storage and they smoke great right away. 65%rH/65F is pretty close to our ambient environment here. If I ziplock those same sticks and take them to Saigon (90/90 environment) they burn poorly (filler tunnels and wrapper is slow to burn) and taste considerably more harsh. If I let them sit in an unairconditioned environment in Saigon for 3 days they perform much better; they burn better and the taste looses much of its harshness, although they still taste harsher than at home (I'm with El Pig on the ill effects of too much humidity on flavor).

I think there's benefit to storing cigars 'wetter' than you might smoke them because I believe (and this is just on faith) that the extra moisture aids in the evolution, the aging, of the cigars and the flavor compounds within. Whether they need 60%rH or 65%rH or 70%rH for this though is a great big unknown. I used to store at 70/70, but found them to be more 'ready to smoke' and flavorful (to me) at 65/65.