Question for you vets

[Silverstix]

So I’ve got a question for the seasoned veterans here on the forum....

 

Let’s say you have a box you’ve been laying down for 3 years, and you store at your smoking RH. When you pull a stick from the box, do you give it any time to “air out” so to speak, before you smoke it? Or can you just pull straight from the box to the flame and get a good representation of the cigar?

 

Follow up - is there ever a point where you would need to do this? Say, idk, longer than 5 years? 10?

 

Maybe silly question, just something I was thinking about

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NSXCIGAR]

To me, smoking rH means just that--ready to smoke. Light 'er up,

[BrightonCorgi]

Take right from the box and smoke.  Be it from the cabinet or cellar.

[Chas.Alpha]

13 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

To me, smoking rH means just that--ready to smoke. Light 'er up,

Fair answer. I don’t believe there is a correct one. Light ‘er up! If you find it “chewy”, try dryboxing for a couple of days.

Welcome to the adventure!

[La_Tigre]

9 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Take right from the box and smoke.  Be it from the cabinet or cellar.

+1

Unless you open the box for the first time in 3 years....smoke billows out and you are greeted with a cigar that looks like this....:

but all the more reason to have a torch at the ready! 🧛‍♀️ 🔥 😂 

[Bri Fi]

Based on what I’ve read, for those who have major temp or RH swings in outside weather it may be beneficial to lay out to avoid the cigar wrapper/binder from splitting or other construction problems. Not sure if that sentence made sense due to a 2015 merlot I’m currently entertaining. 

[mprach024]

Don’t be afraid to experiment, don’t take everyone’s word as gospel as you may like it different.

I’m actually a little bit picky here as I find some marcas perform better at different rh, so I have my shelves in my cabinet at different humidities (2 at 60, 3 at 62-63, 1 at 64-65) where I place those corresponding marcas.  When I couldn’t do that, and everything was at 62-63, I left my Montes (for example) out on the counter from morning to evening (I prefer those at 60), but I’d have a wet box (70-72) to throw some marcas in that I’d like to raise above 62 like Trinidad and Cohiba (I prefer those around 64-65).  I thankfully don’t have to do that anymore, but used to do that and found it was a successful system that appeased my mental psychosis. I also never had any issues with cigar splitting or construction failures doing this over the course of a day.

Other will disagree and prefer Trinis at lower rh.  That’s totally cool and no one is wrong.  For me the dryer they are the more pronounced the wood becomes, or grass becomes in Cohiba.  That’s just my palette, and not the flavors I’m chasing in those sticks.  The moral of the story is don’t be afraid to experiment and find what’s right for you.  You’ll likely end up right where you started, but hey experimenting is fun and let’s you get different experiences to compare things to.  You’re always better off getting your own first hand knowledge than just reading and taking it as gospel.   

[Shrimpchips]

5 hours ago, La_Tigre said:

+1

Unless you open the box for the first time in 3 years....smoke billows out and you are greeted with a cigar that looks like this....:

but all the more reason to have the torch at the ready! 🧛‍♀️ 🔥 😂 

I’m pretty sure this is how coronavirus jumps from bats to humans.  Please refrain from smoking bats in order to prevent COVID-21.

[CaptainQuintero]

  I settled on storing at ready-to-smoke r/h and have been fine. I'll occasionally freezer/dry box if a cigar feels like it will benefit.

  

[Nino]

10 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

To me, smoking rH means just that--ready to smoke. Light 'er up,

 

10 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Take right from the box and smoke.  Be it from the cabinet or cellar.

This ^^

Cigars are not Bordeaux Grand Crus that need decanting and 5 hr "breathing" time ... 🙂  Thank God.

[Puros Y Vino]

If you pulled it out of your humidor and the RH level is what you prefer to smoke, then go ahead and light it up.  Otherwise, some like to "dry box" their cigars.  Which is basically taking it out of the humidor and placing it in a regular cigar box for whatever time the smoker prefers before they light up. As @ninopoints out above, they don't need to be treated like wines.  Though it is good practice to air out a box once in a while if you smell ammonia in it. 

[Jimmy_jack]

It’s called dry boxing. Some people store higher and some lower. Try it out see what works for you. 

[Tstew75]

If you happen live in a place (The PacNW for instance) where RH runs a bit fat some times of the year, try dry boxing batters-box cigars in an isolated tupperware container with a 62 or 65 Boveda...you'll almost always notice improvements in burn.

[Chibearsv]

I don't think the age of the cigar matters as far as how you get them ready to smoke.  I keep my fridgeadors and tupperdors at 62% so everything in them is pretty much good to smoke right out of storage; however, I move 3-8 cigars (2-3 days of smokes) into a dry cedar humidor at room temperature for a day or two before smoking.  For me, that day or two doesn't dry the cigars out enough to alter the flavor necessarily but I do get fewer burn problems...at least in my mind.