Have you ever wondered, how long your treasured cigars last in that super expensive humidor that you last bought? Don’t you want to know that the investment you will put into a humidor is even worth it?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, this article is definitely for you.
In several ways, fine cigars are like fine wines. They are organic and extremely sensitive to the external environment. They need an accurate level of temperature and appropriate moisture to be well-preserved.
Cigar aficionados would undoubtedly go to great lengths to preserve the precious hand-rolled treasures they spend days, months, and years collecting. The necessity of a good-quality cigar storage system, i.e., humidor, cannot be overstated.
If the cigars are kept in an overly heated or air-conditioned room, they dry out, and their authentic aroma and taste are lost, sometimes even in half an hour. Henceforth, a humidor is used.
A humidor elegantly maintains the internal humidity of the cigar.
For those of you who use cigars know that there is nothing better in the world than pulling out a fresh and well-humidified cigar from the humidor. Let me ask you a question, would you like to hang on with your cigar for twenty minutes or twenty years?
Yes, you read that right. A good quality cigar humidor can sustain your cigar for up to twenty years, or even more.
Now, let us talk about how long cigars can last in a humidor.
How Long do Cigars Last in a Humidor?
How long cigars last and retain their worth in a humidor is mainly dependent upon two factors:
The makeup of the cigars
The quality of the humidor and the effort that you put into maintaining it
Firstly, let us talk about the makeup factor.
The Makeup Factor
Cigars’ lasting in a humidor is often dependent upon the makeup and how much attention and care the cigar-maker has shown towards making the fine tobacco rolls.
Cigars are made from natural plant products. Environmental conditions mainly influence the lifespan of a cigar.
If you store it in an environment that is too dry, it will undoubtedly lose moisture and become extremely dry. Furthermore, in an environment that is too damp, cigars will be prone to become oversaturated.
To a large extent, the sustainability of your cigars depends upon the quality of the humidor you buy.
Hence, you have to keep certain things in your mind before you invest.
Selection of Humidor:
Investing in a humidor is certainly not a small decision. And good humidors are not cheap. However, there is no point in purchasing a bad humidor.
A humidor that does not maintain a required level of humidity, no matter how appealing it is, is undoubtedly a waste of money as well as cigars. Your cigars are valuable, and they require and deserve excellent care.
While choosing a humidor, look for the one lined with a reasonably nonaromatic cedar, such as Spanish cedar. Cedar absorbs and re-emits moisture in a way that helps the tobaccos that are blended into a fine cigar to age and mature.
Finding a humidor with good construction and features isn’t as hard as it sounds. Better humidor manufacturers are passionate about quality control.
After buying a humidor, you would certainly want it to preserve your cigars for as long as possible. However, you have a significant role in maintaining the humidor.
Maintenance of the Humidor:
Humidors are more straightforward to maintain than a lot of other things. However, if you neglect these simple things, the humidor itself will not be able to protect your cigars.
After you buy a humidor, make sure that you don’t expose your humidor to temperature extremes, such as direct sunlight or on the top of your air-conditioner. Also, don’t forget to keep the lid or door shut and periodically as distilled water to your humidor.
If your cigar is the finest, it would not be able to clear out the terrible fate of turning into a dry, bitter, dull hulk of tobacco rolls if it doesn’t have the pleasure of settling inside a well-maintained humidor.
Selecting the right cigar humidor can take a bit of time; there are more varieties than you would expect. Choose carefully. An exemplary cigar case is not only highly facilitated. It is also an accessory that will also make you known as a person of taste.
Cigar Seasoning
As you store your invaluable cigars in the humidor, do make sure that cigars seem to flourish on the fragrance of their environment, so surrounding objects shall eventually impart their scent onto the cigars. Dividers are used in cigar humidors to minimize the tendency of cigars to have their aromatic qualities tainted.
However, it is recommended that different cigar brands be stored in their original boxes, and these boxes should remain closed in the humidors. This is especially necessary for the cigars with different countries of origin, and subsequently, altogether incompatible flavor strengths.
Regular Check-Ups
It is common for cigars to be checked every 1-3 months because humidity levels inside a standard cigar humidor tend to fluctuate in the humidifying system and eventually plummeting into the base of the dividers or trays. You need to look out for three critical factors: air supply, temperature, and humidity levels. Do make sure to check these three factors once in a while.
Here, to find out the makeup of your cigars, you could try your hands with a simple experiment.
When you already know that you like a specific blend, buy a handful of those. Smoke one as soon as you buy it, perhaps on your way out the door of the smoke shop, and smoke another after five days, five weeks, five months, or even five years.
By doing this, you could quickly know when the cigar tastes the best in your humidor.
