The Proper Way to Store Cigars
December 30th, 2009 by Drew Sabot, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
If there is one very common question posed by those who enjoy buying and smoking high-quality cigars it is “Do you remove the plastic wrapper when storing in a humidor?” Unfortunately, this is a question that doesn’t have an authoritative answer. Many experts would simply reply that it is a matter of preference, but there are some benefits in choosing to use the humidor AND leaving the cigars in their wrappers while inside the well controlled environment.
Let’s first look at cigar wrappers in general and understand how they can be of tremendous benefit to a true aficionado. Firstly, they are made of a material known as cellophane. This has the feel of traditional plastic, with the great exception that it is actually a porous or breathable material. Cellophane can prevent the actual wrapper or leaf of the cigar from sustaining damages, and will also deliver a host of other beneficial services. For instance, if you leave a cigar in its wrapper outside of a controlled-environment it will go stale and be completely ruined in only a matter of days. This is because the air and moisture of the environment can travel in an out of the pores of the wrapper and leave it open to flavor and moisture loss unless it is put into a humid and controlled environment.
One thing that all enthusiasts wonder is if they should leave their gourmet cigars in the special wrappers in which they arrive when they place them inside of their humidors. Well, this can be answered quite simply – yes. Though there is much debate on the issue, most experts agree that the wrappers can reduce the occurrence of flavor mixing that is a problem with unwrapped cigars, and the wrappers can also help the special cigar cutters to remain sharper and cleaner too.
So, leaving a cigar in its cellophane wrapping protects it from harm, reduces the amount of flavor that is exchanged with neighboring cigars, and it also preserves the life of the cigar cutter blades. That’s right; when someone keeps their cigars in their wrappers during the cutting process the blades stay a bit cleaner and sharper, enjoying a significantly longer life span.
This all adds up to a somewhat clear-cut answer, which is to opt for leaving the cigar in its original cellophane wrapper whether it remains in the box in which it was purchased or in a climate controlled environment instead.
Dave Sabot is the owner of an online specialty cigar lighters store. With expert knowledge of cigar accessories, including windproof lighter, Dave also owns a premier online humidors store.
