Professor Fiore's January 5th Column

Cold and Dry is OK Outside of the Humidor
As smokers in most parts of the country can attest to, the dry, cold winter months are upon us. At this time of year, it’s important that we all turn our attention to our humidors. Humidors need to be kept at a relative humidity that hovers around 70% all year long, but the winter months pose extra challenges to something that is much easier during more humid seasons. Depending on such factors as where in your home your humidor is located, how often you open it, and for how long you keep it open, the winter season can present some real challenges to keeping your valuable stash of cigars properly hydrated. Many cigar lovers bemoan the inevitable drop in humidity that occurs in even well-sealed humidors during the winter months. What follows is some advice that I hope all smokers, novice and well-seasoned, find helpful as we attempt to get our cigars through winter unscathed.

First, a primer on the hygroscopic nature of cigars. Simply put, cigars are a natural product, which means that they constantly release or absorb moisture from the environment in which they are stored. This explains why a previously perfectly humidified cigar can quickly dry and begin to crack if smoked outside on a cold, dry evening. Similarly, it explains why cigars that are not properly humidified in a humidor can quickly lose their moisture, affecting the burn, taste, and the wrapper strength and quality. While storage at proper humidity levels is important for all cigars, those with more durable wrappers, such as the Broadleaf wrapper on Tatuaje’s new La Casita Criolla are a bit more resistant. In fact, as a cigar made with all Broadleaf tobacco, the La Casita Criolla will be more forgiving of improper humidity than most other sticks. However, even it is not impervious to drying out. That note aside, the typical cigar enthusiast believes that the optimal environment necessary to store cigars is 70% relative humidity and at a temperature of approximately 70° Fahrenheit.  Some people, like me, prefer to smoke cigars kept at a slightly lower humidity level.  This is a matter of personal preference and it may vary for different cigars.  Nevertheless, the standard that is considered ideal for long term cigar aging which could span years is 70% relative humidity. 

While there is debate about whether or not 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70% relative humidity are absolutes, there is no question that storing cigars cannot be done successfully at levels that wander too far from these standards. Cigars that are kept in a cold and dry environment, such as a refrigerator will rapidly deteriorate.  Therefore, this should never be done. Conversely, keeping cigars at too high a temperature and at too high a relative humidity level can lead to the hatching of tobacco beetles.  The larvae of these cigar destroyers are aided by excessively high temperatures and high humidity levels. An additional concern when storing cigars in a humidor inside your home is that if they are kept in an environment that allows significant changes in temperature and humidity the cigars may expand, contract, overly hydrate, and/or dehydrate. For this reason, your humidor should not be placed too close to exterior doors, windows, or heating ducts. In a nutshell, this means that consistency is ideal for proper storage.

Tobacco Beetle

Many products are available from your local brick and mortar tobacconist that can assist in keeping cigars at the optimal relative humidity level, but keeping them in a room at a proper temperature is something that is equally important. Products, such as Boveda packets and propylene glycol are very good at ensuring proper humidification of at-home humidors.  What I consistently hear from consumers, however, is a deep concern that their hygrometer cannot be trusted. Whether the humidor being used has a digital or an analog hygrometer, knowing whether or not the readings it gives are accurate is a worry facing many cigar lovers. One response to this would be to encourage all cigar lovers to become familiar with the “feeling” of a properly humidified cigar. As Jorge Armenteros, CMT writes on the Tobacconist University website, “While it is helpful to use a hygrometer when quickly checking the condition of your cigars, there is no substitute for your sense of touch.” A cigar that has been well-humidified should yield slightly when you gently squeeze it between your fingers. The wrapper should not crack at all. Furthermore, when the cigar yields slightly and makes a depression, the cigar should slowly regain its original shape once the depression is released. However, it is impractical to suggest that we spend the winter “feeling” our cigars. Therefore, what all cigar lovers need is a method for ensuring that their hygrometers are not lying to them.

One of the easiest and most reliable ways to test the accuracy of a hygrometer is to use the Table Salt Method. To do so, you simply need to mix 1/2 cup table salt and 1/4 cup water in a cup, and then place it in an airtight container like a Ziploc bag. If you leave this cup in the airtight container for 24 hours, the relative humidity will be 75%. This is because table salt, in this mixture, always will seek equilibrium of 75% relative humidity. After doing this, you then need to place your hygrometer, whether analog or digital, into the Ziploc bag, seal it tightly, and wait about 3 hours. If you’re hygrometer reads 75%, then you know that it is accurate. If it doesn’t, then you simply need to adjust the hygrometer. If you have a hygrometer that is unable to be adjusted, then you should note the difference and factor that difference in when you read your hygrometer.  Then you always must adjust the humidity level in your humidor accordingly.

Lots of cigar smokers either don’t believe in the Table Salt Method, never heard of it, or just don’t trust it. The fact is that it is an extremely reliable and simple way to test your hygrometer and gain confidence in your humidor’s ability to properly care for and age your cigars. Good cigars can be costly, and I don’t know of any cigar enthusiasts who can afford to lose their stash in the cold, dry months because of an unreliable hygrometer. I know that what I have spent on cigars over the past year that I have not yet consumed is an investment that must be protected. I’ll do all I can to protect it, and I hope that all readers feel the same way. The winter can be brutal on our beloved sticks. But, some common sense steps can temper winter’s brutality.

Well, that’s all for now. Until next time, I am Professor Fiore: Student of the Leaf. Keep smoking, my friends!