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keeping cigars fresh


Megawatt
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I'm a non-smoker but received a pack of mini Montecristos as a gift. I smoked half of them while camping last week, and plan on saving the rest for my next trip in two weeks. Will they stay fresh that long in an opened pack? If not, any reason I shouldn't just stick 'em in the freezer till then?

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I'm a non-smoker but received a pack of mini Montecristos as a gift. I smoked half of them while camping last week, and plan on saving the rest for my next trip in two weeks. Will they stay fresh that long in an opened pack? If not, any reason I shouldn't just stick 'em in the freezer till then?
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I'm a non-smoker but received a pack of mini Montecristos as a gift. I smoked half of them while camping last week, and plan on saving the rest for my next trip in two weeks. Will they stay fresh that long in an opened pack? If not, any reason I shouldn't just stick 'em in the freezer till then?
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It is not a good idea to store cigars in a freezer or refrigerator for prolonged periods, since it can have a negative effect on taste. To kill cigar beetles and their larvae, cigars can be placed in a freezer for 48 hours. After 48 hours, they must be carefully returned to room temperture by first moving them to the refrigerator. If they are warmed too quickly, you risk havving the wrappers split.

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I've used this process on a number of occasions to keep my cigars properly humidified. There was a time I had more cigars than humidor space and they kept just fine. I just had to make sure the paper towels were kept lightly damp. Instead of purchasing a larger (traditional) humidor, I went to Costco, purchased a 180 qt cooler and now store my cigars in the cooler with an Oasis humidifier and keep that in the basement. My cigars stay a constant 64% at 68 degrees. Perfect environment.

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Also, refrigerators are designed to withdraw fluids from the air they are chilling. Leaving cigars in a fridge or freezer will dry them out very quickly. This is why they must be placed in zip lock bags prior to being placed into fridges. In general the optimal cigar storage conditions are 65%-70% humidity and 70oF. Variations vastly beyond these limits will usually damage the cigars.

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I've used this process on a number of occasions to keep my cigars properly humidified. There was a time I had more cigars than humidor space and they kept just fine. I just had to make sure the paper towels were kept lightly damp. Instead of purchasing a larger (traditional) humidor, I went to Costco, purchased a 180 qt cooler and now store my cigars in the cooler with an Oasis humidifier and keep that in the basement. My cigars stay a constant 64% at 68 degrees. Perfect environment.
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The mold is not going to kill you. Most cigars smoke better a bit on the dry side, say 65% humidity level. The real problem with over humidifing cigars is the possiblity of cracking the wrapper. If this cracks the cigar will likely smoke like crap. As well, if the filler gets over humidified if might not swell up to crack the wrapper until it is smoked, in effect creating a steam effect. A lot of folks have dry boxes that they place the cigars they anticipate smoking in the next week into so they can dry out a bit and prevent wrapper cracking. This is usually just an old cigar box to provide a stable environment but you can pull out the cigars you anticipate using a few days (3-5 days depending on the humidity level in the air) in advance. Just hand wipe the mold off and enjoy. If you do have cracked wrappers just hold your finger over the crack to re-establish the straw effect and smoke away. Enjoy!

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I tried the bag trick and my results are suspect. After one week the paper towel was spotted with mould and the cigars are almost damp, though fortunately they don't seem to have been tainted. I hope they aren't ruined before I go camping. Evidently I wet the paper towel too much or something. I took the towel out and put the smokes into a new bag by themselves. They are in a pack like a cigarette pack so they did not actually come into contact with any spores (I hope).

You didn't put the paper towel in the same bag as the cigars did you?

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I typically smoke cigars at 61% and long term age at 58%.... IMO less moisture and more flavor. Pretty standard levels for what the English have done through the years. 65% is on the high side, 70% you are smoking sponges....

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I typically smoke cigars at 61% and long term age at 58%.... IMO less moisture and more flavor. Pretty standard levels for what the English have done through the years. 65% is on the high side, 70% you are smoking sponges....
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Cubans in my experience are best smoked drier, I keep one of my humidors at 62% for just Havanas. I'd say no fridge or freezers. A slightly moist pillow/towel with distilled water will do just fine if you can't get to a tobacco store for a Humidified Bag that's been made in the past 5-10 years by Fuente and a few others. Cigars are more durable then people may think, 1-2 weeks in a sealed bag should be fine.

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Thanks for the tips. The cigars are in a little paper-lined box, which I put into the bag with the damp towel. In retrospect I guess I should have double-bagged it as recommended in this thread.

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Mega - in the future, using the double bag technique will keep your cigars fresh. If you anticipate longer term storage, mixing 50/50 distilled water and propylene glycol will provide a stable environment plus avoid the issues of the mold spores showing up.

On a related note, on occasion, I enjoy pipe smoking also, especially as fall/winter approaches. I neglected my pipe tobacco for a number of months as I wasn't smoking it and the tobacco dried out (as in crunchy). I dropped all the baggies of tobacco into a large gallon size zip lock bag and dropped in a small piece of florist foam wet down with the above mentioned 50/50 solution. I checked it over time and after about 4 months, each bag had reclaimed its prior moist nature and smokes just great.

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