How to Store Cigars in Australia

If you are a cigar lover you realise that it is necessary to keep the cigars fresh. Cigars are also at a risk of losing their flavour if not stored properly. In this blog we will be describing how to store a cigar properly and the best way of keeping it fresh. We shall also speak about what a humidor is and how this one can help you to look after your cigars.

What Is a Humidor?

A humidor is a special box designed to ensure that the cigars in Australia are in the proper conditions. It helps maintain cigars fresh based on controlling temperature and humidity. Cigars ought to be balanced enough in terms of moisture so that they do not grow dry. If you do not have a humidor, your cigars may end up losing their flavour and becoming dried up to smoke.

The humidors vary in their types. Some of them are small and can be carried around while others are large and could accommodate a lot of cigars. Humidors can be out of wood, glass, or metal. The thing is that they do not let the air inside be at the wrong humidity level for your cigars.

The Right Humidity for the Storage of Cigars

The best humidity used for keeping the cigars is approximately 70%. This is the level that will maintain the freshness of your cigars and ready for smoking. If the level of humidity is not acceptable, the dryness problem of cigars may arise. If it is too high, the cigars may get spoiled or too moist, which can make smoking cigars difficult.

It is possible to incorporate the use of a humidifier in your humidor to keep the amount of humidity at the desired level. There are those humidors that have an inbuilt humidifier at their purchase, and you can also purchase one separately. It is a good rule of thumb to check the humidity in your humidor regularly to maintain the humidity at 70 %.

Setting Up Your Humidor

The first thing you should do when you are trying to prepare your humidor is to season it. This is a good thing for the humidor to absorb moisture and render a conducive environment for your cigars. To do so, dab a clean cloth with some distilled water and make it slightly moist before wiping down the interior of the humidor. Next, leave the humidor for 24 hours to absorb the moisture. Afterwards, pour distilled water or some kind of special solution, especially designed for humidors, into your humidifier.

When everything is ready in your humidor, then it is the time to store cigars. Put them in there carefully so that they don’t get squished. You want to be storing them upright in the humidor so as to maintain their shape, and their freshness.

Other Ways of Storing Cigars

Although a humidor is the best way to store your cigars, there are other methods of doing it. In case you don’t have a humidor, you have to make do with storage of your cigar in a sealed plastic bag, including a small piece of moist cloth or sponge. Ensure that the cloth is not soaked up lest too much moisture spoil your cigars.

Another way is the use of Tupperware. Just as the plastic bag, put a damp cloth in order to keep the cigars moist. Although, this technique is not as effective as using a humidor but may still assist you to maintain your cigars fresh for a while.

Not all of the trips to a cigar shop are accompanied by the purchase of the products. Many people visit the places and only look around or have a beer. Sometimes, such visits influence the mindset, and people buy cigarettes or other tobacco products while drunk. Thus, the question that arises after such visits to cigar shops is how long you should keep the cigars in a humidor.

If you look after your cigars, it is possible for them to stay in a humidor for a long time. Most of the cigars can be kept fresh for a good number of months depending on the right temperature and humidity in which they have been stored. Others still store their cigars for years into the humidor and they taste good when they inhale them.

If you want your cigars to stay for as long as possible, you should make sure to check the level of humidity and temperature in your humidor. It is also advisable for one to store their humidor at a cool and dry place which is free of direct sunlight. This will help ensure that the cigars neither get excess heat nor light which slowly ruins them.

Common Mistakes When Storing Cigars

There are some popular mistakes that people make while storing cigars. One of the mistakes is the storage of the cigars in an area that is either too dry or too humid. As pointed out earlier, there is a need for cigars to be kept at the right moisture level to remain fresh. In case of your humidor not working as it should, the cigars can get too dry or too wet.

Poor storage of cigars in a different temperature is one of the errors. Cigars need to be stored at room temperature i.e. about 21°C (70°F). If your humidor is too hot, then it is possible that your cigars will dry, and if the temperature is too low, it can spoil the flavour. Always ensure that, at all times, your humidor is in a place that has constant temperature.

A guide on how to check if the cigar is fresh

It is possible for you to determine whether your cigar is fresh or not if you look at its appearance and feel of it. A new cigar has to be firm but not overly hard. If it is soft or spongy, then it is probably too moist. If it feels dry, it can be too old or it is stored incorrectly.

You should also make sure you have checked the wrapper. A new cigar should have a tight and smooth wrapper which is crackless. If you see cracks and dry, brittle wrappers, then you will know that the freshness of the cigar has been lost.

Other Pointers to Proper Storage of Cigars

Below are some of the other ways through which you can store your cigars properly:

• Distilled water is the only one to use in the humidor. Tap water can lead to mold or other issues.

• Do not store your humidor under the sun and heat. The ideal temperature is around 21°C (70°F).

• Don’t overcrowd your humidor. When you over pack cigars inside, it will have impingements on airflow and humidity.

• Have a hygrometer to measure the level of humidity in your humidor. This is what helps you to ensure that it never gets to the right level.

Conclusion: How to Store Cigars Properly

Conclusively, proper ways of storing cigars are critical if you are at all desirous of having them fresh and able to use them. Storing cigars can only be done in the best manner using a humidor. It manages to maintain proper humidity and temperature for your cigars. If you do not own a humidor, other alternatives such as using a plastic bag or a Tupperware container may be practised.

At Smoker Connects, we would advise one to keep their cigars in a humidor for the best results at all times. With the help of these tips in the blog, you will be able to experience your cigars at their best on a long-term basis. Happy smoking!