How to Store Cigars: 7 Rules, With or Without a Humidor Leave a comment
How to store cigars, short answer: keep them at about 65–70% humidity and 65–70°F, in a sealed cedar box, out of the sun. That is what a humidor does, and in one a good cigar keeps for years. Without a humidor, a cigar left in the open dries out in a few days; in its cellophane it lasts a week or two; in an airtight container with a two-way humidity pack it can last for months. This guide covers how to store cigars in seven rules, the setups that work without a humidor, how to tell if a cigar has dried out, and the storage advice to ignore.
The short version
Where the cigars should live
Personalized Cedar Cigar Humidor — glass top, front hygrometer, holds 20–25 cigars
1. How to store cigars: hold the humidity at 65–70%
A cigar is dried, fermented leaf, and it is made to be kept at roughly the humidity of the tropical warehouse it came from. Keep it too dry, below about 60%, and the wrapper cracks and unravels, the cigar burns hot and fast, and the flavour goes flat. Keep it too wet, above about 72%, and it smokes harshly, draws badly, keeps going out, and over time can grow mould. Most smokers settle between 65% and 70%: the lower end for a firmer burn, the higher end for a softer, fuller smoke. Pick a number and keep it there; steady matters more than the exact figure.
2. Keep the temperature steady
Room temperature, 65–70°F, is right. The real danger is heat. Above about 73°F, and especially at high humidity, the eggs of the tobacco beetle can hatch, and a hatch can ruin a whole box in a week, leaving pinholes through every cigar. Keep cigars away from radiators, the top of the fridge, a sunny window and the car. A closet, a bookshelf or a desk drawer in a room that stays comfortable all year is fine.
3. Use a humidor for anything kept longer than a week
A humidor is a sealed box lined with cedar, with a humidifier inside and a hygrometer to read the humidity. The cedar holds moisture and releases it slowly, so the air inside stays even when the room changes. For anyone who buys more than a few cigars at a time, it is the only storage that works for months and years. A 20 to 25 count desktop humidor is the right size for most people; our guide to how to choose a humidor covers the size and the seal. A new one has to be seasoned before the first cigar goes in, or the dry cedar pulls the moisture out of them; how to season a humidor walks through it.
A cedar humidor with his name on the glass
Personalized Cedar Cigar Humidor with Glass Top & Hygrometer
- Cedar box with a clear glass top, a front hygrometer, a humidity bar and an adjustable divider
- Holds about 20–25 cigars; 9.25 by 7 by 2.75 inches, velvet-lined, with a sealing lid
- Engraved with a name, initials, a monogram or a logo
Engraved to order · Fast USA shipping · Gift wrapping available
4. Decide about the cellophane
Cellophane slows the exchange of moisture, so a cigar in its sleeve keeps longer outside a humidor and is protected when it travels. Inside a humidor the sleeve is a matter of taste. Take it off and the cigars age together and pick up a little of the cedar; leave it on and they age more slowly and stay separate. Either way, take the cigar out of the sleeve a day before you smoke it if you can. If the cellophane has turned a light amber colour, that is the oils of an ageing cigar, not damage.
5. Leave room and rotate
Air has to move for the humidity to stay even. Fill a humidor to about three quarters, not to the lid, and every few weeks move the cigars from the bottom to the top and from the back to the front. The ones next to the humidifier get the most moisture; rotating evens it out. If you keep very different cigars, a mild Connecticut wrapper and a strong Maduro, the divider keeps them from trading too much flavour.
6. Trust the hygrometer, but check it
The hygrometer is the only way to know what is happening inside the box, so look at it every few days. Digital ones are usually more accurate than the dial kind, and either can drift. Check it once or twice a year with a calibration kit, or with the salt test: a cap of damp table salt sealed in a bag with the hygrometer for a day should read 75%. If it is off, note the difference and read around it. Refill the humidifier with distilled water or propylene glycol solution only; tap water leaves minerals and can grow mould.
7. Keep them out of the light
Direct sun warms the box, pushes the humidity around and fades the wrapper. A glass-top humidor is fine on a desk or a shelf; just keep it out of a window’s direct light, the same way you would a bottle of whiskey. Our guide to how to store whiskey uses the same rule for the same reason.
How to store cigars without a humidor
For a few cigars, or for a week or two, you do not need a humidor. You need a sealed container and a source of humidity.
- For a day or two: leave them in their cellophane, in a drawer, away from heat.
- For a few weeks: a zip-top freezer bag, air squeezed out, with a two-way humidity pack inside.
- For a few months: an airtight plastic food container with a two-way humidity pack, sized for about one pack per 25 cigars. Smokers call it a tupperdor. Check the packs monthly and replace them when they go stiff.
- Never: a damp sponge or paper towel. They overshoot the humidity and grow mould.
It works, but it is a workaround. A plastic box has no cedar to buffer the air, so the humidity depends entirely on the pack. Once you are keeping more than a handful of cigars for more than a month, a humidor is cheaper than the cigars it saves.
How long cigars last
- Out in the open: a few days before the wrapper starts to dry and crack.
- In cellophane, in a drawer: about a week or two.
- In a sealed bag or container with a humidity pack: weeks to months.
- In a seasoned humidor at 65–70%: years. Many smokers age cigars on purpose for a year or more.
A cigar that has dried out will feel hard, crackle when gently squeezed near your ear, and the wrapper may split. Some can be brought back by resting them in a humidor for a few weeks, slowly, starting at the cooler end of the box. A cigar with fuzzy blue-green patches has mould and should be thrown out; a fine white powder that wipes off cleanly is usually bloom, crystallised oils, and is harmless.
How to store cigars: advice to ignore
- “Keep them in the fridge.” A fridge is a dehumidifier. It dries cigars out within days.
- “The freezer keeps them fresh.” Freezing is used once, in a sealed bag, to kill beetle eggs in a suspect batch. It is not storage.
- “Any wooden box will do.” Only cedar holds and releases moisture the right way, and only a box that seals keeps it in.
- “More humidity is safer.” Above about 72% you get poor burns and, eventually, mould and beetles.
The background on how cigars are made and why the leaf behaves this way is on Wikipedia’s cigar article.
New to humidors? Start with what is a humidor, and if you are buying for someone else, our cigar gifts for men guide covers what to pair with one.
For the pour that goes with it
Personalized Whiskey Glasses — engraved rocks glass with a name or monogram
How to store cigars: FAQ
What humidity should cigars be stored at?
Between 65% and 70% relative humidity. Lower dries and cracks them; above about 72% they burn poorly and can mould.
What temperature is best for storing cigars?
Ordinary room temperature, 65–70°F. Keep them below about 73°F, where tobacco beetle eggs can hatch.
How do you store cigars without a humidor?
In an airtight container or a zip-top bag with a two-way humidity pack, away from heat and light. It works for weeks to a few months.
How long do cigars last outside a humidor?
A few days in the open, about a week or two in cellophane, and weeks to months in a sealed container with a humidity pack.
Should I take cigars out of the cellophane in a humidor?
Either is fine. Off, they age together and take on some cedar; on, they age more slowly and stay separate.
Can you store cigars in the fridge?
No. A fridge pulls moisture out and dries cigars within days. Freezing is only for killing beetle eggs, once.
A humidor with his name on it, made to order
Every humidor at Gozi360 is engraved to order — a name, initials, a monogram or a logo on the glass. For a wedding party or a client list, send the names and we will price the batch.
