Tips for Summer Cigar Storage and Shipping to Beat the Heat & Humidity

Summer Cigar Storage

While many people love smoking a fresh cigar, a stale or spoiled one is something that few people can endure. Not only does this ruin the taste, but can also be a major financial loss for exquisite cigars. That being said, what exactly causes this during storage and how can you prevent it?

Well, as far as the cause is concerned, cigars can be affected by everything ranging from the humidity to the temperature. This is because contact with different types of environments can positively or negatively affect the tobacco and wrapping leaf of the cigar. However, as this is something you would want to avoid, we will be going over some tips to keep your cigars fresh, especially during summer.

How The Weather Affects A Cigar

Before going into the tips, it is beneficial to understand what exactly causes degradation in cigars and how. Essentially, there are two things you should keep in mind which are the humidity and temperature. Both of these factors can be detrimental if they are too low or high.

In terms of humidity, it is essential for keeping your cigar at an optimal level of dryness. This is important to ensure that the cigar has enough liquid to burn slowly and provide you with an enjoyable experience.

Higher levels of humidity can make your cigar too wet to smoke and maybe even promote the growth of mold. On the other hand, intense dry environments can lead to all the moisture evaporating making your cigars burnt and too dry to burn efficiently.

Similarly, with temperature, the same issues arise. In colder temperatures, cigars tend to crumble when hit with a hot lighter as the sudden change in temperature destroys the leaf's structure. On the other hand, probably the worst issue is with Summer heat as it can cause both dryness and mold to grow in all types of cigars.

Tips To Keep Your Cigars In Good Condition During Summer Storage

With one of the biggest problems nowadays being summer storage of cigars as it can quickly ruin them, here are some tips to make storage easier and safer.

Keeping Cigars Fresh Without a Humidor

When you don't have a humidor, you can store your cigars in a number of alternative environments, as long as you can seal them shut after you've introduced a humidification source. Simple solutions like a mason jar, a cooler, Tupperware, and even a Ziploc bag will do the trick. (Read our post about how to make a homemade cigar tupperdor.) Also remember, the optimal temperature to store your cigars is at 70 ºF.

Keep humidity out of your cigar storage area with Boveda humidity control packets.

Don't Store Cigars For Too Long

Probably one of the most basic tips, try not to hold on to cigars for too long if you don't have to (especially if you do not use a humidor). While this isn't applicable to luxury cigars and some you may be saving for specific reasons, keeping a normal set of cigars around for too long is inviting many risks. This is especially true in the summer as the warm weather can quickly lead to mold and ruin your entire collection.

If All Else Fails, Invest in a Cigar Humidor

If you have tried everything on this list and are still facing issues with keeping your cigars fresh in the summer, try investing in a cigar humidor. Humidors can save your cigars from drying out and losing its flavor. A humidor is a simple box that keeps all your cigars safely inside. It helps to retain moisture without making it susceptible to any harsh weather at all. Therefore, it is the best way to store cigars.

Cigars are as good as new and even fresh after several years when placed inside a good humidor. The temperature inside a humidor is perfect and very similar to the conditions in which the cigars were grown, rolled, and fermented.

Shop for cigar humidors, humidity control packs and other supplies.

Cigar Purchasing & Shipping Tips

Ordering Cigars Online in the Summer? Let Them Rest First.

Handcrafted cigars are sensitive to the conditions they're stored in. That includes the climate they pass through when they're shipped to consumers. Extreme changes in heat & humidity levels during transit most always have an effect on the tobacco, so you tend to see swelling which results in cracked sticks.

For any and all mail-order cigars, we always recommend allowing them to rest in your humidor for several days, at a minimum, before smoking them in order for the tobacco to acclimate to new climate conditions. Resting cigars gives them a chance to recover if they've been traveling from a hot and humid climate to reach your destination. Doing this allows your cigars to acclimate to the conditions in your humidor and your home. Resting your cigars also gives them time to shed the residual taste of ammonia or other unwanted compounds that can surface after a cigar is rolled. Although, if you purchased a box that's particularly bitter or harsh in taste, you may have to age them for a considerable time to fully accomplish a dramatic improvement in taste.

Always Buy From an Online Cigar Shop That Stores and Ships Cigars Properly

Often cigars are stored at cooler-than-normal temperatures by online retailers with big warehouses. Slightly cooler temperatures lessen the probability of mold or beetles and result in more stability. Retailers that warehouse and sell millions of cigars every year carefully monitor the conditions in their facilities to ensure optimal freshness for their consumers. Naturally, many customers return their cigars closer to room temperature when their orders arrive.

At Cigar Place, we do our best to combat heat and humidity by including humidity packs with each shipment, but these can't always combat quick, extreme shifts in temperature in a plane or delivery truck. We keep all our cigars in our climate & temperature-controlled warehouse which maintains a steady 70% humidity & 70°F temp. Basically a giant walk-in humidor.

Check Shipping Guarantees

Make sure the cigar shop has a guarantee to protect you from bad cigars. Cigar Place guarantees the freshness and quality of the cigars and products you buy from us 100%. If you are not satisfied after smoking two cigars you purchase from us, we will provide you with a full refund or exchange the entire item/order. Additional cigars smoked beyond the first two will be prorated accordingly. We'll also pay all shipping costs!

With that, we hope you will now be able to store and smoke your cigars perfectly, no matter how the weather, temperature, or humidity is.

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