Cigar Storage Questions

I don't know if there is a whole lot of verified scientific backing behind this, but I heard a long time ago that younger people tend to enjoy sweeter things and slowly their taste-buds actually transition to preferring more bitter tasting things as they get older. I've only just turned nineteen, and sadly I enjoy flavored cigars very much; I enjoy non-flavored cigars, but I find that to get a consistent, tasty non-flavored cigar is much more expensive and difficult than it is to get a consistent, tasty flavored cigar. I'm in PMs with FunkyCold for a newbie sampler, but he's swamped with work and it's taking a while.

Anyways, through all of that there comes this: I'm trying to find non-flavored cigars, but in the mean time I do enjoy flavored cigars, and I'd rather this not turn into a "Flavored cigars suck!" thread... Sorry if it comes off as harsh to anyone, but I've read a lot of people saying that flavored cigars aren't worth anything and should be thrown into a trash-can, which is why I couldn't find an answer to my question:

What are the in-depth worries of storing flavored cigars comparative to non-flavored cigars? There are a number of specific worries I have:

The primary fear I hear about flavored cigars is that they will ruin your other cigars by their flavor seeping into them, but what are the concerns of storing a number of flavored cigars in the same humidor/box/etc? Will they all blend into one exceedingly odd tasting cigar after a few months?

Along the same lines is a worry about aging flavored cigars. I doubt many cigar manufacturers take the time to age their flavored cigars, so would it be worth-while to age any flavored cigars that you purchase, or would the flavor slowly fade? Especially in cigar-lined humidors, would there be a significant worry about flavor seeping in the cedar? Not to ruin the box for non-flavored cigars, which I have heard commonly, but littering robbing the flavor from the cigars to completely saturate the wood? And would this be solved by seasoning the humidor a bit heavier or multiple times to ensure that the wood is fully saturated with water that [hopefully] will stop it from taking as much flavor away. Would rotating the cigars within the humidor help this?

Obviously the humidor wouldn't be useful for non-flavored cigars afterwards, but would storing other flavored cigars in there be okay? Or would they absorb the flavor as well?

Is the spiciness of cedar actually a poor choice for flavored cigars? Most of the appeal to flavored cigars is the mild smoothness and the slightly spicy aspect of spanish cedar seems to counteract this in the worst way possible... Would it actually make more sense to buy a collection of tupperware for all of your flavored cigars, as well as some beads to add to the tupperware? Or is there a better method to long term storage, such as choosing a humidor that does not have a spanish cedar lining.

Perhaps the best answer to all of this would be to get a humidor with a high lacquer finish on the interior? Although that would add up quite quickly to store a collection of different flavored cigars...

Here's hoping that there are a couple of knowledgeable guys out there that actually enjoy flavored cigars :smiley41:

I know nothing about flavored cigars. I tried one my brother gave me once and didn't enjoy it - It reminded me of incense. So, from my very limited experience I will venture that flavored cigars are heavily infused with whatever is used to flavor them and that this infusion will affect other cigars if placed together in a humidor, whether the others are flavored or not.

If it were me, I would store the flavoreds in tupperware, separating various flavors with freezer ziplock baggies. Beads are good.

On the Spanish cedar - if it's freshly milled, you might smell it; it does have a slight, imo, pleasant scent. Fresh or not it won't impart much, if any, of it's scent to any cigar. It's primary property in regard to its use in humidors is water retention that is most suitable for creating an artificial environment in which to store cigars.

You gotta keep 'em seperated

Flavored cigars suck! :smiley8:

But that's just my opinion. Smoke what you like, even if it's a peach Optimo. I think if you continue smoking cigars you will begin to appreciate the non-flavored cigars more. I would find some tupperware and use that to store the flavored stuff in. I doubt you will even notice if they are dried out or not. Keep the humidor for the good stuff. You can lightly sand the inside of a humidor to remove some of the odor from flavored sticks but what a pain in the ass that would be.

"Is the spiciness of cedar actually a poor choice for flavored cigars? Most of the appeal to flavored cigars is the mild smoothness and the slightly spicy aspect of spanish cedar seems to counteract this in the worst way possible... Would it actually make more sense to buy a collection of tupperware for all of your flavored cigars, as well as some beads to add to the tupperware? Or is there a better method to long term storage, such as choosing a humidor that does not have a spanish cedar lining."

There are some threads about Spanish Cedar. The important thing is that it is not the same as "Aromatic Cedar" like what is used in cedar closets or cedar chests. I'm afraid that would make for some spicey smokes indeed. Like WOXOF said it will impart very little flavor into a cigar. I would worry qbout the reverse. Your scented cigars will most likely leech into the cedar and screw up your humidor.

Most cedars are resiliant to dry rot and repel some insects. Red cedar like that used for siding, is rarely attacked by insects but termites will infest it after it ages.

And finally, I would not use a heavily laquered humidor. Unless it has been drying in open air for some time,

Also, you might be right about age and flavor preferences. I know many people who would not drink coffee but do now that they are older. Notice I didn't say mature. Some people, like me, never mature. :smiley29:

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Originally Posted by basil

I would store the flavoreds in tupperware, separating various flavors with freezer ziplock baggies. Beads are good.

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Is something along the lines of gladware acceptable, or is it better to use 'actual' tupperware? I know that you can get large gladware containers very cheap; I normally use them for food so I have quite a few extra laying around, and I'd prefer to save money where I can (yay college!) What I'm really after is keeping them just in the gladware and skipping the ziploc bag, or is the bag essential for keeping them sealed off better? I'd ideally like to keep each flavor in its own gladware container

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Originally Posted by basil

[Spanish cedar's] primary property in regard to its use in humidors is water retention that is most suitable for creating an artificial environment in which to store cigars.

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Is it really necesary then? Or is it just a back-up, or a bit of a signature for cigar smokers? Most people that I've talked to have talked about Spanish Cedar like it's truly something special that has a unique home for cigar storage... And living in New Orleans I'm not too worried about humidity--we have to use dehumidifiers in our houses for the most part! Even with those, the house I stay in away from my on-campus apartment keeps at about 50% RH.

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Originally Posted by DeeDubya

Your scented cigars will most likely leech into the cedar and screw up your humidor.

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I've heard a lot of problems with this, but I'm also interested in what happens to the flavor of the cigar itself? Do you see a direct lose of flavor from the cigar as it leeches into the cedar? Or does the cigar smoke essentially the same and just mess up your humidor?

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Originally Posted by DeeDubya

I would not use a heavily laquered humidor. Unless it has been drying in open air for some time

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I'm not entirely sure that was the correct terminology on my part: I had heard about some humidors that aren't lined with cedar, and are lined with mahogony or another wood that I can't remember,and some are lacquered to be shiny inside and out--would this be a good idea for flavored cigars, as there is no cedar for the flavor to leach into? I'm not sure this will even matter, as I'm not sure that there is a loss of flavor as it leaches into the cedar--just an idea while I was on the line of thinking.

New question that has come up in my mind: Carrying cases... If I buy a decent/nice carrying case for a couple cigars to carry with me to dinner or wherever, how much will the flavor effect it? Obviously taking the cigars out whenever I return home, but how long will it take for the flavor to start effecting other cigars or 'ruin' the carrying case? Would it be best to only carry one flavor of cigar in its own case? Or would keeping one of the cellos that came with the cigars in the humidor to re-cello the cigar when travelling with it?

I tend to type pretty long posts, sorry if this is a lot to read/deal with!

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Originally Posted by Alcibiates

Is something along the lines of gladware acceptable, or is it better to use 'actual' tupperware? I know that you can get large gladware containers very cheap; I normally use them for food so I have quite a few extra laying around, and I'd prefer to save money where I can (yay college!) What I'm really after is keeping them just in the gladware and skipping the ziploc bag, or is the bag essential for keeping them sealed off better? I'd ideally like to keep each flavor in its own gladware container

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I'm sure gladware is fine. I have RubberMaid. Brand isn't important - the seal is. I only suggested baggies as a way to prevent any different flavors you might have from contaminating each other; different flavors, in separate baggies, in the same tupperdore.

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Originally Posted by Alcibiates

Is it really necesary then? Or is it just a back-up, or a bit of a signature for cigar smokers? Most people that I've talked to have talked about Spanish Cedar like it's truly something special that has a unique home for cigar storage... And living in New Orleans I'm not too worried about humidity--we have to use dehumidifiers in our houses for the most part! Even with those, the house I stay in away from my on-campus apartment keeps at about 50% RH.

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What Spanish Cedar provides, once it's seasoned, is stability. It has to do with the density and uniformity of the grain. Aesthetics aside, if what you can afford for now is gladware, it'll be perfect. And, if the humi/tupperdore encloses the cigar environment, then the beads control it. 50% rh is a bit low - you can get beads that will maintain 65 and 70.

Gladware is fine. All you want is the air/moisture tight seal.

Spanish cedar is regarded as the best because it can absorb/release moisture without warping, as well as keeping a stable humidity/temperature. Although spanish cedar can absorb flavors and release them, it's negligible, to my understanding. the flavor seeping that the our fellow botl's are talking about is from the flavor of one cigar mixing with another. So keeping flavored cigars and non-flavored separate is a good rule to follow.

I've never heard of flavored cigars "screwing" up a humidor other then it absorbing flavors of flavored cigars, thus passing those mixed flavors into your non-flavored smokes.

I've never seen a humidor lacquered inside, I'm not sure what DW means here. I'll let him answer that one.

Carrying cases will not effect the taste of your cigars themselves. And since they are usually used only for short periods of time, mixing of flavors from the cigars themselves isn't an issue. If you only need to carry a 2-3 out for a night, get a leather case. Doesn't matter what price as long as it prevents your smokes from getting crushed. And make sure you get one that will hold the largest ring size that you smoke. The larger the better, you never know. If you want a travel case for 5-15 cigars get an otterbox or something similar. Those are airtight and waterproof and will not effect the taste of your smokes.

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Originally Posted by basil

What Spanish Cedar provides, once it's seasoned, is stability. It has to do with the density and uniformity of the grain. Aesthetics aside, if what you can afford for now is gladware, it'll be perfect. And, if the humi/tupperdore encloses the cigar environment, then the beads control it. 50% rh is a bit low - you can get beads that will maintain 65 and 70.

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Just saying that our humidity is quite high so its not a huge rush of humidity out of the box when I open it, so if its not a humongous benefit and is generally only needed in the less humid areas, then I would pass on it. I'm a bit confused why you need a humidifier AND the cedar? Is cedar more precise, or is it just one of those A+B>A scenarios?

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Originally Posted by logan37

Spanish cedar is regarded as the best because it can absorb/release moisture without warping, as well as keeping a stable humidity/temperature. Although spanish cedar can absorb flavors and release them, it's negligible, to my understanding. the flavor seeping that the our fellow botl's are talking about is from the flavor of one cigar mixing with another. So keeping flavored cigars and non-flavored separate is a good rule to follow.

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So you could actually keep flavored cigars and non-flavored cigars in the same humidor if you have a divider in there? What I read was people complaining that one flavored cigar would ruin a whole batch of great cigars; although I also hear a lot of trashing on flavored cigars in general...

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Originally Posted by logan37

I've never heard of flavored cigars "screwing" up a humidor other then it absorbing flavors of flavored cigars, thus passing those mixed flavors into your non-flavored smokes.

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1: hooray for my vocabulary randomly dropping and using a poor word choice!
2: This is really just a minimal effect, though, correct? How much work is it to change a humidor that's been used for flavored cigars into a non-flavored cigar humidor? I ask because I think I may smoke flavored cigars for a number of years, and wonder if a humidor is worth the investment at all... I love how they look, but I don't foresee a time anytime soon that I could afford to buy cigars AND a humidor... so maybe that's a moot question.

I'm still interested in how much of the market share flavored cigars takes up, yet most people shun them and its hard to find information on them... I've been scouring the internet and I can't get too much on them... Thanks a bunch of the answers, guys! I love getting multiple views on things, so keep replying!

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Originally Posted by Alcibiates

I'm a bit confused why you need a humidifier AND the cedar?

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Without some kind of humidifying system, eventually the rh would drop, at least where I live. and, 'cuz a cedar-lined humidor looks badass.

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Just saying that our humidity is quite high so its not a huge rush of humidity out of the box when I open it, so if its not a humongous benefit and is generally only needed in the less humid areas, then I would pass on it. I'm a bit confused why you need a humidifier AND the cedar? Is cedar more precise, or is it just one of those A+B>A scenarios?

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the humidor creates a stable environment. the loss or gain of humidity from opening it should go back to that stable environment if seasoned properly. the humidifier, depending on what you have will either increase or decrease the humidity to make it stable again. Crystals and sponges only increase the humidity. Beads increase and decrease the humidity(they can absorb and release moisture)(www.heartfeltindustries.com). humidifiers also replenish the moisture of the cedar lining when moisture is pulled into cigars from the cedar as well as opening the box. A+B=stable environment for tasty smokes.. Also invest in a digital hydrometer and make sure you calibrate it correctly. Read the sticky about setting up a humidor. It's in the begging of that.

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So you could actually keep flavored cigars and non-flavored cigars in the same humidor if you have a divider in there? What I read was people complaining that one flavored cigar would ruin a whole batch of great cigars; although I also hear a lot of trashing on flavored cigars in general...

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the flavors will still seep into non flavored cigars through the air, also through the absorption of the cedar.

If you're not ready to invest in a humidor now just use tupperware, gladware, whatever. If you don't want your flavored smokes to mix with non-flavored get 2. If you don't mind the mixing then just get 1. It all comes down to what YOU like. You definitely want to invest in some beads or some kind of humidifier(most guys here use beads). Read the sticky for setting up a "coolerdor" in the accessories thread. Thats pretty much the same way you would set up your tupperware. I had to make one just to fit my overflow.

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I'm still interested in how much of the market share flavored cigars takes up, yet most people shun them and its hard to find information on them... I've been scouring the internet and I can't get too much on them...

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I can't think of anyone here that likes flavored cigars, but if you like 'em, that's all that matters. Most importantly, the best research you can do is dive in and taste them for yourself.

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Originally Posted by basil

Without some kind of humidifying system, eventually the rh would drop, at least where I live. and, 'cuz a cedar-lined humidor looks badass.

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That too. :smiley37:

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Originally Posted by basil

Without some kind of humidifying system, eventually the rh would drop, at least where I live. and, 'cuz a cedar-lined humidor looks badass

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Yeah... that's my primary reason for wanting one, but the budget thing is a real pain. I've seen some very nice ones on ebay for quite cheap, so I may get one, but I'm not sure yet. I think it'll be a christmas gift to myself dependent on how often I decide to smoke and if I can afford enough cigars to fill it up decently. I don't want to buy a small one, but buying a large humidor with <50 cigars seems silly. I'm a bit interested in the glass humudiors, although I think there would be some problems with them, but that's a whole different thread, and I'm sure there's ample reading on that!

Probably a really generic question that I'll find an answer to after I post:
If you use beads, is it essential to keep them from touching the smokes? Such as keeping them in a small container with holes drilled in it versus just dropping beads in there? And if you can't just drop them in there, what does it to do the smokes if the beads are touching the smokes (out of idle curiosity)?

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Originally Posted by logan37

the flavors will still seep into non flavored cigars through the air, also through the absorption of the cedar.

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I was told two different things about this, but I guess they're both true: the cigars will seep flavor into eachother if they're touching, or into cedar; so it's best to get rid of both to be safe.

If budget is an issue, a tupperware is the answer.

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If you use beads, is it essential to keep them from touching the smokes? Such as keeping them in a small container with holes drilled in it versus just dropping beads in there? And if you can't just drop them in there, what does it to do the smokes if the beads are touching the smokes (out of idle curiosity)?

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you put them in a container with holes in it. I dont think that them touching the cigars would be an issue(but not sure). It just makes sense to have a bunch of little beads in a container instead of floating around your box. Plus you will have to rehydrate them from time to time so having them in a container makes it easier.

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I was told two different things about this, but I guess they're both true: the cigars will seep flavor into eachother if they're touching, or into cedar; so it's best to get rid of both to be safe.

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To my understanding all of these are true. mixing of flavors is impossible to stop completely(other then having a separate box for each type of cigar you have). You can only minimize the effects. The big issue here is if you want to mix flavored cigars with non-flavored cigars. I say get 2 boxes, one for each. But, as I posted above, it's up to you.

CIGAR 101

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Originally Posted by logan37

To my understanding all of these are true. mixing of flavors is impossible to stop completely(other then having a separate box for each type of cigar you have). You can only minimize the effects. The big issue here is if you want to mix flavored cigars with non-flavored cigars. I say get 2 boxes, one for each. But, as I posted above, it's up to you.

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What I'm curious about specifically is if anybody knows if different flavored cigars hurt eachother as much as a flavored and a non-flavored... To me it seems like they would because they're so drastically different, but perhaps I'm wrong. It's not particuarlly one of those things I want to learn by lighting up a vanilla cigar and getting enough different tastes to confuse my tastebuds for the rest of the night :smiley40:

Assuming I'm going to use gladware, it doesn't seem like too horrible of an idea to get a number of different containers to keep each separate cigar in, or is there a large problem when you keep a very small amount of the container filled? I've heard that trying to keep it 75% full is a good goal but I'm not certain on the ill effects of not keeping it filled...

Also, is there a certain method of storing the beads that works for a small tupperdore? I know people use small cups and the sort, but if I'm looking at keeps ~5 cigars in each container *assuming a complete separation of each flavor from every other flavor* is there a good way to do that, or is a just a bad idea all around? Buying a couple tubos and drilling some holes sounds like a good way to me, but I have zero experience :smiley29:

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Originally Posted by Alcibiates

Assuming I'm going to use gladware, it doesn't seem like too horrible of an idea to get a number of different containers to keep each separate cigar in, or is there a large problem when you keep a very small amount of the container filled? I've heard that trying to keep it 75% full is a good goal but I'm not certain on the ill effects of not keeping it filled...

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Keeping the tupperdore 75% full will help keep the environment stable, but if you go with beads they should do that job fine. the humidity will likely take large swings when you open the tupperdore though.

Back a few years ago, my friend Rob at Hill Country Humidor bought some Acids. The rep warned him about displaying them with the boxes open, so even though they are still on the shelves he keeps the boxes closed. You know how they are packed with the loose leaves around the cigars? Those leaves are impregnated with the herbal oils used to infuse the flavors/scents into the cigars. About a week after he began stocking Acids, I could immediately smell them upon entering his humidor, even though he was keeping the boxes closed.

Well, to make my point, Rob gave me several different Acids to try. I brought them home and put them in with my other cigars. Next day when I opened my humi (this one was small and held about 150 sticks) I could smell nothing but the Acids. So, I took the Acids out and put them in a tupperware container. Several weeks later I could still smell the Acids. I don't think it was long enough to actually affect the other cigars but I could not get the smell out of the humidor. It's been a couple years now. I can tell you from experience that the scents will leech into the cedar and stay there.

Anyone need a good humidor, cheap? :smiley31:

i started out liking flavored cigars and very mild cigars. the company i keep all smokes full bodied and ultra-full bodied stuff. so gradually over time i graduated on up. went from smoking CAO flavors and don diegos just over a year ago to quite a bit of camacho and pepin stuff now. i would say that as long as you're smoking them pretty quick, you probably wouldn't have any problem with marrying. if you are looking to age some flavored smokes, i would get a separate small humi, maybe even a piece of tupperware, and use a separate humi for each flavor. if you like that little bit of spice that cedar adds, go for it. if you prefer the smoother smoke, just don't use as much cedar.

I would just break down and buy a humidor. The money you spend on a tight seal tubberware container and smaller containers for your flavored smokes will about cost you about the same. Then put your flavored smokes in ziplocs and store in the humidor. If you decide you enjoy smoking you will still have to get a humidor and if you don't, just resell it on ebay.

Rich