Storing ISOMs

[Cabaiguan Juan]

I have a bunch of random vitolas of ISOMs, none of which have cello on them, as is ttpical of ISOMs. I am storing them all in a old cigar box in my humi but am doing so for long term and am concerned with the flavors marrying. My question is should i worry about a bunch of ISOMs marrying flavor and hoe does everyone else store their misc. ISOMs?

[CAJUNBLAZE]

Well, all I have is just a couple that I recently received. I have them in a separate humidor.

I can say this, the beads in that humidor has picked up alot of aroma from the isoms.

I had the beads in the same humidor with nc for about 5 months and no smell or color change. I only have three isoms and after four days of just the isoms in the same hunidor and same beads the beads changed to a more yellow color and have an awesome smell.

These isom are all 3 to 4 years old.

Rich

[Corvin]

Personally, I keep all my cigars in either my coolidor or my humidor. Regardless of origin (well, questionable cigars are kept separately when beetles are suspect) they all rest together.

[BigMacFU]

You don't have to worry about that at all. Only thing is that if you want to keep them for long term, you might want to set aside a smaller humidor at a higher humidity (72-80%) for long term purposes (I'm talking years here).

[Shelby07]

You don't have to worry about that at all. Only thing is that if you want to keep them for long term, you might want to set aside a smaller humidor at a higher humidity (72-80%) for long term purposes (I'm talking years here).

Actually, I do just the opposite. CC's typically store and smoke better at a lower humidity -- usually 62-65%. And for long term storage (5-10 years) many folks in the know store at lower temps - like 55-60. But 65 degrees should be fine. Lower temps slow the aging down and helps the cigar become more balanced.

Marrying of flavors doesn't seem to be much of a problem, but if you are concerned, take some cedar strips and use them as separators in the box.

[Cabaiguan Juan]

thanks guys. sounds like I'm ok then. Do you guys do anything to control temp? I'm at the mercy of my AC, but i was wondering if there is anything like a temp controling Cigar Oasis?

[stjohnroe]

For longer term storage I use my cooler and discrete boxes, but to be honest I have not been looking after cigars for more than 10 years. For my dip ins I have two seperate humidors.

[Shelby07]

thanks guys. sounds like I'm ok then. Do you guys do anything to control temp? I'm at the mercy of my AC, but i was wondering if there is anything like a temp controling Cigar Oasis?

Unless you have a basement (don't think they dig basements in sandy areas, do they?) you might want to convert a wine cooler. I have seen lots of plans to do so on several different sites. I never really looked into it myself since I have a basement that stays pretty cool. The only concern I'd have is the unit pulling moisture out of the air, but it looks as if people have had good luck with them. You could also look at something like a temp/humidity controlled cabinet (here's one supplier.) They are kind of pricey, but if you're going to be doing this for a long time it might be worth the investment.

[BigMacFU]

Actually, I do just the opposite. CC's typically store and smoke better at a lower humidity -- usually 62-65%. And for long term storage (5-10 years) many folks in the know store at lower temps - like 55-60. But 65 degrees should be fine. Lower temps slow the aging down and helps the cigar become more balanced.

Marrying of flavors doesn't seem to be much of a problem, but if you are concerned, take some cedar strips and use them as separators in the box.

Ummmm, temperature and humidity are two very different things. For long term storage you want a higher humidity. I never even mentioned anything about temperature, but I have no doubt a little bit cooler is better.

[Shelby07]

Ummmm, temperature and humidity are two very different things. For long term storage you want a higher humidity. I never even mentioned anything about temperature, but I have no doubt a little bit cooler is better.

Temp and Humidity go hand in hand since they are both responsible for determining RH when given a specific water content. Recommending a 72-80% humidity without recommending a corresponding lower temp could lead to an environment conducive to tobacco beetle outbreaks. Most guidelines suggest keeping humidity as well as temp lower in order to avoid outbreaks and slowing the aging process, allowing the cigars to blend and age more uniformly. It seems that most CC smokers feel that they not only age but smoke better at lower RH (62-65%,) and dry boxing for a day or 2 is recommended before smoking them. I've recently started corresponding with several people who have been smoking and storing CC's for several years, and I have never heard anyone recommend storing at anything higher than 65/65 for long term storage (years) mostly because of the possibility of beetles. I don't know if higher RH's are recommended for long term storage of NC's since I am not interested in holding them long term.

There have also been studies that show that wrappers of the cigar are only porous up until about 65% RH. Higher than 65% and moisture cannot pass through the wrapper, so most of the moisture enters and leaves through the foot of the cigar causing the moisture throughout the cigar to be less uniform. This probably helps to explain why a cigar will usually burn and taste better after it's been dry boxed.