Tubed cigars

[Alex]

Just have got a sampler of 4 Fonseca tubed cigars. Could someone list pros and cons of tubed cigars? How to store them in a humi? I think it's better to put them without tubes, but in this case tubes are kinda "wrapper".

[ashauler]

My motto is:
If it comes in cello/tube, it stays in cello/tube. I personally crack the aluminum tubes open so the cigars can better acclimate to my preferred RH.

My opinions on tubes:
Pros = portability and protection
Cons = bulky for storage, can conceal mold

Search the board, I'm sure you'll find more useful info.

[mrtr33]

With the ones posted in that pic, I'd probably crack the tube a bit to allow it to acclimate to my preferred humidity level in the humidor. Not all tubes are like that. Some are made of glass and have cork bottoms. In THOSE cases, I personally don't crack those, figuring enough air will permeate through the cork. But maybe I'm wrong.....

[ashauler]

With the ones posted in that pic, I'd probably crack the tube a bit to allow it to acclimate to my preferred humidity level in the humidor. Not all tubes are like that. Some are made of glass and have cork bottoms. In THOSE cases, I personally don't crack those, figuring enough air will permeate through the cork. But maybe I'm wrong.....

Yep, I leave the glass ones sealed with wax or cork alone also.....

[Alex]

My motto is:
If it comes in cello/tube, it stays in cello/tube. I personally crack the aluminum tubes open so the cigars can better acclimate to my preferred RH.

My opinions on tubes:
Pros = portability and protection
Cons = bulky for storage, can conceal mold

Search the board, I'm sure you'll find more useful info.

Are there any pros for storage? Portability and protection are necessary for transportation. What kind of protection you get if they lie in a humidor?
And, by the way, tubed cigars often priced higher than regular, for what we pay extra money?

[mrtr33]

I'm not an expert in this, but I would imagine that tubed cigars are a marketing ploy. I haven't necessarily found them to be more expensive than cigars with or without a cellophane wrapper.

Case in point: different vitolas of the same cigar will be packaged in different ways. Take Partagas Black (Dominican Republic). Two robustos - the Clasico and the Crystal. The Clasico averages out to be only slightly less expensive than the Crystal. The Clasico ships in cellophane, the Crystal in a glass tube. Why? I have absolutely no idea. Maybe they think people will think they are getting a fancier cigar that way.

Glass tubes don't make a cigar any more luxurious, rare, better tasting, or desirable. There are many cigars that come in glass tubes that I probably wouldn't smoke (Macanudo Vintage 2000), wouldn't normally keep in stock (Camacho San Luis Y Martinez), or can't afford (La Aurora Preferido).

Again, unfamiliar with the intricacies of exactly how the corks work on glass-tubed cigars, what (if any) air gets to them, or what tubes do to benefit the cigar experience, I would say that if you are concerned about the glass tube having a negative effect on your tubed cigar, take them out of the tubes.

One more thought: ISOM's, Tatuaje, Illusione, and the higher-end Padrons and Ashton VSG/ESG's are not kept in any tubes or cellophane. I consider these cigars to be some of the finest around.