Ok… so yeah, cigars are delicate.  Don’t drop them, they will break.

However, they are more resilient than we may be led to believe.  They can bounce back if dry and even dry out if over humidified – if they aren’t past the point of no return.

One of the first things people learn about when getting into cigars is how to store them so they can be enjoyed and taste like they were intended to without any issues – but there isn’t one ideal target to hit.  You may hear or read that the ”best” goal is 70% humidity and 70 degrees.  That’s a pretty safe zone to maintain.  Cigars though, can be kept at a fairly wide range of temps and humidity – but there are some things we all need to try and avoid.

Point of no return

There really are only three things you want to try and avoid.

#1:  Mold due to over humidification.  I even get nervous when some cigars are kept at 70% for extended periods of time.  With enough air circulation you won’t run into issues at 70% but get into 72% or higher and there can be problems, especially when it comes to long term storage/not a lot of fresh air circulation.  Personally, my goal is 65-68%.

#2:  Excessively dry cigars.  Dry cigars will become brittle or get to the point where the natural oils (where the flavor comes from) evaporate, approx. below 55%.  While some cigars may be too dry to smoke at 55-62%, they certainly aren’t ruined and can be brought back up to a preferred range of humidity without any issues.

#3:  Tobacco beetles, which can become an issue when cigars are kept in too warm of an environment (usually 75 degrees or more).  The dreaded tobacco beetle is one of those things that no matter how hard manufactures try to avoid it, it is an inevitable part of a natural product like tobacco. Once those temperatures get too warm, there is a chance that those beetle eggs will hatch. Once they do any cigars in their path will turn to Swiss cheese in a hurry.  There is nothing you can do to save them.

Storing cigars doesn’t need to be work

Maintaining a humidor can be a big pain in the butt sometimes. 70 degrees is a great temperature to try and maintain. Cooler is just fine if there is enough humidity.   Some fluctuation in RH (relative humidity) is ok.  You’ll find that some cigars even smoke better when kept at a lower percentage, others at a higher percentage.  Over time you will find that cigars will be ok, even if your humidor or storage conditions slip from time to time.

I like my cigars to taste like cigars

Something you may want to keep in mind is that if you are aging or storing cigars for a longer period of time – cigars can pick up nuances of the environment they are kept in.  Cigars are like sponges.  Depending on the wood in a humidor, eventually those cigars can take on a lot of that flavor.  I just want my cigars to taste like cigars without overwhelming flavors influenced by their environment.

If you love a big cedar flavor in cigars, then aging cigars for an extended period of time in an aromatic cedar humidor may just be your ticket.  Coolerdors, Tupperware and large zip locks may not be the most glamorous or romantic method – but they work, and they work efficiently.  For more in-depth information on storing cigars and humidor alternatives, check out this article: Storing Cigars and Humidor Alternatives

Pro Tip: No matter how you store your cigars, do yourself a favor and get 2-way humidification like Boveda packs – we can’t say it enough – They will save you a lot of headache and sometimes a lot of work.

There is a lot of information these days on cigars from so many “experts” in the world.  The best method to learning is always personal experience and trial and error.  The three things listed above are probably the most important things you want to keep in mind to keep your cigars from getting ruined.  Everything else Is personal preference.