Something could be preventing you from tapping into those juicy notes in your cigars. The villain? Humidity fluctuations. When humidity yo-yos in a humidor, it can affect how a cigar burns as well as the way it tastes. Not experiencing the coffee? The pepper? The caramel? The graham cracker? Or picking up musty basement? Keep reading to find out how moisture affects aging cigars and their flavor development. And then, find out how to control humidity in your humidor, so you can enjoy a perfect smoking experience every time.
Humidity fluctuations cause cigars to lose essential oils and flavors
Like fine wine, cigars are natural products that live, breathe, and age. Natural oils and sugars provide a cigar’s character and flavor. The wrapper. The binder. The filler. The oils and sugars in each harmoniously marry to create the whole cigar smoking experience. Aging a cigar matures those oils and sugars, which develops a cigar’s “bloom.” And that, my cigar smoking friend, is reason enough to properly preserve cigars—let their flavors mature.
Tobacco is “hygroscopic.” That means a cigar can emit moisture as well as draw in moisture from surrounding environments. Moisture fluctuations make it difficult to maintain the natural oils and sugars in a cigar’s blend. Too low or too high relative humidity (RH) in your humidor can ruin a fine cigar fast.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CIGAR IS TOO WET?
- Tobacco leaves swell
- Cigar is hard to light
- Difficult to draw smoke through the tobacco
- Breeding ground for mold and mildew
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CIGAR IS TOO DRY?
- Oils and sugars from the filler, binder and wrapper never marry (sad)
- Flavor is stale
- Cigar burns too hot, too fast
Drafty humidors & refilling/ rewetting a device cause RH to bounce around
Successfully aging cigars requires two things: stable humidity control and proper storage.
2 ENEMIES OF PREMIUM CIGARS:
- Inferior cigar storage environment (leaky humidor, glass-topped wood humidor, backseat of your car, rolling around loose in a golf bag, tackle box, or boat’s glovebox)
- Inferior cigar humidification/dehumidification product that can’t control the fluctuating environment surrounding your cigars (sponges, PG solutions, gels, beads, etc.)
Humidity fluctuations arise with normal changes in ambient temperature and humidity inside a humidor. If you use refillable humidification device—like a sponge or oasis—cycles in humidity are more dramatic.
HOW WET SPONGES IN A HUMIDOR CAUSE HUMIDITY FLUCTUATIONS
- Humidity inside your humidor spikes when you add water to a refillable device. (This jolt also creates an environment ripe for mold, mildew and bacteria.)
- As the water evaporates, humidity drops steadily. During these cycles, some of the natural oils and sugars within your cigar’s blend dissipates right along with the moisture. This robs your cigar of its character, flavor, and its foundation to improve with age.
- And can cause off-flavors in your cigars.
How to Stabilize Humidity in Your Humidor
Instead of adding water to your humidor, leave the humidity control to Boveda. Boveda has perfected (and patented) 2-way humidity control for cigars. All you do is slip Boveda into your humidor with your cigars and THAT’S IT!
BOVEDA WORKS AUTOMATICALLY TO:
- Continually respond to a humidor’s environment to maintain a stable and precise RH
- Stop moisture spikes and nosedives in your humidor
- Prevent the loss of the natural oils, sugars, and flavor in aging cigars
WHICH BOVEDA TO USE IN YOUR HUMIDOR:
Most cigar lovers use Boveda B69 to maintains 69% RH. It’s most preferred for all cigar storage, including wood and acrylic humidors, tupperdors, coolerdors, and humidor bags; good for long-term aging. Boveda comes in three sizes to accommodate many types of cigar containers. Click on the shopping links below to find the Boveda that’s right for your humidor.
