Question for storing smokes while in the desert.

[THEMISCHMAN]

I'm sure this has been asked before and forgive me if it's in the wrong place but I have a question, or maybe just need some insight. I am currently overseas and the desert isn't the best environment for cigars. For storage I have a cigar jar and a couple 25 oz disposable ziploc containers (makeshift tuppedor). For humidification I'm using a Heartfelt 70% rh tube in the the cigar jar and some humi-pillows 67% rh (the ones the cigars shipped with) in the ziploc's. I'm sure this sounds like a shit set up but I'm working with what I have. The other concern that I have is my AC unit really only has two settings: really friggin cold or sweat your ass off. I'm sure everyone knows which setting I use. Some of my cigars pass the "squeeze or pinch test" and smoke pretty good considering, and some, a DE Undercrown and a Herrera Estili to be specific seemed extremely firm. Going against my better judgement and being excited to try them the wrappers on both cracked when I cut them.:argh: I enjoyed them nevertheless but was still disappointed. My main concern with all this is trying to make sure my smokes are taken care of as best I can. So there's the background. Here's my question; does anyone have experience with a similar situation or any suggestions about what I'm working with so they don't get ruined.

 

[StogieNinja]

So... I don't know how well your tupperdors seal, but 70%rh is much higher than I'd want to smoke anything. It may be that your storage is actually performing very well, and the high rh is leading to the tight sticks. The wetter the leaves are, the more they will expand, which can cause the extreme firmness, and also exploding cigars while smoking as the leaves expand and crack the binder.

The other possibility is that the crack has to do with how you're cutting them. You may just need a sharper cutter.

If you're using the "really friggin cold" setting for AC, that won't harm your cigars at all. Cold is better than hot, IMHO, and should be just fine. Most of us would prefer to keep our cigars in a 65* environment if possible, which is pretty cool.

 

[Ga Gator]

My take, and I haven't been in a desert.

Open the containers as least often as possible.

When you say humi-pillows like the ones when you buy cigars. these are generally small 1 1/2" by 1 1/2" approximate? These are likely to small for any extended period of time. If they have dried out you can recharge them. In your setting put them in a closed container with a water source in the sun. (zip loc container with a clean damp rag).

 

[StogieNinja]

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[THEMISCHMAN]

@ninja. Wow, I didn't know that over humidified sticks would be stiff. The cutter is new it cuts my other cigars just fine, it was just those two DE's that cracked when cut. I got the 70% beads because I figured more is better in a dry climate, rookie mistake I guess. @Gator. I have some cigar juice that freshened up the humi-pillows with. I only can fit about six or seven sticks in the fake tuppedor. Do I want air tight on the containers or do I want them to breath? Thanks in advance to everyone for all the knowledge.

 

[THEMISCHMAN]

@ninja. Humi Care

 

[CWS]

Stick with the Boveda paks at 65% to 69%. The water pillows just dump out moisture. Bovedas regulate. In a sealed environment the pillows can easily over humidify. Save the pillows in a separate tupperware container and cycle the bovedas into it as they need to be re-activated.

 

[THEMISCHMAN]

Great info. What if I got a Heartfelt tube for 65% or should I just stick with Boveda. It's my understanding that the Heartfelt will last the longest and they regulate as well.

 

[DrBob]

Living in New Mexico I feel your pain, and ended up going with fully sealed environments (wineador, cigar jars, etc) and Boveda packs when I couldn't get my wooden humidor to stabilize even with significant retrofitting. In sealed systems Initially i went with 65% boveda's but ended up with a lot of wrapper issues including cracking, and peeling that went away when i switched to 69% packs, which is contrary to what many BOTL's will say, though perhaps they live in more humid external environments which has a different impact on a burning leaf than the very dry air we deal with. In any case find what works humidity wise and try and maintain that at a relatively consistent temperature, hopefully below 75 F, and you should be ok with a bit of rest on your cigars.

 

[rfraser]

All great info, and totally agree. Now I live in the desert as well, so my house is dry also. Like previously mentioned, dont worry aobut it a little cool.
Now I might hvae missed it, but do you have a hydrometer so you can see what the acual RH is? It would be a good idea. Also, and i am not sure if you have access depending on where you are, you can look into getting a wineador. Alot of brothers have them and are really happy with them. and for a cheaper and probably easier solution, is to use a cooler. i have seen a couple pretty good setups.

 

[THEMISCHMAN]

When I get back to the States I'm thinking of doing a coolidor. If I got a wineador I would have to get two because the wife would expect one to have wine in it. LOL. I haven't bought a hygrometer or a thermometer because I didn't want to risk having it get messed up over here. We move around quite a bit.

 

[CWS]

Great info. What if I got a Heartfelt tube for 65% or should I just stick with Boveda. It's my understanding that the Heartfelt will last the longest and they regulate as well.

The bovedas can last basically forever. When they start to get stiff you just dump them in a sealed container with a damp cloth etc and they come right back. This is because they give and take. I like Heartfelt but found the boevda paks easier to work with. The desert is tough. I spend time in Phoenix with my grand children and take a sealed 50 count otterbox. Two boveda paks last me a month or two easy.

 

[THEMISCHMAN]

Good to know. So in a dry climate a sealed container is best as long as I have the right humidification inside?

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

Great info. What if I got a Heartfelt tube for 65% or should I just stick with Boveda. It's my understanding that the Heartfelt will last the longest and they regulate as well.

The bovedas can last basically forever. When they start to get stiff you just dump them in a sealed container with a damp cloth etc and they come right back. This is because they give and take. I like Heartfelt but found the boevda paks easier to work with. The desert is tough. I spend time in Phoenix with my grand children and take a sealed 50 count otterbox. Two boveda paks last me a month or two easy.

When you're in the dryer climate, do you increase, decrease or keep the RH the same?

 

[CWS]

Great info. What if I got a Heartfelt tube for 65% or should I just stick with Boveda. It's my understanding that the Heartfelt will last the longest and they regulate as well.

The bovedas can last basically forever. When they start to get stiff you just dump them in a sealed container with a damp cloth etc and they come right back. This is because they give and take. I like Heartfelt but found the boevda paks easier to work with. The desert is tough. I spend time in Phoenix with my grand children and take a sealed 50 count otterbox. Two boveda paks last me a month or two easy.

When you're in the dryer climate, do you increase, decrease or keep the RH the same?

If I am dealing with a small sealed container, I use the same 65% to 69% depending on the cigars. When you open the tupperware, otterbox what ever, you are going to lose the humidity. When you close it, because it is a small area to handle, the RH will come right back. Put a 75% pak in there and it will come back to 75 which is too high.

The first time I used an otterbox fiver I put a couple of drops of water in the little disc built into the top. I would be gone three days and did not want my cigars to dry out in Vegas. 12 hours later I had blown up cigars. For a few days even in very dry weather, five sticks will hold the RH if the box isn't opened every five minutes. Same with the Boveda pak. If you think about it most humidors do not seal and have some if not significant airflow. Tupperware seals period keeping in the RH for a long, long time.

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

My problem is I keep all of my smokes in a tupperdore, therefore, it's opened and closed pretty much daily, once or twice a day. Unfortunately, I don't have a hydrometer, so I don't know how close the RH is to the Boveda packs I have. I do keep a VERY close eye on the Boveda packs, of they even look at me funny I am rehydrating it....

 

[rfraser]

Yep, like said earlier, with a tight sealed container, which i am sure you need over there in the sandbox or else you would have sand all over your sticks. And just go with the 65 to 69% Boveda packs and you should be good.

 

[StogieNinja]

I'd recommend a larger sealed container for the majority of your smokes to stash, with 65% Bovedas inside. As long as the container isn't opened often, it'll the Bovedas will have no problem regulating to 65% and keeping it there. And if that larger container is not opened frequently, they'll last forever without any work at all.

Then, keep a smaller container for your cigars you plan on smoking soon, also with a Boveda pack. Because you'll be accessing this one frequently, you'll need to recharge it more freqently, so I would grab two. One for actively using and one for recharging. When they get a little dry, put one of them in a jar with a small shot glass of water (not touching the water, just let it absorb the ambient moisture) until it's saturated, then throw it back in with the other. The two will equal out, and maintain an equilibrium. Repeat whenever one of them gets dry.

 

[StogieNinja]

My problem is I keep all of my smokes in a tupperdore, therefore, it's opened and closed pretty much daily, once or twice a day. Unfortunately, I don't have a hydrometer, so I don't know how close the RH is to the Boveda packs I have. I do keep a VERY close eye on the Boveda packs, of they even look at me funny I am rehydrating it....

I've never seen a Boveda pack not work, unless it's in direct sunlight. For whatever reason, that makes 'em go nuts. But as long as it's in a cool place, they work just great. I've kept some cigars in herfadors for weeks or even months with a boveda pack at one end and they smoke great.

In fact, I used to actively charge my KL in my wineadors whenever the rH dipped. I've since switched to a combination of Bovedas and KL. The KL helps keep things stable quickly, and the Bovedas basically provide a rechargable source of moisture instead of having to actually spray or saturate anything. I just recharge the Bovedas every couple of months, and the rH is maintained perfectly.

 

[CWS]

And when the guys talk about opening the tupperware they mean normal opening two, three, four or five times a day. No problem. Sealed and the RH will stablize very quickly after each opened. I also agree with a large tupperdore and then a smaller carry one.