How to dry box??

[Zmilin]

Ive looked through a few threads (I always felt like I was one more away from finding my answer) but nope...

So... I get the idea behind dry boxing of cigars. Here are the questions that come up for me:
- Can a cigar box be used instead of a humi (I have this awesome box from the MF 5th anniversary that looks amazing). I think yes, just want to make sure.
- Is dry boxing done in a box that has no humidifying media at all or is it just low RH?
- For those that do dry box... how many sticks, how often, how long in the box?
- Is it ok to go from the dry box back to the humi in case you opt not to smoke it?

Any other feedback as to the methods, theories, conditions, etc... to dry boxing. Or links... links are good to

 

[D Quintero]

no box per se , just leaving it out / on a display like on the mantle or trophy case.
current ambient homestead averages @ 76f & 50% - staying clear of any heat sources or direct light
so, 24hrs minimal min up to a 96hrs minimal max

 

[StogieNinja]

- Can a cigar box be used instead of a humi (I have this awesome box from the MF 5th anniversary that looks amazing). I think yes, just want to make sure.

Can't see why not, the point is to let the cigar dry out.

- Is dry boxing done in a box that has no humidifying media at all or is it just low RH?

Either, depending on what your aim is, and how quickly you want to see results.

- For those that do dry box... how many sticks, how often, how long in the box?

I don't dry box. I can't see the point. There are so few instances where I want to dry out the wrapper, that I don't bother. It makes so much more sense to me to leave everything at a smokeable rH than to try and rush things by dryboxing.

- Is it ok to go from the dry box back to the humi in case you opt not to smoke it?

If it's too dry, you could cause issues by raising the rH too quickly, but barring that, sure.


The only reason I would dry-box is if I had a thick, oily wrapper I wanted to dry out quickly. But generally, those kinds of cigars I'm letting rest until their ready. I much prefer letting the cigar acclimate to a proper smoking rH and then smoking it. YMMV.

 

[bassboat]

We've had a week of 90% humidity here. I put a dish of unused 65% HF beads in with the cigars. Holding at 70% for the time being.

 

[jfettlol]

Only cigars i had to drybox were dyed sticks. Draig K and the RP Olde world reserve maduro. Left them in for 3 days and burn issues improved.

 

[The Munt]

I'm a 70RH storage guy, so If I'm planning a herf I take one out of the humi in the morning and put it in an empty cigar box, that night it is puuurrrrrfect. Always get long ashes and great even burns... Maybe I got lucky with really good cigars always but I will continue this method as I have had nothing but great success.

Don't know if the Australian weather has something to do with it but works for me every time.

The box is literally empty as no humidity or temp control.

 

[sofc]

almost anything can be used for dry boxing.
I like LP stuff dry boxed a day or so if I remember. In the summer, my stuff gets automatically dryboxed because I leave cigars in the car for the golfing.

 

[multi-useless]

FWIW, I rarely dry box. When I do, I use a cheap 20-ct humi, dry (no Bovedas or anything).

The only times I really use the dry box is when I smoke something ROTT and it's too wet, and I know I want to smoke another one soon. Did exactly that this week, first one was too wet but 36 hours in the dry box helped. There's still one in there, so this weekend I'll find out if a few more days makes a bigger difference.

 

[eastcoast paul]

I live on an island where only on the coldest winter days does the rh fall below 80% so dry boxing is not really and option. I left a 65 % boveda out for 3 weelk this summer and when i remembered it it was very recharged so if i wanted to dry box i would need to get a low rh boveda or something like that.

 

[Cigary43]

Gotta go with Ninja on this....why drybox when you can keep your humidor at just about any RH you like? Dryboxing has become fashionable to achieve a balanced overall cigar where the wrapper tends to be 'wet' or stored at too high of a RH and then trying to bring it all down in one or two days time. What is going to happen is that you're going to change the flavor composition...how much? Don't have a true percentage of it but understand that in order to get a cigar to a certain RH it took time..weeks sometimes depending where you start and finish. A 1% change per week is often stated as a timeline effect to bring a cigar to equilibrium where the entire cigar is at a particular percentage and trying to change that equilibrium in a day or two....not gonna happen. You'll have a cigar that is out of balance where RH is dynamic instead of static and we keep our cigars usually at a number that we have experience with. To change it drastically doesn't behoove a better smoke...it just changes the percentage and tends to dry out the wrapper. I spend too much money on my cigars to treat them like a science project but that's just me. I've known those who microwave their cigars when the RH was too high thinking that they were going to fast track the process of drying them out faster in a microwave for a minute or more. Yikes!

 

[Zmilin]

Thanks for all the responses. I never felt the need to dry box as I never really had a consistent issue with burn. I was just thinking since I had this nice MF 5th any box I would use it for that. Ill find another use for it

 

[knw247]

Great question. I don't Dry box. Instead, I like to rest my sticks for a few weeks before smoking them. This gives them a the needed time to reach my preferred RH. Now I do "wet-box" (trademark). I have found that on very Humid days, taking a stick straight from Wineador to the lighter can cause the stick to swell. And the filler swells faster than the wrapper causing the wrapper to split. So if it's raining or if the RH is very high, i'll leave it out to adapt slowly.

 

[Merovius]

- Can a cigar box be used instead of a humi (I have this awesome box from the MF 5th anniversary that looks amazing). I think yes, just want to make sure.
- Is dry boxing done in a box that has no humidifying media at all or is it just low RH?
- For those that do dry box... how many sticks, how often, how long in the box?
- Is it ok to go from the dry box back to the humi in case you opt not to smoke it?

-Yes smaller cigar boxes are perfect and really ideal, single coffins work great also.
-no humidifying, dry
-typically one to four over a 12 hr period
-yes of course. Ill sometimes pull 3-4 I think I might smoke that night, burn one and return the rest to their humi home at 60%

I use this for my dry box:


I live in MN where we have wild humidity fluctuations. I only dry box in the summer to aid with wrapper burn when I smoke late at night and the humidity begins to climb. In the span of an hour it can go from 65 to 75 typically right around sunset 8-9pm when I like to have an after dinner smoke. It creates major burn problems for thicker wrappers (maduro, oscuro). The cigar will start off great and burn well for the first 30min but as the outside begins to soak up the ambient moisture it slows down, once its gets to a certain point its problematic, so I like to give it a headstart or an overly drier "edge" if that makes sense. Its also much more noticeable on larger rg and longer smokes. In the winter I dont even bother. I like to give fresh releases about 2months rest at 65.
Other notes:
I have a small 30ct Michael Dixon I use for "on deck" smokes kept at <60, NewAir 280 for CCs at ~60, 70qt coolidor for non Habanos~65, 120ct Michael Dixon for Opus ~65, long term 120qt ~70

Hope that helps, hope you get some better burn out of your seeeegars!