Dry boxing in a dry climate

[VeLoRoK]

It's been a couple years since there was a dry boxing post made, so i thought it might be nice to get some fresh dialogue going regarding this practice.

I've been a little frustrated the last few days with just about everything I've smoked needing touch ups to keep the wrapper/binder burning. I use heartfelt beads with a calibrated digital hygrometer and everything is stored at 64-65%. I check my sticks when i take them out to smoke, not crackly, not spongy. Yet still I have some burn issues. So i figure I should start dry boxing. I've been wary to try it since it is so dry here—11% today. So if I were to try dry boxing, how long would be enough at this ambient humidity and, the real concern, how long would be too long? Any recommendations, experience, or warnings you'd like to share before i start experimenting would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sofc]

How are you lighting the sticks?

1-2 days dry boxing usually works.

 

[luckyace12]

Follow for knowledge

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[VeLoRoK]

How are you lighting the sticks?

1-2 days dry boxing usually works.

Toasting the around the outside of the foot until I get a glow, then I blow on it until the ember fills in the middle of the foot.

As for one or two days, are you pulling my chain? Wouldn't i be smoking a completely dry stick at that point with ambient humidity that doesn't often go above 20%? How fast does a cigar dry out?

 

[sofc]

Toasting the around the outside of the foot until I get a glow, then I blow on it until the ember fills in the middle of the foot.

As for one or two days, are you pulling my chain? Wouldn't i be smoking a completely dry stick at that point with ambient humidity that doesn't often go above 20%? How fast does a cigar dry out?

I was not pulling your leg. There was no .

1 or 2 days of dryboxing is common.

 

[Hopduro]

Toasting the around the outside of the foot until I get a glow, then I blow on it until the ember fills in the middle of the foot.

As for one or two days, are you pulling my chain? Wouldn't i be smoking a completely dry stick at that point with ambient humidity that doesn't often go above 20%? How fast does a cigar dry out?

Not that fast at all, you'd be amazed at how long it takes to pull off or put in water to a cigar.

That's why cigars typically taste/behave better after a month or 3 of sitting in a humidor.

Sent from the past on VeLoRoK's flip phone

 

[sofc]

Not that fast at all, you'd be amazed at how long it takes to pull off or put in water to a cigar.

That's why cigars typically taste/behave better after a month or 3 of sitting in a humidor.

Sent from the past on VeLoRoK's flip phone

Don't those two comments contradict?

If 2-3 days of shipping doesn't do that much damage, why wouuld you need a month or 3 of sitting in humi to be better?

 

[ZippoGeek]

How fast does a cigar dry out?

In my experience...not very fast! When we get sticks from the B&M or e-tailers, they've almost certainly been stored at 70% before reaching our humis. I always keep mine at 62%. Applying the 1% per week rule of thumb for drying (which in my experience yields excellent burn results), it takes 8 weeks for my incoming sticks to acclimate / "dry out" to 62%. So IMO @VeLoRoK dry-boxing for a mere day or two is an exercise in futility... I've tried it many times with sticks ROTT, and they're never dry enough (for my preferences) to be smoked even after 3 days. Hope this helps; YMMV!

 

[Hopduro]

Don't those two comments contradict?

If 2-3 days of shipping doesn't do that much damage, why wouuld you need a month or 3 of sitting in humi to be better?

Actually you're right Ara, what i meant was cigars are shipped at a higher %RH, prevents cracking, and takes extra time for all the tobacco to come back down in humidity to, say, 65 rh.

Dryboxing really only dries out the wrapper, maybe binder, in that amount of time.

Sent from the past on VeLoRoK's flip phone

 

[VeLoRoK]

Ok, this is good news. I thought that since it's so dry here that I'd risk over drying. The stick in smoking now came in two weeks ago bundled with a 72% boveda, so with the 1% a week rule it is likely around 70%, not even close to the 65% of my tupperdor. No wonder it's gone out three times already. Makes a lot of sense in other ways, too. I've been trying to monitor my puffing rate so that I don't get it too hot, because i get swelling and splitting otherwise. So I'm thinking that the difference in the stick's moisture content and the ambient humidity being so different that it kind of exacerbates these issues?

 

[Hopduro]

In my experience...not very fast! When we get sticks from the B&M or e-tailers, they've almost certainly been stored at 70% before reaching our humis. I always keep mine at 62%. Applying the 1% per week rule of thumb for drying (which in my experience yields excellent burn results), it takes 8 weeks for my incoming sticks to acclimate / "dry out" to 62%. So IMO @VeLoRoK dry-boxing for a mere day or two is an exercise in futility... I've tried it many times with sticks ROTT, and they're never dry enough (for my preferences) to be smoked even after 3 days. Hope this helps; YMMV!

I think @Sprouthog told me that rule at one point. Wonder where that guy went...

Sent from the past on VeLoRoK's flip phone

 

[VeLoRoK]

I was not pulling your leg. There was no .

1 or 2 days of dryboxing is common.

I knew a day or two was common for some people, but I had assumed that would be more for people that kept their humidors higher, like 70-72%, or people that didn't live in such dry climates, or both. But apparently these things aren't as sensitive as I feared. Thanks, Ara.

 

[ZippoGeek]

So I'm thinking that the difference in the stick's moisture content and the ambient humidity being so different that it kind of exacerbates these issues?

I used to think the same exact thing, but in reality my issue ended up being that the sticks were simply too wet for *any* ambient condition. Whether it was warm & humid out, or cold & dry, my sticks would bloom or split. Once I dropped my humi to 62% and let all the sticks sit for 8 weeks, my burn issues were completely resolved. It's a conundrum that we buy sticks at such a high humidity, yet most prefer to smoke them at 62-65%. But vendors would have all kinds of handling and shipping damage problems if they didn't maintain 70-72.

 

[Boudie]

Seems incredibly counter-intuitive to think that dry box times in AZ would be similar to dry box times in SE Louisiana. I'm thinking of trying to track down some 60% beads and keep a couple of weeks worth of cigars I'd like to smoke soon in a separate humidor. Long term rest at 70 and ready to smoke in the low 60s

 

[sofc]

In my experience...not very fast! When we get sticks from the B&M or e-tailers, they've almost certainly been stored at 70% before reaching our humis. I always keep mine at 62%. Applying the 1% per week rule of thumb for drying (which in my experience yields excellent burn results), it takes 8 weeks for my incoming sticks to acclimate / "dry out" to 62%. So IMO @VeLoRoK dry-boxing for a mere day or two is an exercise in futility... I've tried it many times with sticks ROTT, and they're never dry enough (for my preferences) to be smoked even after 3 days. Hope this helps; YMMV!

You're assuming original RH and the 1% per week rule of thumb (which is dependent on so many factors.) And on top of that, I'm always right.

 

[Hopduro]

You're assuming original RH and the 1% per week rule of thumb (which is dependent on so many factors.) And on top of that, I'm always right.

True that

Sent from the past on VeLoRoK's flip phone

 

[tengel78]

I keep my cooler and wineador at 62% and don't dry box at all normally. I rarely have burn issues at the lower humidity. This also helps because I may think I'm in the mood for a certain cigar, but when going through the humi I notice something else I want and it's ready to go every time.

 

[Boudie]

I thought 62% was to low if resting for 6+ months

 

[tengel78]

I thought 62% was to low if resting for 6+ months

Some people like to keep NC a little higher, but I'm most CC at this point and 62% is pretty popular for bunch of CC people from what I've seen. Someone else with more experience long term may chime in with better info.

 

[ZippoGeek]

I thought 62% was to low if resting for 6+ months

I've never heard that limitation before. Hopefully someone else comments...