I agree some time to acclimate to your desired RH is optimal, however are the people that are resting for 2-3 months doing so with all sticks they receive? If you get something from a brother manufactured in 2012, do you wait 2 months because of the 3 day travel time? This is what I think may be "superstition". Maybe superstition isn't the correct term. Past experiences for with one or more shipped cigars has led to being overly cautious in order to avoid wasting an otherwise great smoke?
It appears that the consensus is that if you have multiples, smoke one fairly soon and see if it needs more time to acclimate. (How will you know if a stick is better young/fresh if you don't try it.)
This post is not meant to persuade anyone's personal opinion or suggest any one persons method is flawed. I am simply trying to learn these things from the more experienced brothers. Which is why I asked for a manufacturers point of view and a possible scientific explanation.
Jonny, this post was not directed at you specifically, just used your quote as reference.
I won't be so stringent if I purchase from a brother. If from a retailer, whether it's B&M (brick and mortar), or online I will let it rest a couple of months. No doubt you can get a cigar properly and throughly humidified inside and out with less time, but that is just my personal practice. Have I smoked stuff with a month rest? Probably. Less than 2 weeks? In that case I really hesitate. I know that is far from scentific and maybe even confusing, but I think everyone has their own preferences so don't be afraid to find yours.
I don't smoke too much, once a week mostly, so it's not a big deal to wait. So when I smoke, I make it count. I can't be bothered with burn issues especially tunneling which happens when the stick hasn't rested enough in the humi, as the inner leaves take longer to properly humidify.
If you're a daily smoker or even twice a day, then a burn issue once in a while isn't a big deal, you'll just spark up something else tomorrow.
up until a few months ago I only kept 5-20 cigars and never ordered online but whenever I hit the b &m I either lit one up right there for the ride home or within minutes of getting home. I'm hoping now that I have more storage and finally have my humidity levels settled I can let some sticks rest a littlel. Seems as of lately the ones i fire up seem to burn extremely well and not have any issues. I love the looks of my humidor s but I love my field box tubberdor storage set up! I have a single boveda in there and after a month and a half or so it's almost as squishy as it was brand new. I need to get me one of the cedar pack holders and I'll be set!
