Humidor Information

The Ultimate Cigar Council Manifesto - Taken from the excellent
Cigar Nexus site.

Cigars are hygroscopic in nature. In lay terms, this means that they will
over time dry out when in a dry climate or absorb moisture in a humid
one. And they will continue to do so until their own moisture content
matches that of the ambient climate around them.

A damp cigar will not burn properly. Not only will it be difficult to keep lit,
but also difficult to draw on. The smoke may become too dense leaving
the smoker with a sour taste and a rank aroma. Also, over moist cigars
will commonly split their wrappers.

A dry cigar will burn too hot. Without the proper level of moisture, the
combustion temperature of your cigar will be too high and the smoke will
be hot and acrid against your palate. The smoke may become overly
aggressive and you will lose many of the subtle nuances of flavor that a
properly humidified cigar would of given you. Also, dry cigars will lead
eventually to the early evaporation of their essential oils and reduce their
overall flavor and aroma.

Typically for the most enjoyable smoking, a cigar should contain
approximately 12 -14% of its total weight in moisture. This corresponds
to 60 - 70% relative humidity. Relative Humidity (RH) is a measurement of
the amount of moisture in the atmosphere compared with that of
complete saturation regardless of the temperature.

The primary criteria in the proper storage of cigars is to achieve a stable
and ideal relative humidity within this 60% - 70% RH range. The
secondary, but also important requirements are to store them at
temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit and in a darkened
environment. Doing these three simple things will allow your cigars to not
only be stored well, but also age well resulting in cigars that will draw
easily, burn steadily, and share their optimum flavor and nuances with
your palate.

Grateful acknowledgment to Cigar Nexus for their invaluable cigar information.

Real Cuban Cigars