Long-Term Storage

[DBall]

I'm looking at setting my 52-quart cooler up for some long-term storage. My display humi and desktop will be used for regular rotation/bombs/etc.

My question is: what beads should I get for it? I heard that for long term aging, lower RH is desirable... would 60% be good or should I just get more 65% beads?

Any help would be appreciated!

:tu

[havana_lover]

IMHO cigars should be kept a 70% RH for long term to keep the oils from drying out..

However really it a personal choice..

[Bruce]

IMHO 70% is way too high. I have been ageing cigars in my humidors for over a decade at 60% to 62%. Many can attest to the qualty and smokability of my cigars..............perfect!

[icehog3]

IMHO 70% is way too high. I have been ageing cigars in my humidors for over a decade at 60% to 62%. Many can attest to the qualty and smokability of my cigars..............perfect!

They are perfect Bruce!

I keep my cabinet at 63%, and am more than pleased with the results. I agree that 70% is much too high.

[schweiger_schmoke]

Agreed with both of these BOTLs.

If I were to start storing stogies for long term, I would stick in the low 60's RH.


Glad to hear your sticks have aged so well. :tu

[Darrell]

I am setting my Cigar Oasis to 60 when it comes tomorrow. I've had smokes stored at that RH and they taste quite a bit better IMHO. I'd go 60 if I were you. :tu

[Coz77]

65%....My humis fluctuate anywhere between 62-65.

70% just seems to wet for me, Ive always had burn problems at that RH.

[BigFrankMD]

I went away for 2 weeks and my cooler stayed at 65% the whole time with 1 pound of beads. Only thing I would worry about would be temp changes. Beads will keep rH good.

[Giovanni]

I agree with everyone so far, keep it no higher than 65 for long term storage.

[mikejh]

i would do 65

[BroNeilson]

IMHO cigars should be kept a 70% RH for long term to keep the oils from drying out..

However really it a personal choice..

:tpd:

[havana_lover]

Let me clear something up..

70% RH is for aging, smoking I like them to be around 60-65%RH but again its a personal choice..

And I never ment to insult anyone with expressing my opinion..

[croatan]

IMHO 70% is way too high. I have been ageing cigars in my humidors for over a decade at 60% to 62%. Many can attest to the qualty and smokability of my cigars..............perfect!

Just in case any of y'all don't know, when Bruce speaks on a subject like this, you really ought to listen.

For what it's worth, all of my cigars stay at 60-63% for aging. For smoking, I even like some as low as the high 50s.

[kjjm4]

Let me clear something up..

70% RH is for aging, smoking I like them to be around 60-65%RH but again its a personal choice..

And I never ment to insult anyone with expressing my opinion..

That's pretty much how I do it. I can't really say for certain that I prefer this method, because I haven't aged anything longer that 6 months. So far, I like the results. Time will tell, I guess.

[Mark THS]

I come from the school of thought that as long at its somewhere between 60-70%RH, you're fine. I think a lot of people spend way too much time and energy fussing over 2-3%RH.

[worr lord]

70% is just plain too humid for some cigars. Keep in mind that no humidification system will maintain a PERFECT 70%, so you're going to encounter fluctuations, and I wouldn't think anyone here is comfortable with their delicate Cameroons sitting in a 73% environment. Though it can't really be done with beads, 68% seems like a good RH to shoot for, as you have a nice buffer zone before getting too humid or too dry.

[icehog3]

Let me clear something up..

70% RH is for aging, smoking I like them to be around 60-65%RH but again its a personal choice..

And I never ment to insult anyone with expressing my opinion..

No insult taken here. :) I do disagree with you though, I think that 60-63% humidity is much better for long term aging. I also defer to Bruce who has vastly more experience aging cigars than I do. :2

[chibnkr]

IMHO 70% is way too high. I have been ageing cigars in my humidors for over a decade at 60% to 62%. Many can attest to the qualty and smokability of my cigars..............perfect!

I've been aging cigars in my humidors for about 10 to 12 years and I generally keep my humidors somewhere around 65%, plus-or-minus a percent or two (I prefer my sticks just slightly more humid than 60% to 62%...just a personal preference). I agree that 70% is higher than optimal, especially for long-term aging. And, like many have said, Bruce is just about the best source for this type of information imaginable.

[Cadillac]

IMHO cigars should be kept a 70% RH for long term to keep the oils from drying out..

However really it a personal choice..

I've just ordered 70% beads for my cooler. I noticed you address is NY. Not sure if it matters, but where I'm from here in Canada, it gets really dry in the winter, so I thought I'd go with 70%.

I figured anything I'm going to smoke, I'll move to my humidor (that is being kept at 65%), and dry box for the day or longer before smoking. Right or wrong, I've already ordered the 70% beads :hn

[The Mum]

Matter of personal taste but I have some stogies over 3 years old at 65%

[drawfour]

Since long-term storage is the idea, I'd recommend nothing higher than 65%. Others may chime in that 60% is better for long-term aging and all that, which I really don't know. But 70%, in long-term, is probably just asking for mold problems, due to temp and RH fluctuations that are bound to happen. Since you want to just store them and forget about them (i.e. not checking on them often), I would think you'd want to stay lower to make sure mold won't be an issue.