Stupid/Clever Question

[Sefton]

As David St. Hubbins once said: "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever." And I have a question that might be either. I am a relative newbie to CC's - and while a copious lurker here, not a frequent poster. But here's a question --

It concerns the rest period we all give our newly delivered cigars before smoking them, and it concerns dry boxing. I never knew to rest newly arrived cigars before smoking them until I found online cigar forums. I used to buy, receive and smoke. But I read, learned, and began resting. It made sense - allow a cigar to acclimate to its new humidor environment set to a desired RH, etc. Ok, makes sense, all good.

But then I started reading about dry boxing. Which also makes sense, on one hand, but in a way seemed to contradict the resting period with the other. Doesn't dry boxing essentially do the same thing as shipping? That is lower the RH? (Assuming the cigars were not OVER humidified prior to shipping?) If a cigar arrives and is not too moist, nor too dry - hasn't it essentially been dry boxed by the trip taken from our source to our door?

And if that is the case - and if there are benefits to dry boxing before smoking - why the need for the rest period?

As I said "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever." Don't feel bad if my question is the former, I've been called worse!

Cheers!

Sefton

[Colt45]

Depending on where your cigars come from, they could go through any number of climate changes, some perhaps rather drastic.

You get them home and let them stabilize / acclimatize. In theory, dry boxing them at home from your own humidor would not be

a drastic change in climate - a slight lowering of humidity to aid draw.

For what it's worth, I don't dry box.

[Sefton]

Yep - that makes a lot of sense. I'll put your name down under "stupid question" right below mine.

Thanks, Colt.

[El Presidente]

Humidity/moisture is but one aspect.

Air temperature/pressure fluctuations in transport can knock cigars around. Dry boxing really only targets one aspect in reducing moisture content in a controlled environment.

[CigarmanTim]

I firmly believe you can smoke your cigars right out of the box when 1st received for a week or so...then they turn.

[bolivr]

My 2c is that I have found that cigars only need the full month's rest after a trip which crosses the equator.

On dry boxing I think there is an advantage but I have only seen this from when I grab a few sticks to go away on holiday with. I must do a back to back comparison to see any definite merit I guess.

[dicko]

I have no scientific basis for this, but for what it's worth, I find dry-boxing cigars most always improves the flavour experience over cigars pulled straight out of my humidor. maybe it gets the cigars RH levels more in sync with the environment your smoking in.

lol there's my stupid answer to your reasonable question but thats my experience.

[PigFish]

The advice of a million experts is insignificant to your own experience and empirical wisdom. What do you like?

I think when questions like these are proffered there is apparently some confusion between what might be considered "ritual" and ones preference in smoking experience; tastes. I have smoked a lot of cigars, opened at my postbox and enjoyed the experience. I have also noted that most of the time the cigars are wetter than I prefer which in turn leads me to believe that regardless the shipping environment, the previous owner stored them too moist for my taste. What I am tasting is not the travel time or conditions, but the previous storage state.

I don't think cigars get jet lagged! But that is not to say that the changes don't affect them and how they smoke. Back to my original point however, the travel time is trivial to their previous storage time. That is of course within reason. An unprotected package lost in the Gobi desert for a month would certainly have different characteristics to one shipped from Oz overnight! I tell people that the cigars that I send them (usually gifts) are stored properly and sufficiently aged and ready to smoke. Once I vacuum pack a cigar to send to a friend, all that they would need to do is cut it and light it. The cargo hold of an aircraft will have little affects on my cigars previously stored at 60-65 rh, if any.

I believe the term, rest, or resting time is therefore potentially misleading. The cigars may be resting physically but they are also acclimatizing to your preferred state of smoking and that is the relevant factor.

Even thought I rarely practice what I preach, I think for those attempting to smoke their cigars only under perfect conditions could expect to wait as long as a year to truly acclimatize thoroughly a cigar from another environment different from their own. I also believe that the curve on this is exponential (it is curved) where the majority of acclimatizing is done within the first 6 months with diminishing, but actual returns thereafter.

Most vendors store cigars too wet for me. I like to smoke really dry cigars yet store in the low 60's. If I were disciplined enough I would store say 30 cut cigars at about 50 rh which would be prime for me but that practice may lead to damaged cigars and the small difference in taste does not seem to outweigh the potential risk.

-Piggy

[mmacleod]

You should be aware that it is not just about the end points in this case, but rather the path taken. The practice of taking a relatively sealed package of cigars at say 70% RH and 70 Degrees, placing it in a cargo hold (most cigars do not travel in climate controlled 1st class seats), cooling them to well below zero, and then warming them up to ambient temperatures when the plane lands, causes significant changes to the RH. At 70 degrees, air holds a certain amount of moisture to be at 70% RH, at -40 degrees, 70% RH requires significantly less moisture, and the excess moisture (over 100% RH) will be precipitated (yes it would almost rain on your cigars). This is what needs to be balanced out in the resting period, not the minor changes from the start point to the end point, but rather the path taken to get there.

Like Piggy said, if your experience is that they smoke fine when they arrive, then smoke 'em, but if they do not, then you should wait until they do, then enjoy them.

Hope this helps

[bigfunkyg]

Funny that I almost always smoke a cigar from a box "right off the truck" and I almost always have a great experience. Case in point I just received a box of Ramon Allones Celestios Finos that were almost three weeks in transit. I sparked it up that night and it was a amazing smoke.

However I generally find once put into their new home, the need to stay there a while (minimum 30 days). Case in point, had a similar experience with a box of Partagas Shorts earlier in the year. I smoked one off the truck and it was the best one of the box. I probably went back to the well a bit too frequently here because the rest of the box never lived up to expectation and the box was gone in four months. Why? I don't know, I just kept thinking they had rested long enough and I wanted each experience to be like the first.

Some people would call me insane but this is just my experience.

G

[#2 man]

I agree with that logic as long as it hasn't been an extensive voyage ( 7-10 ) days. I always smoke the first one that night and have never been disappointed that been said I agree with tim that the window is short. Once you put them in your humidor they need to rest a month minimum for me as much as i like the first one out of the box its never as good as the the ones that have been well rested and then dry boxed if needed depending on your storage conditions