Best Traveling Cigars?

[PapaDisco]

We all like to rest our newly received cigars in the humidor for at least a month or so; well at least the disciplined among us do. But when we travel (and by this I mean long distance air travel), and bring stogies, are there cigars that hold up better than others? Has anyone cracked the code on this?

I keep a stock in the U.S., and another collection in my second office in Saigon, and both of these collections of resident cigars consistently taste better than any of the sticks that travel with me. However it seems to me that not all traveling stogies suffer equally. For instance I've noticed:

1. H. Upmann Petite Coronas don't travel well (at least on this route), but they're better after a couple of months resting (and still best of all in San Francisco rather than the heat and humidity of Saigon).

2. Punch Punch really suffer.

3. Sancho Panza Bellicose ('12) actually do quite well, they lose much of the sweetness, but otherwise smoke fine and never get harsh in the heat and humidity.

4. PSD4's travel better than Epi 2's. Go figure. The 2's get pretty sharp and nippy, doesn't matter if it's an '09, '12, '14 or '15 but they are just lovely at home in SF.

5. HdM Churchills really struggle with the travel.

6. Monte 4's have been great and not so great. Hard to spot a consistent trend here.

7. Punch DC ('12) do just fine from SF to NYC. Haven't exposed them to transpacific travel yet.

I just haven't found consistent, durable winners. Best luck has been with the SP, R&J Churchill (only a 50% success rate though) and PSD4's. I keep trying though.

What do you guys take on the road? And are there any secrets to minimize a cigar's suffering in route? Are there any types of cigar (full flavored, medium, aged, current, etc.) or Marcas that do better?

[Lotusguy]

As a frequent traveler, I have not had this experience at all. I bring one of my Xikar travel humidors with a 65 Boveda in it and the sticks taste just like home - all of them so far.

[LordAnubis]

As a frequent traveler, I have not had this experience at all. I bring one of my Xikar travel humidors with a 65 Boveda in it and the sticks taste just like home - all of them so far.

I agree with this. My xikar travel box has never let me down. I don't even carry a humidifier! Just close the box, throw it in my luggage (hand luggage) and job done. Not had any issues so far.

[RWhiz]

I have a 5 count, and a 20 count travel humidores. I throw in the cedar sleeves that come on some cigars or from tubes, and a 65% Boveda. Have not noticed a difference when traveling this way.

[Fugu]

I agree with this. My xikar travel box has never let me down. I don't even carry a humidifier! Just close the box, throw it in my luggage (hand luggage) and job done. Not had any issues so far.

What Mus says could be essential: Carry them in your hand-luggage (i.e. in the cabin) and they will certainly suffer less.

[losttrailer]

i really feel relieved not to be the only one facing these problems.

Traveling within Europe or short distances does not seem to be a problem, but everytime going long distance

all stock traveling with me tastewise goes down big way ( and they allways go with me hand-luggage ).

Like PapaDisco i experienced different levels of downgrade.

Relatively small impact in SP NonPlus, HUHC, ERDM Demi Tasse for example.

Big loss of taste in PLPC, Monte 5 & 4, HdM Petit Robusto or many Bolivar.

Partagas ( Shorts in my case ) seem to be more resistant.

Aged stuff ( 10+ years ) seems to be more reliable.

It takes at least one, rather two months back at home for them to get back to previous taste condition.

Any help is highly appreciated as i am not keen on buying cigars in SE-Asia for example when there is approved stock to go.

[ayepatz]

I keep a stock in the U.S., and another collection in my second office in Saigon,

Ah, the penny drops, Arthur "Two Offices" Jackson!

[busdriver]

I love Xikar travel boxes and if the sticks are in them for a few days, no worries. They are really rugged giving me confidence no damage will occur. However after a couple of weeks, I have experienced the sticks being "off". So much so I have been considering lining them or looking for a cedar alternative.

[LLC]

I agree with this. My xikar travel box has never let me down. I don't even carry a humidifier! Just close the box, throw it in my luggage (hand luggage) and job done. Not had any issues so far.

Same for me but if I am going to a very dry place (like now in Las Vegas) I bring a Bovida if I am away for more then 3-4 days.

[SMQQKIN]

I always put my cigars in a Xikar air tight traveldor and carry it on. If I'm going to be on the road more than just a few days I'll throw in 1 Boveda pack. Never had an issue.

[Jeremy Festa]

I think cigars are way more robust than people give them credit. Even a long haul flight with a cigar in a leather sleeve would be equivalent to a few days dry boxing.

I usually travel for 5 to 6 weeks, continuously, from Australia to Europe, and have never noticed any difference. Using a xikar 15 count travel case, without using the humidifier.

Could it be that my taste buds are maybe a little off after 3 or 4 Guinness?

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[PapaDisco]

Ah, the penny drops, Arthur "Two Offices" Jackson!

Touche my friend!

[Duxnutz]

I think cigars are way more robust than people give them credit. Even a long haul flight with a cigar in a leather sleeve would be equivalent to a few days dry boxing.

I usually travel for 5 to 6 weeks, continuously, from Australia to Europe, and have never noticed any difference. Using a xikar 15 count travel case, without using the humidifier.

Could it be that my taste buds are maybe a little off after 3 or 4 Guinness?

Sent from my iPhone

If your travelling anywhere on a plane you need airtight. I even put my xikar travel humi in a big ziplock. Long haul aircraft have extremely low RH levels; well under 20% and more like 10 and under. The design goal of the 787 was 16%. Your checked baggage rides in a pressurised compartment but can undergo rapid temperature changes as it goes from a possibly hot Tarmac (bags often sit outside for periods of time) to 6-9 degrees in the heated hold. Reasonably similar to the idea of storing your cigars for a period after receiving them from FOH!

As an airline pilot who flies everyday I keep some cigars in tubes (zip locked) in my carry on luggage and they seem to do ok.

[Jeremy Festa]

If your travelling anywhere on a plane you need airtight. I even put my xikar travel humi in a big ziplock. Long haul aircraft have extremely low RH levels; well under 20% and more like 10 and under. The design goal of the 787 was 16%. Your checked baggage rides in a pressurised compartment but can undergo rapid temperature changes as it goes from a possibly hot Tarmac (bags often sit outside for periods of time) to 6-9 degrees in the heated hold. Reasonably similar to the idea of storing your cigars for a period after receiving them from FOH!

As an airline pilot who flies everyday I keep some cigars in tubes (zip locked) in my carry on luggage and they seem to do ok.

Absolutely. 20% or less humidity for 15 hours is a rapid dry box session. Have flown domestically with a leather savinelli pouch with zero effect.

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[RWhiz]

I love Xikar travel boxes and if the sticks are in them for a few days, no worries. They are really rugged giving me confidence no damage will occur. However after a couple of weeks, I have experienced the sticks being "off". So much so I have been considering lining them or looking for a cedar alternative.

As I stated in my post, I save the cedar sleeves from Tubos and from cigars that come with them and keep them in my travel humi. Keep a 65% Boveda in there and you have a seasoned, humidified box to travel with.

[PapaDisco]

It's not 20% rH on a plane, it's literally 0%! On the 747's and a few others, they installed humidification in the cockpit after the pilots' unions protested way back when, but those of us paying the bills get nada. I understand that the new 787 is different, and if feels different when I've flown it, but I haven't tested the air. On the 747 and the 777 I've carried along hygrometers and they always peg at 0%.

I travel with my stogies double zip locked, with a boveda and occasionally an hygrometer just for fun. Despite the permeability of ziplocks, the interior bag has always managed to maintain 65% rH throughout any flight that I've bothered to measure. So my travel cigars are not drying out on the flight.

Certainly the fact that I'm smoking these in a high heat/high humidity environment is a factor, but there remains a noticeable difference between the sticks I smoke ROTF (Right Off The Flight ) and those I lay up for a month or two in Saigon before touching.

I've always been a doubter about 'travel sickness.' Certainly a cigar will taste different if it's heated/dried/soaked, but if you maintain humidity and keep it with you in the passenger cabin I'm surprised that the disturbance of traveling will have such a big effect on taste. What do these things have? Biorhythms??

Anyway, I give up, I capitulate. There is such a thing as Travel Sickness . . . now which cigars man up and handle long distance travel the best?

[Duxnutz]

It's not 20% rH on a plane, it's literally 0%! On the 747's and a few others, they installed humidification after the pilots' unions protested way back when, but those of us paying the bills get nada. I understand that the new 787 is different, and if feels different when I've flown it, but I haven't tested the air. On the 747 and the 777 I've carried along hygrometers and they always peg at 0%.

.

:

God forbid you'd want to provide some sort of comfort (or OH and S) to the poor sods who have to sit in the thing many times a month! Don't worry most of the flight deck humidifiers on those aircraft were deactivated by airlines many moons ago, so we're almost in the same boat, errrr plane!

[eswary]

I think cigars are way more robust than people give them credit. Even a long haul flight with a cigar in a leather sleeve would be equivalent to a few days dry boxing.

I usually travel for 5 to 6 weeks, continuously, from Australia to Europe, and have never noticed any difference. Using a xikar 15 count travel case, without using the humidifier.

Could it be that my taste buds are maybe a little off after 3 or 4 Guinness?

Sent from my iPhone

I think this is spot on. Cigars are pretty hearty really. I travel with a Xikar travelor with a Broveda. I used to throw them in my carry on for years for safety, from bouncing around, but no other reason. Now I just throw it in my luggage and forget about it. Never had any issues in the flavor or even damage when using Xikar travelor. Too easy

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