Dry Boxing

[cashews39]

I'm sure it's been discussed before (although I can't find a good thread), but I'm interested in your dry boxing method: how long do you dry box for, what type of box do you use, do you vary your approach based on cigar/weather/etc? 

What works best is likely a matter of preference, starting conditions/humidor humidity, and external environment, but I'd definitely like to see how different members approach this. 

 

Thanks!

[cashews39]

BTW - I generally keep my cigars at ~65% and have only just started experimenting with dry boxing over the past few weeks (only smoking a few cigars per week). Usually I'll use an empty cigar box for ~12 hours or so. 

[Ubergosupro69]

I don't dry box all of my cigars, I've found some smoke really well right out of the humidor at 65 rh. The ones I do dry box I simply put in a unhumidified humidor or travel humidor. The length of time varies depending on the cigar and the weather outside. If it's particularly humid out I'll leave them in closer to a week. Otherwise most of my cigars will only be dryboxed for 2-5 days.

Just my 2 cents. As with all things, experimentation is good!

[potpest]

Having tried out all the various dry box methods with varying success I learnt here (by reading from piggy's excellent posts) that temperature is as important as rh when it comes to moisture content of cigars.

I set up a small fridge with a heating element and temperature controller which keeps the temperature at 70f and experimented smoking cigars at different rh's. After a while I've found that I like the moisture content at 70f and 63%rh. I move any cigars that I want to smoke in that small fridge in that environment a minimum of a month prior to smoking. No need to drybox as everything in there is in the perfect conditions to smoke straight away for my tastes.

This has solved all my issues I used to have of "too wet" or "too dry" cigars and was reasonably cheap to set up and maintain.

[joeypots]

The big humidor is kept at approximately 65% RH. Cigars are moved to a desk top kept at 60%RH as needed.

[BMWBen]

I've always used an old humidor as a dry box, but since keeping everything at 62% I haven't really had to "dry box" too many smokes

[cashews39]

Haven't tried adding another humidor, but that might be a good option for stashing a few weeks worth of smokes. Part of my challenge with dry boxing has been that I often don't anticipate smoking until just before I light up. 

[TheGipper]

Don't dry box.  Lower your humidor's humidity.

To do otherwise is like storing milk in the freezer and then putting it in the microwave for 30 seconds whenever you want a glass of milk.

[zeedubbya]

42 minutes ago, TheGipper said:

Don't dry box.  Lower your humidor's humidity.

Second this:

Took the leap of faith a few months back and on Piggys advice went to 60/70 and my cigars have never been better.  Feedback I've gotten from others has been great too.  They just keep getting better and better at the lower RH.  Try it you won't regret it.  

[cashews39]

8 minutes ago, zeedubbya said:

Second this:

Took the leap of faith a few months back and on Piggys advice went to 60/70 and my cigars have never been better.  Feedback I've gotten from others has been great too.  They just keep getting better and better at the lower RH.  Try it you won't regret it.  

It does make perfect sense unless there's some reason to believe that long-term storage humidity should be different than short-term storage. Something to consider..

[foursite12]

I've been historically using the "higher RH deep storage/lower RH desktop" approach but am rapidly weaning myself off of that and will soon have lower RH across the board. Better overall storage conditions and no need to engage in unpredictable dry boxing.  

[TheGipper]

11 minutes ago, cashews39 said:

It does make perfect sense unless there's some reason to believe that long-term storage humidity should be different than short-term storage. Something to consider..

There's some old veterans of the hobby here.  Something to consider...

[Habana Mike]

Yep, my primary humidor (~3000 stick cabinet) is my "dry box" having reset to around 60RH a year or so back. Keep my "aging stock" in coolers at around 68RH

[stogieluver]

Since lowering my humidor rH to low 60's, I don't dry box any cigars.  They smoke and burn so much better in the low 60's to high 50's.  To me, no higher than 62 is about perfect.  My temp is pretty constant at between 70f - 72f in the summer, and 68-72f in the winter.  Of course, with the temp change, I have to adjust my digital system to compensate so my rH stays pretty constant.

[cashews39]

There's some old veterans of the hobby here.  Something to consider...

Couldn't agree more


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[tengel78]

I keep my wine adore at about 62% and the cooler at about 65. Sealed boxes that are resting in the cooler stay a little higher rh. Has worked well for me so far. Don't fry box at all now. 

[Fugu]

10 hours ago, cashews39 said:

It does make perfect sense unless there's some reason to believe that long-term storage humidity should be different than short-term storage. Something to consider..

Agreed. Best conditions for (long-term) storage do not necessarily fall in the same range as best conditions for smoking. Why at all should they?

[Sophistic]

I keep the cigars at 70% and put them in the freezer for 30-40mins before smoking.

[GavLew79]

14 hours ago, cashews39 said:

BTW - I generally keep my cigars at ~65% and have only just started experimenting with dry boxing over the past few weeks (only smoking a few cigars per week). Usually I'll use an empty cigar box for ~12 hours or so. 

What is the %rh of your enpty box?

[KnightsAnole]

I keepmy temps at 70 and 63% in my winadors. I live in a tropical environment with high ambient humidity and temps. Been doing this for years and it has worked out great for me. I never dry box. 

[fabes]

6 hours ago, Fugu said:

Agreed. Best conditions for (long-term) storage do not necessarily fall in the same range as best conditions for smoking. Why at all should they?

I'm curious to hear you thoughts on why. If the assumption for long-term aging is to preserve the best qualities of the cigar over the longest period of time so as to end up with the best result possible, then wouldn't you also want to smoke them at that same optimum point? If you then have to lower or raise the rh for smoking preference then there is a short-term change which could possibly negate the long-term effort. I've heard this theory before and so I'm curious to hear someone articulate it. 

[cashews39]

What is the %rh of your enpty box?

Not sure. I suppose it's whatever the rh is in my house - it's just an empty cigar box that I keep out. The box is really there just for physical protection more than anything else now that I think about it.


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[dageshi]

Keep mine in tupperdores at 65%, I generally take any cigars I want to smoke out the night before and put them in an empty cigar box. My impression is that even 24 hrs later generally improves sharpness/distinction of flavour.

[Ethernut]

I'm more pragmatic on this than most. Like many I keep my Humidor in the low 60% RH range. No dry boxing ever. I don't believe in my tobacco making me "do stuff" to it to make it work. Lower RH seems to be the trick. I remember a post from @El Presidente probably ten years ago where he was talking about tossing a cigar in a dry box and it basically sitting in the hot sun while having the ever loving heck beat out of it over a couple days before he got to it (seems like I remember it was bouncing around in the back of a truck something to that effect). The result was it was an amazing cigar. Rob was very surprised how good it was. Lesson learned is, Cigars are very durable, no need to be fussy. As a ratio, the Tobacco within has more to do with your experience than climate. Keep the RH in check and just smoke 'em. 

[backbone]

So the Habanos insert that comes in boxes states that the cigars should be stored between 65RH and 70RH for best results.

I like them at 60RH.

Any opinions on this?