A cigar is definitely a very delicate product. When we see how careful its manufacture process needs to be, we realize that its storage must be equally cautious. Since the best regions for the cultivation of tobacco are located in the Caribbean, which is an extremely humid and hot region, the specific climatic conditions of this area are the natural environment of the cigars. Besides, cigars have hygroscopic properties, that is to say, they absorb any smell that gets in contact with them. So, as you can imagine, taking cigars to other regions of the planet would make them lose their freshness and high quality.

First of all, the boxes that contain the Cuban cigars are made of cedar wood imported from Canada and the Dominican Republic. They also block any outer smell from getting in contact with the cigars and damaging their particular aroma. In fact, the aroma of the cedar wood is absorbed by the cigars, and the combination of both aromas makes them even more delightful for the senses.

Nevertheless, the boxes cannot stop the cigars from drying up when they are moved to drier and colder countries. Cigars need a humidity of approximately 70%. When the leaves by which they are conformed do not receive the humidity they need, they get very weak, dry out, and their aroma is lost. The excessive dryness of the leaves will make the cigar burn too fast. On the other hand, the temperature is an issue almost everywhere, because though cigars are usually made in hot countries, they don’t do well under very hot conditions. However, keeping them in the fridge is not the solution, either. Cigars need a temperature of approximately 20ºC. Another inconvenient about the fridge is the many different smells that we keep there, and how quickly the cigars are spoiled by them. Hence, a humidor is required to store the cigars under the appropriate conditions.

A humidor can be either a box, or a cabinet, or even a whole room conditioned to keep the cigars at their best. Every prestigious tobacco shop, stores its cigars in a humidor. The cigar connoisseurs also manage to have their own humidors at home.

It is important to know that putting new cigars inside a humidor is not as simple as it sounds. They will take some time to get used to the climate of the humidor, so the best thing you can do is keep them apart from the rest of the cigars until they are fully “comfortable” with the new conditions.

Choosing your humidor is not an easy task, either. There are certain characteristics you should bear in mind so that you buy what you really need. For example, the storage capacity of the humidor is very important. If you are not intending to keep many cigars, then you don’t need a huge humidor, a small one will do just fine. The size of the cigars you want to store is crucial, because if they have a small format, then the storage capacity of the humidor will increase.

You should also pay attention to how well they were built. It is advisable to regulate the hygrostat with a sponge, but you must not forget to refill it periodically with distilled water, so that it gradually evaporates and this way the humidity is preserved.

If possible, make sure that you choose a humidor covered with cedar or American white oak wood. These kinds of wood, just like the tobacco leaves, absorb and release the humidity and favor the fusion of the aromas present in the tobacco leaves that form the cigars. Placing some trays could be a good idea to enhance the organization and rotation of the cigars according to your own patterns.

It is not recommendable to expose the humidor to the sunrays. You shouldn't place it near an air conditioner, either, because then the humidor would have to work excessively to stabilize the humidity.

If you intend to keep your cigars in the humidor for a long period, you should rotate them from time to time. When the cigars are aging too much, they are likely to release a sort of oil that forms some white or grayish spots on the tobacco leaves. If this happens to your cigars, you must remove the spots with a soft cloth.

If you want to recover a group of cigars that have dried out and are spoiled, you may want to try placing them inside a very good humidor and gradually move them from the corners to the center.