Short answer: keep cigars at roughly 65–70% relative humidity and 65–70°F. Below that they dry out and burn hot; above it they get spongy and can mold. A humidor and a humidity pack handle both.
Why humidity matters
A cigar is agricultural. Too dry and the wrapper cracks, the burn runs hot and the flavor goes flat. Too wet and it draws badly, burns unevenly and can grow mold. The range is not narrow, but the extremes are unforgiving — which matters here in Yuma, where the air is dry year round.
Your options
- Desktop humidor: Spanish cedar lined, seasoned before first use, with a humidity pack or a humidifier inside.
- Travel humidor or case: for a handful of cigars. Several of our allocated sets arrive in one, including the Opus6.
- Cooler or tupperdor: an airtight container plus humidity packs. Unglamorous, and it works.
- Short term: Boveda puts a zip bag with a humidity pack at a few weeks, even months, in milder weather, but only a few days when the air is dry.
How to store cigars without a humidor
You do not need a cedar box to keep a few cigars in good shape. You need a container that seals and something inside it that holds the humidity steady. How long each method lasts, by Boveda's guidance:
- Left in the box or on the counter: Boveda says cigars in their original box with no humidity control stay at their peak for a few days, two weeks at most. Cellophane or a tube on its own buys little extra time.
- Zip-top food bag with a humidity pack: Boveda puts this at a few weeks, even months, in milder weather, but only a few days when the air is dry, because the air inside a food bag turns over within days. In Yuma, treat it as a stopgap.
- Humidor bag: Boveda's humidor bags are made of a denser material than food bags and come preloaded with a 69% pack that it says protects cigars for a year. The small holds up to 5 cigars, the medium up to 15, and the large 60 to 80 loose cigars or whole boxes. The bag is reusable; the pack is what gets replaced.
- Airtight container, or tupperdor: a food-storage container or cooler with a good seal. Boveda recommends its 69% pack for airtight storage, one Size 60 for every 25 cigars the container is built to hold, and says not to use 75% in a sealed container.
Setting up a tupperdor takes a minute:
- Choose a clean, odor-free container with a lid that seals.
- Add the cigars, in their cellophane if they came that way.
- Add the 69% packs and close the lid.
- Check the packs now and then. Boveda's advice is to replace a pack when it starts to develop hard spots, without waiting for it to go fully solid.
Kept this way, with packs replaced on schedule, Boveda says cigars will keep for as long as you want them to. A desktop humidor is still the nicer home for a collection, and cedar adds something plastic does not.
Humidity packs are in the Boveda collection. When you are ready for a box, see cigar humidors and our humidor guide. For choosing a percentage, read the Boveda guide.
Seasoning a new humidor
New Spanish cedar is dry and will pull moisture out of your cigars. Before the first cigar goes in, season the humidor. Boveda's method is to place its 84% seasoning packs inside the empty humidor and keep the lid closed for 14 days. Do not wipe the wood with water.
Temperature
65–70°F. Heat above the mid-70s combined with high humidity is what invites tobacco beetles. Keep the humidor away from windows, vents and exterior walls.
Aging
Most premium cigars improve with some rest. A few weeks settles a cigar after shipping. Years of steady humidity can round out a full-bodied cigar — many smokers age Opus X and Padrón 1926 for exactly that reason.
How we ship
Every cigar leaves our walk-in humidor in Yuma, and every online order ships with a Boveda humidity pack. Rest a cigar a few days after it arrives before lighting it.
Frequently asked questions
How long do cigars last without a humidor?
By Boveda's guidance, cigars left in their original box with no humidity control stay at their peak for a few days, two weeks at most. In an airtight container or humidor bag with a humidity pack, they keep far longer.
Can I store cigars in a zip-top bag?
For a short while. Boveda says a food bag with a humidity pack may hold for a few weeks or even months in milder weather, but only a few days when the air is dry. A humidor bag or an airtight container is the better choice in a dry climate.
Which humidity pack goes in an airtight container?
Boveda recommends 69% for tupperdors, coolers, acrylic humidors and humidor bags, at one Size 60 pack for every 25 cigars the container is built to hold.
Humidors and humidity packs are in the accessories collection. $9.99 flat shipping, free on orders of $125 or more; orders ship within 1–2 business days.
