How to Store Cigars: The Complete Guide to Humidity, Humidors & Boveda

How you store cigars determines everything about how they smoke. Too dry and the tobacco becomes brittle, burns hot, and tastes harsh. Too humid and the cigars become soggy, crack, or develop mold. Premium handmade cigars are living things — blended from multiple types of aged tobacco leaf that need stable, specific conditions to age gracefully and smoke the way the blender intended. Get storage right and your cigars only get better over time. This guide covers everything you need to know.

Ideal Cigar Storage Conditions

The universally accepted standard for cigar storage is the '70/70 rule' — 70% relative humidity (RH) and 70°F (21°C). In practice, most seasoned aficionados prefer a slightly drier range of 65–68% RH and 65–70°F. This slightly lower humidity produces a tighter draw, more even burn, and arguably better flavors, while still maintaining adequate moisture to prevent the tobacco from drying out.

Temperature is as important as humidity. High temperatures — above 75°F — accelerate the aging process and can cause tobacco beetles to hatch inside the cigar. Tobacco beetle eggs are present in virtually all tobacco leaf; they only become a problem when the temperature rises above 72–75°F. Keep your storage environment cool and stable, and beetles are never a concern.

Cigar Humidors: Your Primary Storage Option

A humidor is a sealed box — typically made from Spanish cedar — designed to maintain consistent humidity. Spanish cedar is the traditional interior material because it naturally absorbs and releases moisture to help regulate the environment, and its aromatic properties complement cigar tobacco. A quality humidor with a tight seal and a reliable humidification system can store cigars for years or decades.

Desktop humidors are the most common — they range from 20-cigar travel-style boxes to 300-cigar furniture-grade pieces. Cabinet humidors hold several hundred to several thousand cigars and are the choice for serious collectors. Cigar coolers (also called coolerdors or tupperdors) are budget-friendly DIY alternatives — a standard cooler or airtight container lined with Spanish cedar sheets and loaded with Boveda packs can work just as well as a high-end humidor at a fraction of the cost.

How to Season a New Humidor

A new humidor must be seasoned before use — the dry Spanish cedar needs to absorb moisture before it can properly regulate humidity. The easiest method: wipe the interior wood lightly with a clean sponge dampened with distilled water (never tap water), place a small dish of distilled water inside, and set a 65% or 69% Boveda pack in the humidor. Close it and leave it sealed for 24–48 hours. Once the RH stabilizes at your target level, the humidor is ready to receive cigars.

Using Boveda Packs for Effortless Humidity Control

Boveda packs are two-way humidity control packs that both add and remove moisture to maintain a precise RH level. They come in a range of target percentages — 58%, 62%, 65%, 69%, 72%, and 75% RH — and are the simplest, most reliable humidification technology available. Simply place the appropriate Boveda pack(s) in your humidor based on its capacity (one 60-gram pack per 25 cigars is the general guideline) and the packs handle everything automatically.

Most aficionados use 65% or 69% Boveda packs for long-term storage. The 62% packs are popular for cigars you plan to smoke soon, as they produce the tightest draws and most even burns. Replace Boveda packs when they become hard and crystallized — typically every 2–3 months in a well-sealed humidor, or monthly in a heavily used one.

Traveling With Cigars

For travel, a hard-sided cigar travel case (holding 3–5 cigars) combined with a small Boveda pack inside a sealed bag is the best approach. Airlines regulate cabin pressure and humidity, which can draw moisture from unprotected cigars over a long flight. If you're traveling with a larger quantity, a small airtight container or a dedicated travel humidor with a Boveda pack provides adequate protection for trips of up to a week.

Common Cigar Storage Mistakes to Avoid

Using tap water in your humidification system introduces minerals and bacteria that can damage cigars over time — always use distilled water. Storing cigars in the refrigerator is a common mistake that drives out all moisture and ruins the tobacco. Leaving cellophane on cigars in a humidor is a matter of debate: the cellophane protects against physical damage but slightly slows humidity equalization — either approach is acceptable for medium-term storage.

Don't store flavored cigars with non-flavored cigars — the infused tobacco will transfer its flavors to surrounding cigars over time. Keep infused cigars in a separate sealed container or humidor. Finally, don't neglect rotation — if you're storing a large quantity, rotate the cigars every few months to ensure even humidity distribution throughout the humidor.

When you order cigars from Sun of a Gun Cigars, every shipment is packaged with humidity-safe materials to protect the tobacco in transit regardless of weather or distance. Our Yuma, AZ team is happy to answer questions about storage, recommend the right Boveda pack for your humidor, or help you select a humidor for your collection. Orders over $99 ship free nationwide.

How to Store Cigars — Frequently Asked Questions

Can you store cigars without a humidor?

Yes — an airtight container like a large mason jar or a sealed plastic tub with a Boveda pack inside makes a perfectly functional humidor alternative, often called a 'coolerdor' or 'tupperdor.' The key is an airtight seal and a reliable Boveda pack at 65–69% RH. Many collectors use these for overflow storage alongside a traditional humidor.

How long can you store cigars in a humidor?

Premium handmade cigars can be stored in a well-maintained humidor for 5, 10, even 20+ years — and many improve significantly with age. The aging process mellows harsh flavors, deepens complexity, and allows the tobacco from different countries to fully marry into a unified blend. The only limit is how reliably you maintain humidity and temperature.

What humidity should I store my cigars at?

The classic guideline is 70% RH and 70°F. Most experienced aficionados prefer 65–68% RH for slightly better burn and draw characteristics. The most important thing is stability — fluctuating humidity is more damaging than a consistent reading that's slightly above or below the ideal range.

What is the best way to rehydrate dried-out cigars?

Place the dried cigars in an airtight container or humidor with a 65% Boveda pack. Do not expose them to high humidity immediately — the rapid rehydration will cause the wrapper to crack. Allow the cigars to slowly reabsorb moisture over 1–2 weeks. If the cigars are badly dried out, start with a 58% pack for a week before moving to 65%. Most cigars can be fully revived with patience.