Dry Boxing

[sterlingnotes]

So far I've been keeping my humidor at 70%RH and I'm thinking that I'd like to start a dry box for stuff I'm getting ready to smoke.
 
I smoked a cigar I bought in the newbie trade that I really liked, I bought a box and they are good but not as good as that last stick.
Maybe it's just an age difference, but I thought I'd try dry boxing, because that one was dryer than I usually keep mine.
 
What do you guys use to dry box your cigars?
How long do you keep them in there before smoking them?

 

[MadMonk]

I have a nice little Walnut and Cedar Humidor. It is fairly old, and built like a tank with a great seal. I just throw five or so in at a time, and let them sit a day or more. every once in a blue moon I place a cup of water in it to get it to about 60% if I know I'll be throwing naked cigars in it. But, I don't really worry about it being ambient to the room. In cello takes abouts about 7 times longer than non cello to lose the same amount of moisture. So, If I throw a lot in it, I will leave the cello on several of them.
I try to smoke what is in it within 3 to 5 days to prevent them from turning into kindling (losing oils).
 
When a cigar has less moisture the flavors will be more concentrated, i.e., less watered down. Too dry and they will smoke fairly hot, in contrast, too moist, you get steamy/hot smoke. Even a day can often make a difference. Just like cooking, evaporation equals concentration.

 

[sterlingnotes]

I've been thinking about using a lower RH Boveda pack in a travel humidor since that's what I usually take out with me anyway.
I've got a 69%RH pack in there now.

 

[MadMonk]

I've been thinking about using a lower RH Boveda pack in a travel humidor since that's what I usually take out with me anyway.
I've got a 69%RH pack in there now.

They will stay at 69% fairly long if it is one of those Pelican Case type travel humidors. You can even use a small empty cedar cigar box if you are only keeping them in there a few days. Tupperdore, plastic bag, etc. In my experience, it may take a minimum of up to 3 weeks for the cigars in the travel humi to drop and then stabilize at 65%.

 

[sterlingnotes]

Hmmm... I thought the Boveda would soak up the extra humidity faster than that.
Sounds like I should just use an empty cigar box...  is just overnight enough?

 

[MadMonk]

Could be. Only way to find out how long different cigars need, or if they tilt towards what you like is to give it a try.

 

[ironpeddler]

Dry boxing a cigar takes some experience, there's a 'feel' to it based on a few elements. Like Danny mentioned, a day or two can make all the difference in the cigar's taste.
 
The factors involved are... 
 
1) How moist is the cigar to begin with?
2) How 'dry' is your dry box? (I use an extra desktop for mine too)
3) What is the ambient humidity in the room your dry box is in?
4) What kind of cigar are you dry boxing? ex: CC smoke better in the 60-64% zone...Nicaraguans smoke better at 65-70%...that's based on MY TASTES.
 
It takes some time to learn to dry box when you factor in the above info...and in the end, it's all based on your taste and a bit of guessing. The effects of dry boxing is quicker in the Winter versus the Summer due to the lack of ambient moisture in the air and the opposite in the Summer. I don't re-humidify my dry box humidor ever, Once in a while I'll leave it open in the Summer (without cigars in it) to absorb the ambient moisture in the air and that is suffice for me. I also find I don't dry box as much in the Winter.
 
If you can find an old desktop humidor to use for this purpose, keep a hygrometer in it to monitor the moisture. If it's at 57%, and you're putting in a pretty moist cigar, you'll eventually figure out for how long it will take to 'de-humidify' the cigar to your liking....that's where the skill comes in. If the humidity is lower in there, say 45%, it will take less time. Once you understand the elements involved, it's 'smoke it and figure it out' time...there is no definitive dry box instructions that any of us can give you stating hard numbers.
 
Just keep experimenting and make mental notes as you go along, in time, you'll get good at it once you realize everything involved. Hell, I've been known to put a Post-it Note on top of my dry box so I don't forget I put cigars in there...or so I don't forget what day I put them in!    :laugh:

 

[sterlingnotes]

Thanks for the input guys.
I guess I'll have some fun playing around with different versions of my dry box.
I'll try both an empty cigar box with the ambient humidity and my travel humidor with a 65% boveda pack and see how they compare.

 

[sar127]

Dry boxing a cigar takes some experience, there's a 'feel' to it based on a few elements. Like Danny mentioned, a day or two can make all the difference in the cigar's taste.
 
The factors involved are... 
 
1) How moist is the cigar to begin with?
2) How 'dry' is your dry box? (I use an extra desktop for mine too)
3) What is the ambient humidity in the room your dry box is in?
4) What kind of cigar are you dry boxing? ex: CC smoke better in the 60-64% zone...Nicaraguans smoke better at 65-70%...that's based on MY TASTES.
 
It takes some time to learn to dry box when you factor in the above info...and in the end, it's all based on your taste and a bit of guessing. The effects of dry boxing is quicker in the Winter versus the Summer due to the lack of ambient moisture in the air and the opposite in the Summer. I don't re-humidify my dry box humidor ever, Once in a while I'll leave it open in the Summer (without cigars in it) to absorb the ambient moisture in the air and that is suffice for me. I also find I don't dry box as much in the Winter.
 
If you can find an old desktop humidor to use for this purpose, keep a hygrometer in it to monitor the moisture. If it's at 57%, and you're putting in a pretty moist cigar, you'll eventually figure out for how long it will take to 'de-humidify' the cigar to your liking....that's where the skill comes in. If the humidity is lower in there, say 45%, it will take less time. Once you understand the elements involved, it's 'smoke it and figure it out' time...there is no definitive dry box instructions that any of us can give you stating hard numbers.
 
Just keep experimenting and make mental notes as you go along, in time, you'll get good at it once you realize everything involved. Hell, I've been known to put a Post-it Note on top of my dry box so I don't forget I put cigars in there...or so I don't forget what day I put them in!    :laugh:

Thanks for the info, I've been meaning to try this as well.

 

[sterlingnotes]

I have a couple more questions that I'm pondering...
 
Does it make sense to cut the cigar prior to placing it in the drybox so that it is less likely to crack?
I know I've had some dryer cigars crack on me in the past when cutting them... I'm always a lot more careful when they are on the dry side anyway.
I haven't pre-cut any yet, but I've been thinking about it
 
Does dryboxing seem to make more of a difference for the milder cigars?
So far in my testing, this seems to be the case... maybe it's all in my head though.

 

[jsm11]

I have a couple more questions that I'm pondering...
 
Does it make sense to cut the cigar prior to placing it in the drybox so that it is less likely to crack?
I know I've had some dryer cigars crack on me in the past when cutting them... I'm always a lot more careful when they are on the dry side anyway.
I haven't pre-cut any yet, but I've been thinking about it
 
Does dryboxing seem to make more of a difference for the milder cigars?
So far in my testing, this seems to be the case... maybe it's all in my head though.
 
This was one of my first questions when I opened this thread....
 
I've read the conventional wisdom is to not cut the cap prior to smoking...
 
With that said, I tried to dry my last one out, 2 days in a plastic bag (from 69% humidity) and the cap, when cutting got mangled...
 
Other than the cap getting mangled, it smoked damn good!

 

[ironpeddler]

I have a couple more questions that I'm pondering...
 
Does it make sense to cut the cigar prior to placing it in the drybox so that it is less likely to crack?
I know I've had some dryer cigars crack on me in the past when cutting them... I'm always a lot more careful when they are on the dry side anyway.
I haven't pre-cut any yet, but I've been thinking about it
 
Does dryboxing seem to make more of a difference for the milder cigars?
So far in my testing, this seems to be the case... maybe it's all in my head though.

 
You're over thinking at this point.
 
Precutting could throw off the timing as far as how long you leave it in there to dry out a bit. Dry box it the way it was created.
 
Having ANY cigar being too moist will throw off the taste...no matter what kind of tobacco is used to roll it. If it's too wet, dry boxing will help any cigar. 
 
 You're bringing in too many variables to complicate such a simple task. Stop pondering. 

 

[whylieineedacigar]

I have a couple more questions that I'm pondering...
 
Does it make sense to cut the cigar prior to placing it in the drybox so that it is less likely to crack?
I know I've had some dryer cigars crack on me in the past when cutting them... I'm always a lot more careful when they are on the dry side anyway.
I haven't pre-cut any yet, but I've been thinking about it
 
Does dryboxing seem to make more of a difference for the milder cigars?
So far in my testing, this seems to be the case... maybe it's all in my head though.

 
Put the head of the cigar in your mouth before cutting it.

 

[Setharsis]

 

I have a couple more questions that I'm pondering...
 
Does it make sense to cut the cigar prior to placing it in the drybox so that it is less likely to crack?
I know I've had some dryer cigars crack on me in the past when cutting them... I'm always a lot more careful when they are on the dry side anyway.
I haven't pre-cut any yet, but I've been thinking about it
 
Does dryboxing seem to make more of a difference for the milder cigars?
So far in my testing, this seems to be the case... maybe it's all in my head though.

 
Put the head of the cigar in your mouth and then take it out before cutting it.
 

fixed.

 

[whylieineedacigar]

 

 


I have a couple more questions that I'm pondering...
 
Does it make sense to cut the cigar prior to placing it in the drybox so that it is less likely to crack?
I know I've had some dryer cigars crack on me in the past when cutting them... I'm always a lot more careful when they are on the dry side anyway.
I haven't pre-cut any yet, but I've been thinking about it
 
Does dryboxing seem to make more of a difference for the milder cigars?
So far in my testing, this seems to be the case... maybe it's all in my head though.

 
Put the head of the cigar in your mouth and then take it out before cutting it.
 

fixed.
 


 
Thank you, but if he couldn't figure this out on his own then he shouldn't be smoking cigars. :laugh:

 

[personal User]

So far I've been keeping my humidor at 70%RH

 

 CC smoke better in the 60-64% zone...Nicaraguans smoke better at 65-70%...that's based on MY TASTES.

Don't want to get into "what is the correct RH"  because there is no "right" answer but the one that suits you. I will note that my tastes are similar to Ironpeddler, in that I prefer my non cc around 67/67 and my cc's a little lower. I will also note that I maintained 65/65 over a year and have now gone to 67/67, trying to position the CC's in a less humid part of the wineador.
 
I will also note that RH is relative to temperature, so in terms of actual moisture content there is a noticeable difference in moisture content between 65% RH at 70 degrees and 65% at 65 degrees.So, RH is only part of the picture in terms of moisture content.
 
Lately, I am starting to think that temperature stability is close to being as important as RH% stability.
 
I've tried dryboxing in the past with mixed results. Main problem for me is that I usually don't plan what I smoke far enough ahead for it to make it work well.
 
Habanos SA recommends
16 Celsius = 60.8 Fahrenheit To 18 Celsius = 64.4 Fahrenheit, And RH of 65% to 70%
 
The midpoint of that recommendation is basically 63 Degrees and 67.5 RH.
 
A hell of a lot less moisture content at that point than in 70/70.

 

[Mark Twain]

Don't forget how humid it is where you smoke. In Texas, I tended to store them a bit on the wet side for me (65%), but that changed when I moved to Mississippi. I had to drop my coolidors down to 60%-63% because of the humidity. Hell, during certain points of the year, even dry boxing them in the house was adding to the humidity levels. 

 

[personal User]

Hmmm... I thought the Boveda would soak up the extra humidity faster than that.

Don't forget that the RH you are reading or the Boveda is providing is only that of the free air in the enclosed space.
 
The actual moisture content of the cigars will take some time, usually longer than you would think to reach an equilibrium.
 
It sure as hell takes a lot longer than I had been thinking

 

[sterlingnotes]

Yeah... they take longer than I expected.  I ended up lowering the RH in my humidor to about 67, but I'm still playing around with the dryboxing.

 

[Fat Cobra]

I keep my long term storage humi around 70rh and my smoking humi closer to 65rh. I typically keep a dozen or so in the smoking humi and only pull out of this one to smoke. There usually in there for a week or 2 before being smoked. This seems to work well in my part of the world. Both are kept in a walking wine cellar that we keep at 62F.