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Worknman

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 23, 2019
968
2,819
If you store cigars in an airtight tupperdor or mason jar, why is it suggested to add a humidifier such as boveda? Like pipe tobacco in jars, it seems to me the cigars would still retain their moisture without the packs if they're in an airtight container.
 

seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,958
10,405
Canada
With cigars you want the air circulation to a degree and the constant humidity to be steady. Buy a cheap bundle and try it out in the name of science.
 
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Worknman

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 23, 2019
968
2,819
With cigars you want the air circulation to a degree
Does that mean airtight containers aren't so good then?
Buy a cheap bundle and try it out in the name of science.
I might try that. Fwiw I don't mind buying and using the boveda packs. Its really just a curiosity thing, I like to know why things work the way they do. The whole thing with cigars and RH maintenance is interesting to me.
 
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seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,958
10,405
Canada
Does that mean airtight containers aren't so good then?

I might try that. Fwiw I don't mind buying and using the boveda packs. Its really just a curiosity thing, I like to know why things work the way they do. The whole thing with cigars and RH maintenance is interesting to me.
It's a good question. I've never really thought about it. Just thinking about traditional cigar storage it seems you want some airflow but who knows. There are some cigar experts here that hopefully chime in
 
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jerseysam

Can't Leave
Mar 24, 2019
456
4,566
Liberty Township. OH
The 'good' cigar flavor depends on oils that will evaporate without maintaining humidity in the 64%-70% (thereabouts) range. Too dry or too humid....it's a bitter, sour, ashy time. You don't need a fancy Spanish cedar humidor and a pshysics-lab+voodoo set up to enjoy cigars....tupperdor and Boveda pack fine. But if you want to test the no-humidication theory I'd do it with some cheap sticks ;)

I'm intrigued by the cigar vs. pipe prep (leaf) shebang as well.... smarter folks than I can comment. My guess is the bale/ferment/roll processing of cigars pulls out and maintains oils while pipe tobacco caseing 'preserves' a flavor that can stay with the leaf in a greater range (temp/RH) but with a much more subtle (maybe not right word) flavor profile compares to cigars.
 
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Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,578
66
Sarasota, FL
I've been using the rubbermaid brilliance, it claims to have an airtight lid. Im sure it's not 100% air tight but its probably fairly close. I also have some in mason jars cuz I ran out of room.

Well, Biden claims to look out for our best interests too. Tupperware is okay for short term storage but that's it. You're welcome however to believe what you wish. I have a fair amount of real life experience that says otherwise.
 

rajangan

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 14, 2018
974
2,809
Edmonton, AB
I think adding a boveda, because of its two way action, gives you extra certainty. If the cigars were a little dry or a little moist going in, in the first place, then the boveda will fix that. Also, if the storage spot is subject to temperature fluctuations say, through sunlight, moisture can leave the cigars, causing higher humidity surrounding them, or even possibly condensate on the inside of the jar, causing uneven moisture distribution which can be a source of mold. The boveda may bring that into balance a little faster by absorbing the temporarily higher humidity within the container.
 
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Misanthrope

Can't Leave
Apr 26, 2020
367
1,126
Texas
If you never opened the container and thus didn’t disturb the internal “atmosphere”, that would mostly be accurate. Most humidors and even tupperdors aren’t truly airtight, and will eventually normalize to the room’s humidity level, which also changes constantly. People tend to open those things regularly to get at the contents, which means you’re going to either remove or add moisture to the container.

All a Boveda pack does is try to absorb or release enough moisture to stabilize things at a constant level, and if you don’t live somewhere that’s exactly the right humidity for cigars or tobacco, your cigars or tobacco will gain or lose moisture accordingly. They really come into their own when you live in a particularly dry or wet climate, or you have tobacco items that are picky about humidity levels. There’s a nice “drop it in and don’t worry about it until it’s crunchy” simplicity to Boveda packs, and I prefer them over other humidification aids.
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,578
66
Sarasota, FL
Boveda packs are designed for short term storage. If the humidity where you're storing in a tupperdor is not too extreme, you may be fine for 6 months or even a year. Long term? No. But use whatever you wish, they're your cigars.
 
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seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,958
10,405
Canada
Boveda packs are designed for short term storage. If the humidity where you're storing in a tupperdor is not too extreme, you may be fine for 6 months or even a year. Long term? No. But use whatever you wish, they're your cigars.
What do you use for your cigars?

I've used Boveda for about 5 plus years with good success. You still need to be on top of things with Boveda as they will dry out quickly depending on your climate
 

Rockyrepose

Lifer
Oct 16, 2019
1,324
13,238
Wyoming USA
Cigars are somewhat expensive and I want to take care of them. Long term, with no additional means of maintaining humidity levels they will loose the oils and flavor. I don't have an scientific explanation for why they dry out in a sealed container. Other folks here can probably explain the science of tobacco fermentation better than I can.

Somewhere after I'd filled my second wineador I realized that they were not probably the solution to my cigar storage. Now ideally I would have loved a walk-in but my wife did not. The irony is I have probably taken up the space of a walk-in humidor with other storage options, not only that, the walk-in would have looked a hell of a lot nicer. I have also managed to get a grip on my CAD in recent years, partially due to TAD but I've come to the realization I may never consume all my tobacco. I admit to having a compulsive personality when it comes to these hobbies, I'm somewhat embarrassed by this quite truthfully. I am not bragging here, it just happened over the years. I love having choices too, and boy, do I have choices.

I've been using plastic storage for a long time, years in fact, with no problems whatsoever. Combine totes with Bovida and in my experience it's the most care free storage I've ever had. I dare say it's probably less stress and effort of having a walk-in humidor. The other thing is it's economical beyond most other options. I am usually in them enough to inspect cigar stock for problems and make a point to inspect them all probably twice a year.

Don't take my word for it. This link is exactly the product I've been using a long time. Halfwheel reviewed them in July and I imagine these guys have some cigars that need stored. Ultimately as hoosier pointed out, they are your smokes, enjoy them.

 

rajangan

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 14, 2018
974
2,809
Edmonton, AB
I just use a 50 count wooden humidor and 90% of my cigars are home rolls, so I'm not worried about money, just labour. Bovedas don't last long in a wooden humidor for me. It's very dry here.

What I do now, which isn't sexy, but works great for me, is I have a small glass about a quarter full of water with a tablespoon of salt in it, and a scrub pad sticking out of the water. I rinse and replace every couple weeks. It holds around 70%.

For my whole leaf tobacco, I put it in brewing primary buckets. They seem to hold moisture indefinitely, even when I'm kilning at high temperatures (120°F).
 
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Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,578
66
Sarasota, FL
What do you use for your cigars?

I've used Boveda for about 5 plus years with good success. You still need to be on top of things with Boveda as they will dry out quickly depending on your climate

I have 5 traditional humidors and 1 coolerdor. I use beads in all of them and rehydrate with distilled water.
 
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Worknman

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 23, 2019
968
2,819
Well, Biden claims to look out for our best interests too. Tupperware is okay for short term storage but that's it. You're welcome however to believe what you wish. I have a fair amount of real life experience that says otherwise.
I'm not arguing against for or against anything. Its more of a scientific question as to why they wouldn't hold their moisture in a sealed container like a glass jar. If Tupperware isn't airtight then I get that.
 

rajangan

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 14, 2018
974
2,809
Edmonton, AB
I'm not arguing against for or against anything. Its more of a scientific question as to why they wouldn't hold their moisture in a sealed container like a glass jar. If Tupperware isn't airtight then I get that.
Glass with a proper seal won't loose any moisture. If it did, this would be a major issue at the grocery store.
 
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RodneyPierce

Might Stick Around
Oct 9, 2020
59
287
Marion, IA
Well, Biden claims to look out for our best interests too. Tupperware is okay for short term storage but that's it. You're welcome however to believe what you wish. I have a fair amount of real life experience that says otherwise.

eh... They ones with rubber or foam seals on the lid are 100% air tight. Like the rubbermaid one he is talking about, or the ones from Sistema or the sealed ones from The Container Store. If they weren't, a Bovida pack would not last for a literal year plus in them without drying out (with regular opening to grab sticks)

I've attached a picture of the ones I'm talking about. There is about 700 cigars in this picture, in those three containers.
 

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Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,578
66
Sarasota, FL
I'm not arguing against for or against anything. Its more of a scientific question as to why they wouldn't hold their moisture in a sealed container like a glass jar. If Tupperware isn't airtight then I get that.
Plastic is permeable. That's the science. Glad it's permeable as well, just several magnitudes less than plastic. By the way, the primary issue I see is using boveda packs for long term humidity. Humidors aren't air tight, not even close. You don't want cigar storage in a perfectly air tight container, there's needs to be an exchange of atmospheres or the cigars will likely develop more.
 
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