Cigar Jars; The Ultimate Humidor

The collaborators here at Decadence & Vice hold a great appreciation for all aspects surrounding the enjoyment of great cigars! The collaborators felt that an appropriate foray into informative cigar posts should begin with their proper storage. The following article shall provide you with an informative recommendation on small to medium cigar storage. It is highly likely that most of the men and women reading this post have amassed quite a bit of knowledge surrounding cigar storage; however, the collaborators aimed to jointly compose a comprehensive informative post highlighting their favorite storage methods, proving both the novice and the veteran with quality recommendations.

In forward, the collaborators stress that they are not paid to promote any products; the inclusion of particular brand names are merely due to their great respect and enjoyment of the products.

Introduction

The professionals at Decadence & Vice hold decades of experience in cigar storage and have made all possible mistakes before perfecting their skill sets in this area. A visit to any quality tobacconist shop will ensure a selection of wooden small to medium desktop humidors to choose from. Decades ago this was the standard of storage, however with the advent of new humidification technologies all parties should move forward accordingly! Though the look of the classic wooden humidors is much appreciated, the professionals at Decadence & Vice have embraced cigar jars completely!

Cigar jars have been common place for Cuban brands since the early 1900s. Below you will see some brilliant examples of these cigar jars. The major benefit of a jar, making it the ultimate humidor, vs. a wooden humidor is the face that they are hermetically sealed. With today’s humidification systems, this can be transformed into the ideal storage environment for your cigars!

The Jars

Any jar of decent size, whether it be glass, ceramic, or acrylic that has a gasket seal and tight fitting lid can become an ideal humidor. Forward thinking retailers, both online and in stores, have began to embrace acrylic jars. (see example below)

The collaborators at Decadence & Vice use these types of acrylic jars almost exclusively for travel whenever they are traveling with large amounts of cigars.

For home and office storage Decadence & Vice recommends glass or ceramic jars with similar closers from manufacturers like Fido (our favorite), Anchor Hocking, Heritage Hill, etc. which can be purchased at retailers across the U.S. such as the Container Store.

After the jar has been washed and left to dry completely the collaborators at Decadence & Vice recommend the addition of a few Spanish cedar spills from your boxes of cigars or usually given for free at local tobacconists. Take a note from H. Upmann Cigars, as you will see all of their jars lined with thin sheets of Spanish cedar.

Humidification

As you see above, Decadence & Vice collaborators can recommend a wide array of brands and types for the vessels themselves; this isn’t the case for the humidification system. In the not so distant past, achieving the appropriate humidity for your cigars was quite a hassle. Now, with the advent of Boveda packs it is now effortless. (for a detailed explanation of how Boveda packs work, visit http://bovedainc.com/works/) Boveda packs provide two-way humidification in sealed containers. Sold in varied relative humidity percentages, the Boveda pack increases the relative humidity when needed, and decreases the relative humidity when needed.

The Boveda packs provide you with perfect humidification for approximately three to six months in a sealed jar. When the Boveda pack has reached its usable life, you will see a drop in relative humidity and/or the pack will become stiff. A fresh Boveda pack feels like a gel/liquid inside, after use it begins to harden, at the point you no longer feel much liquid the pack should be replaced. Cigar jars provide the user with a much longer Boveda Pack service life as compared to the poorly sealed wooden humidors.

The Hygrometer (optional)

Tradition and experience have defined the 70/70 rule for cigars; cigars should be stored at 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70% relative humidity. To track the RH you can find small digital hygrometers from an array of online retailers. (The digital ones are accurate and already calibrated, the collaborators advise against the use of analog hygrometers as the cheaper ones are highly inaccurate.) The collaborators at Decadence & Vice suggest adding one to the bottom of your glass/acrylic jar placed upside down so that even when closed the jar can be picked up and viewed without having to open the jar.

The Ultimate Humidor

Analysis of the detailed information above arrives at the Ultimate Humidor; a hermetically sealed jar, a few cedar spills, a large size Boveda Pack (65% to 69%)RH, and a small digital hygrometer.

You can determine the exact Boveda Pack you need by monitoring your hygrometer. Most of the collaborators here prefer the 65% large pack so that their temperature requirements are slightly less strict, and the RH level of the cigars is perfect for immediate smoking!

All of the terrible stories you hear about mold or cigar beetles are completely avoided if you follow the above method; making the cigar jar the Ultimate Humidor for small the medium storage. The low cost and ease of use allow users to even us them for long term storage. The collaborators at Decadence & Vice all use cigars jars in their offices and homes for their stogies that they will be smoking soon! One of the collaborators has amassed a stockpile of 3,000 cigars, at her holiday home, all stored in large cigar jars. Though this is an extreme case, it proves their respect and use for this storage method. From novice to veteran smokers, we can all enjoy this cigar storage method!

The collaborators are currently discussing large cigar storage and will compile articles very soon! Enjoy the following cigar jars and stay tuned for more posts within this series!