I fully understand the aging aspect to cigars, I know that flavors need to develop and change over time. But how does a 4 day journey in UPS make it so the cigar needs 30-90 days to rest? This just doesn't really make much sense to me. Is anyone a chemist or cigar guru or something that has more than an empirical reason.
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Why do cigars need to rest after shipping?
- Thread starter sogon
- Start date
I am no cigar guru, but I let mine rest for a couple weeks to make sure the humidity in the cigar has stabalized a few days in high or low humidity can affect a cigar, I know some storage facilities keep humidity at 72%, I like to smoke them at 65%, so it can take a couple weeks for them to dry out. But you are probably right, if they were stored at the correct humidity, then sealed up tight and shipped, it is probably not neccasary to let them sit more than a couple days for them to stabalize....
Yeah, i think it's mostly about letting it settle back down. Ever bought a fish? they tell you to keep the fish in the bag it came in and let it sit in the tank to let it acclimate. Fish get stressed. So do cigars, in a sense. The big difference is that cigars have no brains or central nervouse system to tell their bodies what to do, so you have to do it for them. And you do that by slowly getting them back to their preferred climate...70/70, or something close to it. And to insure they are completely acclimated, i give them 3 weeks before i even think about touching them. Like mama always said, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Just my .02
Just my .02
jmatkins
BoM January 08
Thats about it, I havesmoked cigars I just in the same day and they tend to be a little wet for mebut still smoke good. Like some others I keep mine around 65% so most smoke shops keep theres at 70% or 72% so they tend to not burn as nice for me. Also depending on you over all humidity outside and temp where you live cigars need to settle to your humidity and temp so they do not split while smoking. .02
some vendors ship cigars on the wetter side, to take into account their journey. some cigars dry out during transit. some cigars are just right!! after her smoke, goldilocks was tired and went into the bedroom. there were three beds. one was....
i let 'em rest just to be sure....
i let 'em rest just to be sure....
Not that you don't already have your answer, but I'll chime in as well.
The standard "let it rest" concept has to do with, for the most part, purchasing cigars from vendors. Most vendors keep their cigars a bit on the "wet" side. Packaging them up and shipping them puts them in a non-ideal environment (i.e. not a humidor) where the temperatures are not constant and humidity can fluctuate. So smoking cigars immediately upon receiving them can result in burn issues because of humidity as well as taste issues. Allowing cigars to rest in YOUR humidor for an extended time assures that the cigars are acclimated to YOUR preferred humidity. As has been mentioned, many prefer something around 65% instead of the standard 70%. It can take time for cigars to divest that extra humidity, especially an entire, sealed box. Certainly cigars can be smoked Right Off The Truck (ROTT), so to speak, you just risk a bad impression of what could be an amazing cigar. Of course, sometimes this is good as it makes you relegate the box to the back of the humidor for even longer. :thumbsup:
Now, if you are talking cigars that are coming from a Brother in a trade or something along those lines, things can change. I've recently received some singles from other Brothers via trades and PIFs (Pay it Forward) and the transit time was so minimal (2 days) that I only allowed the cigars to sit for 1-2 days before lighting one up. And it was fantastic. But I knew the conditions the cigars were kept in and knew I would appreciate them based on those conditions.
So, do you HAVE to rest them for that long? No. Just keep in mind that if the cigar isn't great, it may need some more time to adjust.
The standard "let it rest" concept has to do with, for the most part, purchasing cigars from vendors. Most vendors keep their cigars a bit on the "wet" side. Packaging them up and shipping them puts them in a non-ideal environment (i.e. not a humidor) where the temperatures are not constant and humidity can fluctuate. So smoking cigars immediately upon receiving them can result in burn issues because of humidity as well as taste issues. Allowing cigars to rest in YOUR humidor for an extended time assures that the cigars are acclimated to YOUR preferred humidity. As has been mentioned, many prefer something around 65% instead of the standard 70%. It can take time for cigars to divest that extra humidity, especially an entire, sealed box. Certainly cigars can be smoked Right Off The Truck (ROTT), so to speak, you just risk a bad impression of what could be an amazing cigar. Of course, sometimes this is good as it makes you relegate the box to the back of the humidor for even longer. :thumbsup:
Now, if you are talking cigars that are coming from a Brother in a trade or something along those lines, things can change. I've recently received some singles from other Brothers via trades and PIFs (Pay it Forward) and the transit time was so minimal (2 days) that I only allowed the cigars to sit for 1-2 days before lighting one up. And it was fantastic. But I knew the conditions the cigars were kept in and knew I would appreciate them based on those conditions.
So, do you HAVE to rest them for that long? No. Just keep in mind that if the cigar isn't great, it may need some more time to adjust.
Humidity, humidity, humidity. Nothing else!
Whenever I get a bundle or a box via internet, I usually can't stand it when they arrive and smoke one that day, especially if I have never had one before. Then I will have the patience to let 'em cook in the humi.
Greg
Greg