Storing cigars

[rjman]

Gentlemen:

Allow me first to apologize for my near-complete lack of knowledge in the domain of cigars. I enjoy one or two a month, and am realizing that I know nothing how to store a cigar without it becoming a dry mess. Would someone please take pity on my ignorance and inform me as to how best to store the few cigars I have on hand -- generally not more than one or two? If a humidor is needed, could someone let me know one of appropriate small size for this very casual user?

[whyescalar]

Depends on how long you want to keep some around. The ziploc bag route does work well with fresh or moist cigars, as do the original boxes. Beware advice to stick in the fridge or freezer, as both dessicate. Think of the disappearing ice cube phenomenon.

A small, cheap humidor, no more than 50 USD. The most important thing in shopping for one is the seal it makes, and make sure the humidor mechanism functions as promised.

[alden]

RJ

Right in your own backyard

http://www.eliebleu.com/

A 110 cigar model should be fine for an occassional smoker. Remember that cuban cigars start to taste as they should after about 3 years in a good cedar humidor maintained at 70 degrees humidity.

Cheers

[Ferrando]

If you're not ready to take plunge with one of these beautiful humidors, a decent storage system for a few cigars can be improvised with a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid (such as Tupperwear), and a water-based mositurizing device that can be purchased from most cigar merchants. Just be sure to keep the device filled, and occasionally take of the container's cover for a while.

You can also explore travel-sized humidors. I'd suggest searching the archives at Cigar Aficionado for more advice and comparative articles on humidors.
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/Home

[JG]

I agree that the tupperware "Tupperdor" (see also the "Coolerdor," "Igloodor," etc.-- you can find instructions on the web that tell you how to build these things) is a great, cheap option. When you get ready to step up to a more purpose-built device, I would like to put in a pitch for Daniel Marshall humidors. They are superb. In my opinion, they work as well as the Dunhills, Davidoffs, and Elie Bleus of the world. Plus, they are good looking and less expensive. In fact, I bought a factory second (after five years, I stil haven't figured out what the defect is) 150 count box for a song. I like my sticks a little dry, and this box keeps them at a perfect 65% with only an occasional (bi-monthly) re-fill of distilled water.

Though this sounds like a commercial, I have no connection to Daniel Marshall beyond being a satisfied customer.