Temperature question..

[hoax]

I've been reading the many faq's regarding cigar storage on the Internet. One thing I've noticed is that when talking about temperature they all say that ideal storage temperature is around 65 to 70 degrees. Any colder and you slow aging, any hotter and you risk beetles. But what happens if you remove cigar beetles from the equation by freezing the cigars before storage?

Lets assume the following:

Good quality humidor
No cigar beetle risk due to pre-freezing
Heartfelt beads used to keep humidity stable at 65%
Cigars will be kept for no longer then 1 year
Temperature hits 90 during the day and 60 at night


My question is this:

What is the impact of storage in higher temperatures given that humidity is kept stable and beetles are not an issue? And what is the impact of daily temperature swings given that humidity remains stable?

[kyee]

You're in San Jose, it can get hotter than 90 on certain days during the summer. I'd say you're still running a big risk if your cigars get that hot.

[cubano67]

With a temperature variation that wide, you'll still have to adjust your RH. Higher when it's cooler, lower when it's hotter ... or is it the other way around. I ought to know this. Any time I see big swings in temp or RH (especially RH) I worry about damage and burn problems. Best to stay stable. If that means staying more stable at a higher temp, so be it, but I'd say that 80° would have to absolute, worst-case-scenario high end.

If your storage situation is that crummy, you might want to start looking for a club or shop with lockers to rent.

[casual]

I'd say if you cannot regulate the temps, then do not keep many cigars on hand. If you do have a bunch on hand, it might be worth an investment in something like a small wine cooler to keep your cigar investment safe.

[hoax]

What will actually happen to a cigar stored at a higher temperature if the humidity remains stable? Everyone keeps saying it's bad, but no specifics. In fact in my searches I've read multiple accounts of cigars surviving high temp heat spells no problem.

[MountChuck]

Originally Posted by hoax

What will actually happen to a cigar stored at a higher temperature if the humidity remains stable? Everyone keeps saying it's bad, but no specifics. In fact in my searches I've read multiple accounts of cigars surviving high temp heat spells no problem.

Higher temperatures run the risk of drying out your cigars over an extended period of time. Also, high swings in temp and humidity run the risk of bursting your cigars as the cigar subtly expands and contracts as the conditions change, damaging cell structure. And also, I believe, high temperatures mixed with the amount of humidity has the potential to cause mold. I doubt pre-freezing the cigars will gain you much except subjecting your smokes to yet another extreme in conditions.

Cigars are natural, organic items that are ever changing, even if not from appearance. The cigar might seem fine (not dried out, etc.), but the subtle changes might turn a fine smoke into a dog rocket because the cell structure has been compromised. I've had cigars that friends or customers gave me that have dried out, and I've slowly brought them back to smokable condition, but 9 times out of 10, they just aren't as good as they should be.

[TomJones]

Nice thread so far. If it helps, I live in San Jose, CA myself and as you may know the temperature routinely of course gets 90+ in the summer outside (although it rained today, go figure)

With that said and you're like myself, even though the temperature is 90+ outside, inside the temperature rarely ventures over 80 degrees in the coolest part of the house.

Using beads, conservatively running a portable AC in the part of the house I primarily keep the stogies to 75 or cooler has limited my risk for some of the dangers listed in the thread. Even then, I only worry about 3 months out of the year.

[ReV]

Originally Posted by hoax

But what happens if you remove cigar beetles from the equation by freezing the cigars before storage?

Lets assume the following:

Good quality humidor
No cigar beetle risk due to pre-freezing
Heartfelt beads used to keep humidity stable at 65%
Cigars will be kept for no longer then 1 year
Temperature hits 90 during the day and 60 at night


My question is this:

What is the impact of storage in higher temperatures given that humidity is kept stable and beetles are not an issue? And what is the impact of daily temperature swings given that humidity remains stable?

Its my understanding that freezing only kills beetles, not eggs... even after freezing the potential for beetle hatching remains.... am i wrong?

edit: nevermind; i researched this a bit, and as it turns out... everybody says something different. Guess it depends on freezing temp. and duration. But i dont think you can ever be 100% sure that there is no longer any threat of beetles at all.

[hoax]

I'm going to take a chance. I have a Coleman cooler that I cleaned out last night, a pound of Heartfelt beads, and 150 bundled cigars en route. Over the next 2 months the room that I'll be storing the cooler will hit 90 degrees on probably 10 days.

My game plan is to never open the cooler during the day, I'll keep a few daily smokes in a separate small humidor. Hopefully the cooler will be able to insulate the cigars from swings in temperature during the day. All cigars will be frozen before storage to reduce the chance of beetles.

Unfortunately I can't put a small AC in just this room due to HOA restrictions, it's either AC the whole condo or nothing. Getting a wine fridge is still an option, it's just that in a small condo it will take up valuable floor space.

[ReV]

one of my coolers i actually use to keep my desktop humis cool in the summer, i stack my desktops in there and put an ice pack in the corner... keeps the temp around 66º durring the day... i only do that because my desktops dont keep out heat very well, its never been an issue with a coollidor. Good luck to you.