Dry Boxing

[Mycroft]

I have seen El Pres and others mention dry boxing before smoking. What exactly is this and how does it affect the smoking experience?

[Ubergosupro69]

Dry boxing is simply keeping your sticks in a non humidified container for a day or few prior to smoking. Some people, myself included, prefer the flavors of a slightly drier cigar. It also helps with the burn.

If you do a search on this forum you should find much more info

[Mycroft]

Can you describe the change this makes to the flavour?

Thanks

[Ubergosupro69]

It doesn't change the flavors so much as it sharpens them. I'd compare it to adding a few drops of water to whisky.

[Fuzz]

It is akin to letting a wine breath before serving. Flavours are sharper and more pronounced.

[muzz]

Its personnel preference the same as some people store at different rh. I like to smoke them at a higher rh and don't dry box. It seems to me that it burns a little slower and cooler when up to 70rh and I'm not sure why but I enjoy it more. Dry boxing combats some of ther issues with poor qc on cubans but so does binning it and lighting another

[Mycroft]

Thanks for the replys, I will try it.

I had an interesting experience last week. I was in India in a city on the edge of a desert, and brought some cigars with me from Europe. They were in a sealed container with a humidity packet (boveda?) which usually keeps my humidor at 68%, which works well for me. Temperature where the cigars were kept would have varied between low 30s Celsius After a few days they felt fine but were pretty much

[Mycroft]

Sorry, posted accidentally. Temperature between low 30s and low 40s where cigars were kept, air dry as a bone. After a few days they felt fine but were pretty unsmokeable - totally clogged up. After a while I discovered that if I left a partly smoked cigar I had given up on for a couple of hours and relit, it would smoke ok. After that I dried each one for a few hours before smoking. They got totally dried out in half a day but smoked ok.

[NJP]

Crispy chalk no good but in good conditions apart from the edge of a desert the cigars will behave allot better with a dry before the smoke, young cigars that is. When they close up at cold draw wack them in the fridge for an hour to see if you have an Improvement and if not drop kick the mothers over the fence. Remember you Carnt polish a **** you can only sprinkle a litter glitter on it and hope for the best.

[muzz]

I'll try that after the cold draw...to be honest I've had a few plugged but not enough to be a problem

[stunod]

I actually think some cigars don't like dry. I like my Monte's right out of the humidor. I like to dry box my Partigas except my Luci's, I like them right out of the humi.

Different strokes for different folks.

[TonyAccardo]

  On 5/17/2015 at 12:38 PM, stunod said:

I actually think some cigars don't like dry. I like my Monte's right out of the humidor. I like to dry box my Partigas except my Luci's, I like them right out of the humi.

Different strokes for different folks.

Makes sense to me. I hear about more and more guys (and gals) keeping their cubans and smoking them at higher rh levels (70-75%) and preferring them that way. Look at Laurence of Sautter's in London and then there is a guy here on the forum from Austria who keeps and smokes his at 70-72% rh. Listening to Laurence talk about why he stores and smokes his cigars at a higher rh makes little sense to me logically but he likes what he likes for a reason. You have to wonder what the guys tastebuds are like and if he keeps them at that higher level because he "thinks" it keeps them in better condition, and for him thats more important,.....the way they look. Because I have to admit, cigars kept at 70% or a little higher look much more supple and smooth but to me, do not have near the sharpness in flavors that they have when stored and smoked at 64% or lower.

When I break into a box of cigars, I leave it sit out as the rh in my condo is around 48-53% rh. So once I pull it out of my 65% storage, I just let it sit out on my table till its finished but I smoke 4-6 cigars in a day so it doesn't last long and does away with the need to drybox.

[jacksfull]

I've had very good luck with dry-boxing lately. Never really tried it until recently... at least not intentionally

Anyway, of the cigars I've tried it with, where I've noticed the greatest benefit has been some "cheap & cheerful" Partagas PCE's. But, as expected, the wrappers aren't always so supple after a few days in the dry. So, I thought I'd try a little experiment. Remember all the talk a few years ago about "watering" cigars?

Yep, that's what I did. Dry boxed a PCE for 5 or 6 days then watered it. My advice: DON'T DO IT!

The wrapper certainly looked better. Yet when I fired up it was bitter as could be. Nasty! I could only go a few puffs and had to put it down. I removed all remnants of ash, clipped it back to about minuto size, cold purged, and let it rest again overnight. Next morning I was rewarded with beautifully sweet, flavorful cigar.

Now, the obvious conclusion would be, dry-boxing and watering simply do not go together. However, I do wonder if I water after a few days in the dry and then let it rest again, maybe there's still some benefit. Hmmmm? I'll have to give that a try.

[TomF]

My problem here is that in the summer the RH outside of my humidor is higher than it is inside...

[TheFullMontecristo]

I keep all my cigars at a consistent 65 rh and as such prefer them straight from the box. To each their own however.

[jholen]

  On 6/18/2015 at 11:55 PM, TomF said:

My problem here is that in the summer the RH outside of my humidor is higher than it is inside...

That was my question - here in the spring/summertime humidity levels are routinely 75%+ and up. I've heard some say that they, not necessarily dry-box, but pull cigars out to let them acclimate to the ambient conditions, prior to smoking.

[madandana]

  On 5/16/2015 at 4:28 PM, muzz said:

Its personnel preference the same as some people store at different rh. I like to smoke them at a higher rh and don't dry box. It seems to me that it burns a little slower and cooler when up to 70rh and I'm not sure why but I enjoy it more. Dry boxing combats some of ther issues with poor qc on cubans but so does binning it and lighting another

Don't you have a hard time keeping them lit at 70% ? I smoke mine in the low 60s and can't seem to keep them lit.

[JohnS]

  On 6/20/2015 at 12:25 PM, madandana said:

Don't you have a hard time keeping them lit at 70% ? I smoke mine in the low 60s and can't seem to keep them lit.

Yes, that would be the case if your ambient humidity where you smoke your cigars is above 70% rh. There could be other factors, but I doubt you don't light your cigars evenly before taking your first puffs.

[Mycroft]

  On 6/20/2015 at 12:25 PM, madandana said:

Don't you have a hard time keeping them lit at 70% ? I smoke mine in the low 60s and can't seem to keep them lit.

I store at 70%/70F (21C). Don't have any problems keeping mine alight. What temperature is your himidor, and is the temperature stable?

[Mycroft]

  On 6/20/2015 at 2:40 PM, Mycroft said:

I store at 70%/70F (21C). Don't have any problems keeping mine alight. What temperature is your himidor, and is the temperature stable?

Also, are you sure your hygrometer is accurate?

[madandana]

Yes, hygrometer is faily accurate. My temp is a steady 60 f in the winter but may creep up tp 70 in the summer.

  On 6/20/2015 at 1:46 PM, JohnS said:

Yes, that would be the case if your ambient humidity where you smoke your cigars is above 70% rh. There could be other factors, but I doubt you don't light your cigars evenly before taking your first puffs.

Ambient humidity in MN is ussually not high. When I lite them they sure seem to be even, unless I'm missing something.

[JohnS]

Uneven burning cigars or high ambient humidity can mean having to re-light your cigar. Similarly, you usually have a 3 to 5 minute window between puffs or else the cigar will go out. I think all of these factors are irrelevant to your situation.