thecapo Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Hey folks, quick question. I have been experiencing shrinkage with my current stock. I have 50+ boxes and it seems that the bands are looser than when I received them. Not all boxes but most. The boxes have been down from 6months -3 yrs. They are smoking quite fine but I am concerned with low RH! Do you believe cigars shrink due to low RH and if so what effects will this have long term? I keep all my cigars around 62-63rh and 68f. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
El Presidente Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Hey folks, quick question. I have been experiencing shrinkage with my current stock. I have 50+ boxes and it seems that the bands are looser than when I received them. Not all boxes but most. The boxes have been down from 6months -3 yrs. They are smoking quite fine but I am concerned with low RH! Do you believe cigars shrink due to low RH and if so what effects will this have long term? I keep all my cigars around 62-63rh and 68f. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Fresh cigars are quite moisture laden. Let's assume storage conditions are 70% RH in Havana prior shipping (i suspect 75% is more like it). PCC conditions in HK are 70%. They come to us and are rarely here more than a month. Warehouse is 68% but they have had little time to settle. They come to you and you reduce the humidity to say 62% . What you are removing is moisture content. The cigars girth will adjust slightly. bands will be a little looser. 1
oliverdst Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 I know that in the long term this can happen. Dont know in the short term.
thecapo Posted January 7, 2016 Author Posted January 7, 2016 Fresh cigars are quite moisture laden. Let's assume storage conditions are 70% RH in Havana prior shipping (i suspect 75% is more like it). PCC conditions in HK are 70%. They come to us and are rarely here more than a month. Warehouse is 68% but they have had little time to settle. They come to you and you reduce the humidity to say 62% . What you are removing is moisture content. The cigars girth will adjust slightly. bands will be a little looser. Thank Rob. Are you saying it is ok for long storage?
vinnyvega Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Fresh cigars are quite moisture laden. Let's assume storage conditions are 70% RH in Havana prior shipping (i suspect 75% is more like it). PCC conditions in HK are 70%. They come to us and are rarely here more than a month. Warehouse is 68% but they have had little time to settle. They come to you and you reduce the humidity to say 62% . What you are removing is moisture content. The cigars girth will adjust slightly. bands will be a little looser. Yup. I couldn't believe how loose the RA H&F 225th bands were. I especially notice this is cabs rather than dress boxes too.
maxcjs0101 Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 I actually prefer smoking cigars with loose bands but not sure if long term storage would be ok.
danny Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 I usually can find a noticeable difference from a B&M purchase to dry boxing a few days to smoke easily. I think when you're dealing with +/-5%, you're bound to find some looser bands; especially for those of us that like to smoke in the low 60's, even high 50's.
soutso Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 I will only smoke my stock that has shrunk. If I am able to rock the cigars from a full box back and forth, if the bands are larger than the RG that's a sign that the moisture content has lessened and my smoked taste and burn better. As long as your cigars wrapper isn't splitting then I'd say your storage is ideal.
PapaDisco Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 Even with constant rH, I've gotten the impression that there is additional shrinkage over time. 10 and 15 year old boxes, even after resting in my humi for a year, will display looser bands and feel a wee bit trimmer.
thecapo Posted January 8, 2016 Author Posted January 8, 2016 I will only smoke my stock that has shrunk. If I am able to rock the cigars from a full box back and forth, if the bands are larger than the RG that's a sign that the moisture content has lessened and my smoked taste and burn better. As long as your cigars wrapper isn't splitting then I'd say your storage is ideal. Thanks for the insight. I agree with you.
joeypots Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 I don't think my cigars are ready to smoke until the bands are a little loose.
BonVivant Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 usually, when the bands fall off, I know it is expired
mk05 Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 usually, when the bands fall off, I know it is expired Ok nelson
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now