Putting together a Dry Boxing study

[El Presidente]

 

A dry box study should be easy to do. However, I would like your input into the studies design. 

• We have the cigars
• We have the differing environments 

1. Refrigetator
2. Freezer
3. Humidor at 64 RH
4. Humidor at 68 RH
5. Non humidified Airconditioned environment at 40% RH (Average). 

How would you go about designing this study?

 

 

[gr8eman]

Maybe put the dry box in the refrigetator?

[old surf dog]

Take several of the same cigars from 68% RH humidor, put them in a dry box environment. Smoke 1 immediately at 68% then smoke the others at different intervals until the "optimum" amount of dry box time can be established. Take notes on each smoke. Maybe try it with a couple of different size cigars because the correct amount of time should vary with ring gauge.

[godpheonix]

i just dry box them in a non-humidified small humidor for about 4 days before i dig in and sometimes i have enough to last me 4 days, which means the last few have been dry boxed in there for just over a week. Never had an issue and they taste wonderful! i'd say its about high 40's RH level during that time. 

[Projectal]

How about taking a 25 ct box split evenly between the five different environment. Have five testers smoke a cigar from each environment, then compare notes?

[Diabolicalpherpher]

11 minutes ago, Projectal said:

How about taking a 25 ct box split evenly between the five different environment. Have five testers smoke a cigar from each environment, then compare notes?

This and the testers must smoke all five of them at the same time...

[Projectal]

7 minutes ago, Diabolicalpherpher said:

This and the testers must smoke all five of them at the same time...

Better make them petite Coronas then.

[SirVantes]

I'd do this:

Take a box of DCs/Lonsdales and cut each stick in half.  The A Halves just go into your default humidor environment; the B Halves go into your dry box environment, each time for the same dry boxing period.  Someone else does this, so you don't know which half is A and which half is B, but your collaborator knows.  You smoke both halves on the same day, and log which half is "better" or "no difference". The halving seeks to eliminate stick variation (so you know this one smokes better not because it's a better stick to begin with) and unconscious bias.  At the end of many many half sticks, you should be able to determine whether dry boxing method B produces a better smoke than smoking straight from the humidor.  

You can repeat for dry boxing methods C, D, E etc against A.  Then have knock-out competitions for the dry boxing methods to determine the "best", if there is indeed any.

I would also secretly tell your collaborator that for a few sticks, put both halves in default humidor environment A.  Present both halves as normal samples, and see how you react.  If you happily say one half is "better", we get to call BS on your palate, and the whole concept is a bust 

[Cigarsandmalts]

I would add an objective measurement in addition to subjective tasting. If you can find an accurate scientific scale (out to 0.00001 grams or so) weigh each identical cigar right out of the mastercase, sans label (to remove any moisture uptake of the label).  Place into your humidified storage for the standard 30 days.  Weigh each cigar again after storage to document humidity intake for each cigar. Place cigar into respective control environments for a set time. Weigh again just prior to smoking to document weight change from dry boxing. Smoke, rate on scale of 80-100 (let’s be honest, you don’t want to do this experiment with a cigar that’s going to rate less than 80 to begin with). Repeat with other storage conditions.

I’d do this with at least a 5-person tasting panel.  5 cigars per condition x 5 conditions = one box or cab and you’ll get a decent amount of data. Then you can plot the ratings vs. moisture change (in weight) and see if there is any trends. 

You could get quite a bit of data (moisture uptake with time if you measure at regular intervals during storage, moisture loss with each dry box condition, variance of ROTT weight vs humidified weight, etc.).  If you wanted to be really controlled, the weight measurement should take place in a controlled environment (but immediately upon removal from drybox/storage to prevent unintended uptake), and with minimal exposure to non-controlled environment after removal.  

This of course assumes moisture uptake will be more than 0.00001 grams. 

[Islandboy]

I would stipulate that the cigars used must be current release Connie A’s - the most consistently stable CC on the market right now. Y’know...to eliminate the “Cuba being Cuba” effect.

[dominattorney]

I suggest three boxes be used.  One box a cigar at a 38 ring gauge, one at a 44 or 46, and one at a 50-52.  Take 5 cigars from each box into environments 1 through 4 and let them acclimate for 60 days.  At that time, take the small ring gauge cigars and dry box all of them in separate dry boxes.  Taste one after 1 day, one after 2 days, etc until they're gone.  See what that does for you.

This one is interesting.  Many ways I could conceive of doing it.