Tubos - In or Out for Aging?

[JLinz]

Hi all - with the 24:24 dedicated to tubos today, I can't help but wonder if there is a consensus (or at least a majority opinion) on whether to store cigars in or out of their tubes for aging purposes.  I've searched the forum but have not been able to decipher if it really is better to open them up and let them breath long term or not.  

Thanks in advance.

[Dynamo320]

An age old question that you will get many different answers to. In the tube, out of the tube, or in the tube opened?  Some will acclimate a while then put them back in. Science says the cigar will age slower in the tube. Some may want that and some will not. I leave mine sealed in the tube and check on them periodically. If your storage isn’t ideal, mold issues could arise. The only mold I’ve ever had was on newly acquired Tubos. Wiped them down, stored them properly (65/65) and never had an issue. 

[kalibratecuba]

I just spent the weekend putting cigars into tubes for time capsule extended ageing.

You can infer which way I'm leaning.


I love cigar chatting, but storing cigars is a science and an art. Plenty of sound science with a lot of subjective passion and preferences.

Peace, and those in Asia, smoke one for me. I'm going back to bed.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Hollywood Ninja]

I leave the caps off for two months to acclimate to my preferred environment, then seal them back up.  Perhaps checking on them periodically if they are special to you.

[shippers]

I leave them in the tubes open for a month or so and then close them up and leave them except for the occasional check for any mould. I used to take them all out of the tubes for fear of mould but as long as your setup is good I don't think its a major concern. Leaving them in the tubes they will age slower and they are wrapped in cedar so should pick up some nice woody notes.

[JGD]

I check for mold after the arrive and then seal them back up. 

[JLinz]

Thanks for all of the replies!  I think I have a pretty good setup now thanks entirely to all of you and this amazing forum.  With that, and based on the comments here, I'm leaning towards opening them up, checking for mold, and leaving them open for a month or so to acclimate.  I may even leave one or two open permanently to compare down the line how the aging process differs. 

[vinnyvega]

I just got a box of 1998 punch monarcas and they smell like they were in a time capsule.  The flavors were so intense and vibrant.  

Not a spot of mold on them.  The prince stored these well.....

[BrightonCorgi]

In.  You bought tubos for all that tubos do for a cigar.  You may want them uncapped if you're fiddling to do something.  I just leave them capped and as is. 

Some like to take them out of the tubo a few days before smoking to lower the cedar flavors.  I like the cedar, but not all the time!

[SenorPerfecto]

If I could age everything in tubos, caps on, I would. They retain a pungency for years that's hard to obtain from non-tubos.

[WABOOM]

Out intoto an empty cab

[joeypots]

Tubes will slow down aging and possibly change the effect of time on the cigar. But, and it's a big but, you can't make a dog rocket in a tube  into a glorious cigar by aging it. I've had a few 5 or 6 year old tubos that were just awful. Bad, flavorless cigars that wouldn't stay lit. 5 years in a tube did nada, zip, zero, bupkis. I've also had some 5 year old tubos that were divine. Smooth, rich, flavorful, and potent cigars. Some of the best I've had. 

[JLinz]

One thing that confuses me is that there seems to be a tension between the tube slowing down aging vs. adding to the flavor and richness of the cigar.  From what I understand, the "normal" aging process tends to bring out the flavor of the cigar and add smoothness (maybe that's not entirely accurate, but that's what I've gathered from reading through the various threads here).  If we slow that down by leaving the cigar in the tube, it seems counter productive to leave them in (outside the situation where super long term aging is desired I suppose).  On the other hand, it sounds like the tube is adding its own "aging" effect, so maybe the two cancel out?  Or are they different "aging" effects completely? 

[MigsG]

5 hours ago, JLinz said:

Thanks for all of the replies!  I think I have a pretty good setup now thanks entirely to all of you and this amazing forum.  With that, and based on the comments here, I'm leaning towards opening them up, checking for mold, and leaving them open for a month or so to acclimate.  I may even leave one or two open permanently to compare down the line how the aging process differs. 

I've done a little experimenting with both - half in the tubes, half outside mingled with other cigars in trays.  It's always a nice comparison down the line, and you can see the big difference between the two.  Then you get to enjoy some with the freshness and pungency of being in the tubos, and others aged to bring out the intensity of flavors and smoothness (and dry boxed beforehand, most importantly).