What a week of Dry boxing can do.

[El Presidente]

I attended PJ's wedding 7 days prior and took a cabinet of Por Larrnaga Petit Corona's 2007 to hand out to those who were interested. They were good cigars on the day and late evening but when I returned home I found two PLPC 2007 had made it to my suit coat pocket no doubt with the intention of enjoying while watching the late night England/Australia game that night.

I threw them in my Jeeps unhumidified Otter Box.

Early Saturday morning (a week later) I took Cohiba (my Chesapeake retriever) out for a some retriever training at the local river which has bushland and a natural dam adjacent to the river itself. Great spot for hand signal training, blind retrieves and water retrieves. I remembered about my PLPC in the Otter Box and as I grabbed the whistle I pulled a PL out and fired it up.

A week drying out had seen a transformation from a good cigar to a great cigar. It was a 50% transformation. The flavours were more defined (the sweet caramel nature came out in spades), the burn was better and the body of the cigar "cleaner/fuller".

Dropping Cohiba home I headed out to pick up my outboard motor which was in for service along with my Minn Kota Electric outboard which was in for repair. Roof off I fired up the the remaining PLPC which was a miror experience of the first earlier that morning. I drove the long way to the marine dealership just so that I did not rush the experience.

The long and the short of it was that it was a great lesson in the role of dry boxing young cigars. One week without humidification made a hell of a difference to the smoking experience. The transformation was remarkable.

For those that have not previously tried it.....do so ;-)

[Mindflux]

Great post Rob.

I've been wanting to try this but the humidity in my house is in the 30s and 40s. Obviously climate would play a big role in this... wouldn't a cigar be wrecked at 40%RH (if it got to 40% after a week?). I've got a small desktop humidor that is no longer in use and probably not seasoned anymore. Could I use this or would the dryness of the wood simply ruin the cigar?

[El Presidente]

» Great post Rob.

»

» I've been wanting to try this but the humidity in my house is in the 30s

» and 40s. Obviously climate would play a big role in this... wouldn't a

» cigar be wrecked at 40%RH (if it got to 40% after a week?). I've got a

» small desktop humidor that is no longer in use and probably not seasoned

» anymore. Could I use this or would the dryness of the wood simply ruin

» the cigar?

Our humidity here last week was running between 55 to 85. The weather was pretty unsettled. I suspect the unhumidified Otterbox was running in the mid 50's.

Seal the cigars you want to dry box in a zip lock bag with one corner of the Zip Lock open. Leave them in your unseasoned desktop.

I have done this before with good results:

1. The partially sealed Zip lock pack slows the loss of moisture but moisture loss does accur.

2. There is less risk of wrapper damage if the cigars are in a Zip lock. Wrapper damage tends to occur with dramatic changes in humidity and cigar movement (rolling around in an empty or near empty humidor). Naturally, a cigar doesn't roll around by itself but it is remarkable what damage can occur to a cigar by simply lifting a desk top humidor that is nearly empty.

[Mindflux]

Alright. I tossed a PLPC in there in a small ziploc bag with about a fingers width of it unzipped on one corner. I guess we'll see how this goes.

A week is going to be murder. Usually I just pull cigars out and smoke 'em. planning anything is not my style.

[El Presidente]

» Alright. I tossed a PLPC in there in a small ziploc bag with about a

» fingers width of it unzipped on one corner. I guess we'll see how this

» goes.

»

» A week is going to be murder. Usually I just pull cigars out and smoke

» 'em. planning anything is not my style.

Well done.

I am expecting a review from you next Sunday night ;-)

[Mindflux]

» » Alright. I tossed a PLPC in there in a small ziploc bag with about a

» » fingers width of it unzipped on one corner. I guess we'll see how this

» » goes.

» »

» » A week is going to be murder. Usually I just pull cigars out and smoke

» » 'em. planning anything is not my style.

»

» Well done.

»

» I am expecting a review from you next Sunday night ;-)

We'll see about that. My palate is about as refined as a goats.

I guess I Could use one of my otter boxes for this same thing, since both of them are dried out.

:-D

[Ginseng]

Thanks for sharing the experience, Rob. This really does work. I've had some dreadfully moist cigars send to me and sometimes I throw them in an empty box here in my basement where it's been 56% for the last month or so. It's amazing the change. I find the burn and draw improve and the flavors are more discernible as opposed to the charry mash that can sometimes result from a wet cigar.

Wilkey

[Professor Twain]

This is a great technique. I just did it, accidentally, this week. I took a week long trip with the wife and had a traveldor along, no humidification. Brought back an 02 Bolivar Inmensa, some of these have had a very tight draw--smoking it dry last night, it had great flavors.

I also had the opposite experience--one of my humidors was running high humidity, but I pulled out an RA Estupendo single for my trip anyway. That cigar was a disaster, an utter waste of a fabulous cigar.

[Mindflux]

I can't help but wonder if dry boxing is such a great thing why do we keep the cigars in the 60's and 70's for RH? Why not the mid 50s?

[El Presidente]

» I can't help but wonder if dry boxing is such a great thing why do we keep

» the cigars in the 60's and 70's for RH? Why not the mid 50s?

The same reason that you taper an atheletes preparation for peak performance.

12 months at 63%-65% RH is great preparation. One to two days at 55%-60% just gives the cigar an edge. You eliminate a little H2O and the flavour intesifies. With young cigars you can find that they are quite wet out of the box upon arrival. Even at 30 days in the humidor they will feel a littel on the moist side and in flavour they will have a charry element. The effect of dry boxing these cigars is more marked than on a long term properly humidified example.

However, I am sure we all know people who prefer their cigars at 70% RH. There is no problem with this as taste is a matter of personal opinion.

[stever]

I'm quite a fan of the '07 PLPC straight out of the humi or dry boxed for a day or so. Must try dry boxing them for a longer period.

Sounds like extended dry boxing is rendering them to be more in line with the typical PLPC profile.

[winelover]

I've done it accidentally too, with an 18mth old monte edmundo. I still remember to this day how great it was. I left it in a zip lock style bag for over a month and then found it. The cigar looked a hell of a mess with a cracked wrapper but it smoked like a dream. Concentrated strength and accentuated classic monte flavours.

[JMH]

I do it with every cigar I smoke. I find it improves the burn and flavour.

[greenpimp]

I agree. I have "dry boxed" cigars in tubes, (just lying around in the car in tubes for a week or two) and it workd great. The tubes dry them out slowly. It really does help the flavor and performance.

[shrink]

» I agree. I have "dry boxed" cigars in tubes, (just lying around in the car

» in tubes for a week or two) and it workd great. The tubes dry them out

» slowly. It really does help the flavor and performance.

Good suggestion, Matt!

[Freefallguy]

I had the same experience lately with some JLS1's that I left in my carry-on. Clearly an added richness in depth and marked increased volume of smoke. I'm sold.

[bobsled]

Most interesting. In my limited experience, I have found that NC's like Ashton VSG, Padron 1926 and Opus are unhappy at even 65% and truly tatse their best when stored/smoked in the low 70's.

Conversely I have noted that any CC's I have smoked were awful in the low 70's, and have been fantastic when the humi is @ 65%. I have also found that a RASS (11/05) that I left out over night (RH @50% that evening) was still tasty with an ok draw, but felt a little hard.

I am curious, were the relatively young PLPC's a little moist in your opinion Rob, when you first smoked them?

[smokum]

I use my non humidified Siglo desktop humi that I won here to dry box. I usually remove a weeks worth of smokes from my Aristocrat on Sunday and pop them in the desktop. Works well.

[COJ]

Wasup?

Is your Otter Box broken?

I've a CigarCaddy....same box, differnt name....and it holds humidity for a looooong time without any humfication....if you dont open it...

I've forgotten cigars in it for months and they have been as humified as they where when I put them there...

[mgillett]

On the subject of Otter Boxes. Do you sell them Pres? I have looked on the internet but only found overseas vendors and the freight costs as much as the actual box...

[El Presidente]

» Wasup?

»

» Is your Otter Box broken?

»

» I've a CigarCaddy....same box, differnt name....and it holds humidity for

» a looooong time without any humfication....if you dont open it...

»

» I've forgotten cigars in it for months and they have been as humified as

» they where when I put them there...

I broke off and lost one of the clips which seal the box a few weeks ago while camping. This is the only reason that the cigars dried out a little. Otherwise they would have been perfect for a couple of months in the Otter even without humidification.

The PLPC's in my opinion were a litle wet. They were recently received 07 stock so no real surprise.

We do sell Cigar caddy's. I will try and get them up on our site for Aussie members later today.

[Mindflux]

It's Thursday, the humidor is sitting at 46% RH. I'm getting antsy!

:-D

[El Presidente]

» It's Thursday, the humidor is sitting at 46% RH. I'm getting antsy!

» :-D

"Ding" their ready ;-)

[Mindflux]

» » It's Thursday, the humidor is sitting at 46% RH. I'm getting antsy!

» » :-D

»

» "Ding" their ready ;-)

I've got 3 more days ;-)

[El Presidente]

» » » It's Thursday, the humidor is sitting at 46% RH. I'm getting antsy!

» » » :-D

» »

» » "Ding" their ready ;-)

»

» I've got 3 more days ;-)

Yes but your Relative humidity is a little low. At 46% RH 3-5 days is more than enough (my best guess). Feel it. You will know when it is ready. Use the force ;-)