How does light affect cigars?

boydmcgowan

So, I have two glass top humidors, and I recently read an article (completely forget where) saying that light has an impact on as well as temp and humidity. I wasn't really aware of that, so I wanted to ask you all what sort of impact this has.

I'm sure I'm in the clear at this point because my humis spend about 90% of their time in a closet, but if I ever upgrade to something larger/nicer I'd like it to be glass top or cabinet style so I can appreciate the collection without opening it and releasing humidity. So I'd love to know . . . . .

How much impact does light have on cigars? Also what type of light?

J.S.

Light in general is not too bad, long exposure could cause a bleaching and make the wrapper more fragile. It is the UV rays that will really hurt them. Just like a sun burn too much can change the molecular structure of the wrapper. Not to mention that direct light will often raise the temp. That is what I have been told, I have 3 humi's myself none with glass tops. So I have no first hand horror stories on this one. Glass does block a lot of UV rays so I would think you are safe.

docbp87

Like wine... cool, dark places make for better long term storage.

oldsoulrevival

This isn't the answer you are looking for, but here is some science about how light affects cigar smoke

When you see smoke coming off the end of your cigar, it's blue. When you exhale, it's white. This is because of light. When you take the smoke into your mouth, you introduce a lot of moisture, and when you exhale that moisture is mixed in with the smoke as vapor. As light passes through the smoke and hits your eye, there is more interference due to the water vapor in the smoke - this filters out the blue light, and what you are left with is white. This is the same reason that sunsets are orange and red - the sunlight has more atmosphere to travel through before it hits your eye, and since blue lights are more easily filtered out than red (due to wave frequencies), after the light makes it all the way through the atmosphere, red, orange, and yellow light waves are all that remain. This is also why more polution in the air = prettier sunsets.

j0z3r

Have you ever left paper on your dashboard during the summer for an extended period, say like 3-4 weeks? If you have, you've no doubt noticed the bleaching of the color and how brittle the paper becomes. My only point is passing along an experience that describes the damaging nature of sunlight.

drpepperdude

What j0z3r said. Direct sunlight will bleach wrappers and I'm sure the amount of UV alone is doing something to them just like any other substance on this green Earth. The Earth receives on average about several hundred watts of energy per square meter. Your cigar would be toasted quickly, sir.

Artificial light such as everyday light bulbs are designed to simulate the color range of sunlight but do not emit any ultraviolet radiation. Not sure if any other effects of light in general are significant enough to warrant concern. There's probably more radiation being emitted from you in some form then from any artificial light source.

jgibv

J.S.:

Light in general is not too bad, long exposure could cause a bleaching and make the wrapper more fragile. It is the UV rays that will really hurt them. Just like a sun burn too much can change the molecular structure of the wrapper. Not to mention that direct light will often raise the temp.

+1 .... I have 1 glass top humi and have heard the same things about UV rays and rising temps possibly damaging cigars. I think as long as you keep it out of direct sunlight you'll be good.

I now keep all of my cigar stuff in the basement, but for 1 year+ I had my glass top on a bookshelf in the living room and never had a problem with it....we had some halogen pot lights in the room but I never noticed any fading due to these lights. Also, the way the bookshelf was set up the glass top humi never got direct sunlight.
Just my 2cents

Rhamlin

I like glass tops so I can take a peek without opening mine up. As long as they aren't in front of a window or under a lamp that's used a lot your fine.

boydmcgowan

right on guys,

thats a lot of what I figured but glad I checked with everyone here. Thanks everyone.

sounds like my glass tops are ok not being hidden in my closet as long as they aren't directly under a lamp or in direct sunlight. But I like the way Doc puts it . . .

Whenever I upgrade my humi to something nicer I'll probably look to not get a glass top. But, I'm in no rush though as my larger humi has served me well for about 6 or 7 years and the switch to beads and a digital last january was better than I ever expected. goos info though guys, thanks.