dry box how-to
Remember my thread about the Otter's Pocket? A B&M where four major inductrial master mist blasters swamped a bathroom sized walk in on a rainy day. A BOTL remarked in that thread that Indians frequently keep their humidor rooms way too moist. Well, the new B&M I ran across this week had a Persian or similar gent behind the counter. He's not the owner, but we all know that they only hire one another. The owner is in in the mornings, I am told. I will drop in some morning to see him about box prices and ordering certain sticks. When I do, I will mention that his humidifier was likewise blasting away on a drizzly day with fog. No hygrometer in sight. This little room would be another Otter's Pocket except that the machinery was not so industrial as at the other place, and there was only one machine.
I smoked one of their FT#59s last night, and sure enough, the wrapper was damp. I feel obliged to dry box these. Here are a few questions:
I have a box with a sliding lid -- you know the kind, made of plywood. Is that a good box to dry these out in? I have some cedar 1x1s used as place holders in other boxes ... should I put these in? Or should I just go down to the local B&M, buy a cedar box for a buck, and go with that?
Once I set these stix in there, should I rotate them every couple days? Stir up the mix so the inner ones get outer?
Should I pour a salt bed in the bottom? Bear in mind we've had drizzly foggy weather here.
Should I unwrap them?
I smoked one of their FT#59s last night, and sure enough, the wrapper was damp. I feel obliged to dry box these. Here are a few questions:
I have a box with a sliding lid -- you know the kind, made of plywood. Is that a good box to dry these out in? I have some cedar 1x1s used as place holders in other boxes ... should I put these in? Or should I just go down to the local B&M, buy a cedar box for a buck, and go with that?
Once I set these stix in there, should I rotate them every couple days? Stir up the mix so the inner ones get outer?
Should I pour a salt bed in the bottom? Bear in mind we've had drizzly foggy weather here.
Should I unwrap them?
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
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Comments
Dry boxing is a technique that is better applied to very oily wrappers that have a hard time combusting. Let the cigar sit in an empty cigar box for however long it needs to help dry out the oily wrapper leaf only, not the entire cigar.
It sounds like what you want to do is let them settle down in a humidor for a long time so the leaves don't dry out faster than they can take and the de-humidifying is thorough and ends at the correct rh.
i never do it.
It's so dribbly outside I don't see how they are going to tone down anyways. Been dribbling three days now and the streets are shiny again this morning. Every day the weatherman predicts rain will end. Next day, predicts the same. When it comes to an anthropogenic glacial epoch, these guys claim to be spot on; but when it comes to this afternoon, these guys don't know diddle.
Many years ago, when I lived in Alviso, a San Fran station gave up spending money on the weatherman. Instead, they sent out a reporter daily to interview an old Petaluma chicken farmer. He gave the weather and a joke. Claimed better accuracy. Soon, another station started sending out a reporter to the sidewalk in front of their office. Stopped the first five people and asked them. Claimed better accuracy.
Smoked a VS Series 55 Corojo Churchill in the garage last night. Froggy and damp out there. Having a good smoke, improving my opinion of VS; then, halfway through, the dang thing suddenly choked up and stank. Need to smoke shorter sticks when it's that wet out. They burn so far and then blam. Right now, I have a delicious morning mouth from the thing, though. Bearswatter is clattering round the kitchen. I am looking forward to mating that morning mouth with a good espresso. I like corojo or habano best for morning mouth. Yum.
lemme put it this way, our very own Alex Svenson has suggested dry boxing a few sticks before.
i was just stating my opinion. im not the worlds authority on cigars. im just a guy that likes cigars a little too much.
another thing to keep in mind is that there is no "right way" to do many things with cigars. different cutters, different storage containters holding different humidity levels, different concepts of age, different ways to make cigars... the list could go on almost endlessly. I mean, even the biggest names in the business dont agree on the best way to ferment tobacco or apply wrapper, or if a lieberman machine should be used or not.
just because I dont dry box does not mean that you should not. its all preference.
i will tell you why i dont dry box.
i tend to keep my cigars a little less than 70% (68). this helps the burn issues significantly. i also tend to keep cigars for quite a while longer than most before smoking them, usually over 18 months. this gives the cigars plenty of time to settle in and even out before smoking them.
as far as the VC Series 55 Corojo goes...
i dont think your issue is lack of dry boxing or anything you did wrong. I dont even think that VC did anything wrong. the construction could have been perfect and it may not have mattered. with very high humidity in the environment you are smoking you run a serious risk of burn issues and plugging issues. dry boxing wont help that.
Well I know that. But a guy has to have a starting point and a ending point.
"i dont think your issue is lack of dry boxing or anything you did wrong. I dont even think that VC did anything wrong. the construction could have been perfect and it may not have mattered. with very high humidity in the environment you are smoking you run a serious risk of burn issues and plugging issues. dry boxing wont help that."
Sure -- but the VS55 came straight out of the humidor where it been keeping just under 70%, felt light, smoked dry, then plugged; while the FT59s came straight from the Persian walk-in, felt heavy, smoked damp from the get-go.
Nah, I just got to get up off my butt and secure some beads.
Or wait for Winter, when cold air turns dry here.
Gonna be a beautiful Autumn. This is one where the colors are intense. Need to cook up a camping trip.