Hey, face It, you spend good money on your cigars, they are your passion and your joy. So, you seriously want to keep them at the right humidity and temperature all the time. Now there is no exact set humidity because it’s how you like your cigars. I’d say that somewhere between 65% and 72% is acceptable. Any lower and they’ll start to become too dry. Any higher and they’ll start to become too moist.
But what about rotating, does that actually help them? Well, the answer is a definite YES, but, then again, you might not need to. Huh? Okay, let me explain this whole thing.
Rotating all depends on how big your humidor is and how many cigars you actually have in there. First off, you do NOT want your humidor filled to the brim no matter what size it is. You precious cargo will never get enough humidity from the middle to the bottom. While you’ll hear different theories on it, I feel you should keep your humidor no more than 70-75% full. The reason being is that will give your stash a good amount of humidity. If filled to the top, the top 30% will only be humidified properly and the ones at the bottom will turn dry.
So, if your box is at least 50-70% filled, yes, you should rotate your sticks, I’d say every 60 days. Now, if your box is say only 20% filled, you actually DON’T need to rotate them because they’re all getting enough humidity.
Okay, so then why should you rotate them if your box is say 50% – 70% full? Because the cigars near the bottom aren’t exposed to nearly enough moisture. Whether it’s a 50 count, 100 count, or 300 count box and it’s more than half full, you definitely need to move them around so the sticks at the bottom can breathe.
All right, now HOW should you rotate them? Hey, glad you asked because what you need to do is separate your humidor into 3 sections. First, remove them all gently from your humidor. Then place back all the cigars that were on the top 3rd into the bottom. Then move the bottom 3rd up to the middle so they start to get more moisture. Then place what was the middle bunch up to the top so they are fully exposed. I’d say keep ‘em this way for about 45 – 60 days. Then just move the middle up to the top, and then the top back to the bottom (which puts the bottom back to the middle). Then in 45-60 days, rotate them how you originally started all over again. Okay, you might have to read that over a couple of times, but it actually makes perfect sense.
Bottom line is what you’re doing is making sure that all of your precious smokes are receiving the proper amount of humidity over a few-month period, all so you experience a good smoke every time you cut and light up.
Okay, is this really imperative to do? Well, if your humidor is more than half full, I definitely say YES you need to rotate them because it’s the only way that they’re all going to stay healthy and fresh. So then, how long you can keep them in your humidor? The answer is for years and years if you keep them at the proper humidity and rotate them in your box. For real, years and years.
So hey, if you have anything to add the conversation, I’d live you to write a comment in the section below. Thanks and happy smoking my buds!
THIS MONTH’S SWEEPSTAKES GIVEAWAY!
This month, cigar maker Alec Bradley is giving away 3 amazing prizes worth $205 in value!
3 GRAND PRIZE WINNERS will be chosen to WIN the following…
Alec Bradley Burner Lighter – $49.99 in value
Alec Bradley Firkin Humidor – $74.95 in value
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It’s running ‘til the end of the month and all you’ve got to do is put your email address in the form and you are officially in the running!
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How about if you have a cabinet humidor with some fans in it?
What if you have a cabinet humidor with some fans?
Then you really don’t need to rotate. Thanks for asking!
I’m curious, who are tcanarsa and jbeerston. I look up their names and cigars and don’t see them anywhere online. There’s no real profile or anything, either. Do they have history in the cigar industry?
Hey Jason, we both have worked inside for different cigar companies and it’s the first shot at actual writing for both of us. Hope you’re enjoying our stuff!
Hey Jason, I have been in the cigar biz for a few years and so has the other writer, J Beerston. This is our first time writing blogs, so yeah, we may be new at it but we know a lot about the industry. Hope you are enjoying!
Hi, Very nice, Interesting and Informative blog.