Dry Boxing Works!

[danmcmartin]

So I've read about dry boxing and how it helps the quality of the smoking experience, better burn, etc. I thought that the high desert climate where I live was enough, but have experienced uneven burns, sticks going dead, and very slow burns. Even if I took them out an hour or two before I smoked they burned poorly and sticks that were supposed to burn well. My humi is right at 65% so they aren't too moist.

So I gave in and placed a few sticks I was looking to smoke soon in a small Tupperware container. No beads or anything, just the cigars, and sealed it up tight. Well, tonight I had a chance to smoke one, a Gurkha Symphony, and it burned fantastic. I have been taking an hour to get through half a toro, but tonight I smoked all but about 2 inched in under an hour, but it was a relaxed smoke. I wasn't hurrying. Burned even and straight, and never threatened to go out.

I will always dry box now.

[Herf N Turf]

Well done, grasshoppah.

[scottw]

A lot of good info here.

[danmcmartin]

Yes, I can be taught contrary to popular belief (mainly that of my wife).

[wsmith]

How long did you dry box them? Are there any benefits to putting them in an air tight container vs something that will breath a little (like a humidor does)? I'm wanting to try this now!!!

Thanks,
~Will

[Cigary]

Another convert to the "dryboxing" technique. I have been doing this for a couple of years and I see an improvement in the smokeability of my cigars and I too keep them around 67% RH. I keep mine in a 20 count humidor with no beads, humidifier and I also have a small tupperware I use when my other is full and I don't see a difference in either.

[Herf N Turf]

Originally Posted by wsmith

How long did you dry box them? Are there any benefits to putting them in an air tight container vs something that will breath a little (like a humidor does)? I'm wanting to try this now!!!

Thanks,
~Will

My dry box is a humidor-quality cigar box (RyJ Anniversario). It sits right at 56%, based on the RH of my locale. I leave sticks in there for 2-5 days.

A lot of this business is based on the stick and extensive experience. Some sticks smoke great at 70%. Some sticks prefer 65%, while some just won't cooperate until you get them to 60-62%. Most NC's smoke great between 64-70%, while CC's like to show you the most love at around 60-65%.

I never leave anything in the db long enough to get to that box's RH; just dry the wrapper, binder and outer fillers a bit.

[Cigary]

Originally Posted by Herf N Turf

My dry box is a humidor-quality cigar box (RyJ Anniversario). It sits right at 56%, based on the RH of my locale. I leave sticks in there for 2-5 days.

A lot of this business is based on the stick and extensive experience. Some sticks smoke great at 70%. Some sticks prefer 65%, while some just won't cooperate until you get them to 60-62%. Most NC's smoke great between 64-70%, while CC's like to show you the most love at around 60-65%.

I never leave anything in the db long enough to get to that box's RH; just dry the wrapper, binder and outer fillers a bit.

Once again Don knows things. Know your inventory of the cigars you smoke and what they are like under different RH. I know what I like and what RH they best taste for me and now long to DB them. I obviously have that kind of time on my hands to know these things,,,this is why retirement suits me. Watching my cigars DB and paint dry and taking abuse from the wife when she sees my cigars being delivered every Saturday. Does life get any better than this? I submit to you,,,,,it does not!

[ROB968323]

Why would there be a difference between leaving cigars in a "dry box" and just taking them out of the humidor completely? Just curious. I take my smokes out of the humidor a couple of hours before I smoke them and they burn ok.

[Rev2010]

Originally Posted by danmcmartin

So I gave in and placed a few sticks I was looking to smoke soon in a small Tupperware container

I hate to break this to you but putting them in a small tupperware container is *not* dryboxing. I have put stogies in a tupperware container with a hygrometer and the humidity levels were always higher than average. Being it's air tight you likely just sealed in the humidity that was already present in the sticks.

If you want to dry box use a regular cedar lined humi with no humidification device.


Rev.

[danmcmartin]

Originally Posted by Rev2010

I hate to break this to you but putting them in a small tupperware container is *not* dryboxing. I have put stogies in a tupperware container with a hygrometer and the humidity levels were always higher than average. Being it's air tight you likely just sealed in the humidity that was already present in the sticks.

If you want to dry box use a regular cedar lined humi with no humidification device.

I know what your saying, but as I said the RH here is pretty low and the Tupperware keeps them from drying out completely. I plan to get a small humi for DBing now, but I can't argue with success. 4 days in the Tupperware worked wonders. It will have to do in the interim. I will put one of my hygros in there and see what it is as an experiment.

[Rev2010]

Originally Posted by danmcmartin

4 days in the Tupperware worked wonders. It will have to do in the interim. I will put one of my hygros in there and see what it is as an experiment.

Yeah, but how do you know you didn't just just smoke a Ghurka that was well constructed? They aren't all created equally since they're handmade. And honestly, dry boxing shouldn't technically make a cigar burn evenly nor speed up the burn or prevent a stick from going out unless it was too wet to begin with. 65% humidity is perfect. I run my humi at that percentage and for the most part my sticks all smoke excellently. But, I still get sticks from time to time that are simply rolled too tight, and no amount of dry boxing will fix that. When you cut the stick and look at the foot if it is packed solid with no spaces whatsoever for airflow then it is too tightly rolled/overpacked. That will make a cigar burn slow and go out often. And burn, I've had excellent even burn and bad uneven burn. A lot of factors come into play such as the even/uneven distribution of tobacco and the wrapper/binder. I've had cigars tunnel at times which shows the innards are burning fine but the wrapper/binder aren't keeping up. That is likely often due to a lower filler density.

I'm not trying to shoot you down, but you did say you would be dry boxing from now on and I'm just pointing out the reality to all this. Dry boxing is something that is well known and used by many. However, it is not meant as a "necessary" step. Dry boxing is generally used to bring overly moist sticks down to normal so one can smoke them quicker and not have to wait for days/weeks in a humi to acclimate. It's also used to ease the draw a bit on sticks that are rolled too tight. While it won't magically cure a stick that is too tight it will often help enough to make a cigar at least smokable.

Definitely put the hygrometer in there and see what the reading is after a day or so. Also, if you must use tupperware for now use a large container, not a small one That would allow more of the moisture to spread out into a larger volume or air. Smaller containers really don't do much.


Rev.

[Blackcat]

I will give it a go

[iairj84]

I had a buddy that "Dry Boxed" his cigars indefinitely... so gross those things were cracked and nasty.

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by iairj84

I had a buddy that "Dry Boxed" his cigars indefinitely... so gross those things were cracked and nasty.

I can imagine!

I will dry box to around 10 days.