How to store tubo cigars: do I need a humidor?

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I’ve received several questions lately regarding tubo cigars storage. I decided it was time to write a short article about this aspect of cigar care. Of course, feel free to add your insight in the comments area.

You’ve purchased a cigar and it came in one of those little storage tubes called tubos. Now you’re wondering whether you need to put your cigar in the humidor or whether the tubo is sufficient to keep it fresh. If you do need to put the cigar in the humidor, does that mean you do or don’t still need the tubo?

The key to answering this question is to look at what the tubo is really used for. While the tubo might look like it’s intended to keep the cigar fresh, its main purpose is actually just to protect your cigar from physical damage. The tubo makes it easy to carry your cigar around without worrying about dinging it up. While a tubo will temporarily keep your cigar from drying out, it won’t do it for longer than several days since tubos are not airtight (in the vast majority of cases). This would be useful if you purchased a cigar while travelling, for example, and you needed to keep the cigar fresh for a few days before you could return home to place it in your humidor. Or perhaps you’re traveling and just want to save the cigar for a couple days later on your trip—either way the tubo has you covered.

If on the other hand you’ll be storing your cigar for longer than several days, you will need to place it in the humidor or it will indeed dry out. Your next question is probably whether you should store the cigar in the humidor with the tubo on or not. There is no hard and fast rule on this, but generally speaking you need to maintain airflow to your cigar. You can either remove the cigar from the tubo entirely before placing it in the humidor, or you can leave the cigar inside the tubo but keep the cap of the tubo off. Davidoff Cigars has recognized the importance of airflow when storing cigars by designing a tubo which reveals a slit for airflow when you twist it.

If your cigar isn’t going inside a humidor and you’re planning to smoke it in a few days, then be aware that an aluminum tubo won’t preserve freshness as long as a corked or sealed glass tubo. Also, if you leave the tubo out in the sunlight or under any heat source (even just a lamp), your cigar will dry out faster.

7 thoughts on “How to store tubo cigars: do I need a humidor?

  1. ps
    They are marked Cohiba BEHIKE BHK56 and 6.5″ long. Theres no sign of outer cracking and no ‘white spots’. Now that they are reaching room temperature, they smell exactly like cigars without a hint of mustiness.

  2. Help!
    I visited Cuba 3 yrs ago and bought some Cohiba cigars for a friend but I didnt see him for 3 yrs! I live on a boat in London UK. I stashed the box of 10 (?) below floor in pitch dark where the temperature is fairly stable at 2-6 degrees centigrade, and mildly damp (not wet). He’s visiting me soon so I dug them out expecting theyd be mouldy….they arent. Theres no visible signs of mould and they are firm (maybe hard) to the touch. Just to see, I lit one up. It tasted ok (but I dont have a reference point) and fairly sweet after a few minutes puffing. They also got quite soft 2″from the tip as I smoked it. I found it quite enjoyable after 10mins.My only worry is that very little visible smoke came out although it stayed alight and formed a good ash that needed tapping off. Maybe the ‘firmness’ will change as they reach room temperature?
    So my question is, have I got rotten taste or should I present them?

  3. Awesome info…thanks BM

  4. Thanks for the article I just purchased 12 12 Nubs in a tube a question I haven’t gotten an answer to Is my five-year-old humidor is spiking to 80% with a 72% Boveda packet do I need to go to a lower Boveda or is there something wrong with my humidor thank you

  5. Thank you for the very informative website and the excellent article about tubed cigars! You’ve answered the first half of what I was wondering about. The second question I had is, do air-tight, plastic bagged 5-packs, that are becoming pretty available these days, need to be kept in a humidor before the air tight seal is broken? It would be nice if the manufacturers would include that information on the bag but of the many air-tight 5-packs I have purchased, none have. Any information or even an article on the subject, would be greatly appreciated!

    1. I would also like to know about those and the singles that say sealed in humidity. I have purchased some that were sealed in clear plastic pouches that didn’t say sealed in humidity but had a small bovida 69 and even though the pouch was air tight, the bovida packet was hard and dry, the stick had to spend a few weeks in the humidor.

  6. Good article and much appreciated in view of the dearth of information on the subject. Though unrelated to your article one of the reasons I’m prepared to pay the extra price for A/Ts is that you can pretty much guarantee condition and authenticity when purchased on line. Thanks again Denis Cheers Hdownunder.

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