Vacume sealing Box

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by DocLogic77

Are you sure cigars need oxygen? I have heard that before...but I'm not so sure it's true. I believe there is a theory out there by a well known, and well respected aficionado that cigars age best (long term) by reduction reactions rather than oxidative reactions. You would obtain this by properly sealing the cigars in an oxygen free environment. I wouldn't recommend vacuum sealing...but some sort of large ziplock should work. After the initial oxygen is used...the aging process would be a slow reduction process...which is supposed to give a better, more refined aged product.

But, like I said I believe this is all theory and I have no first hand knowledge. I have set up some of my stock...so that I can compare and contrast. I have some cigars sealed with zip lock...then the same ones from that year just in regular storage. All stored in the same humidor on the same shelf. At 10,15 and 20 years I want to pull out 5-10 from each box...and have 5-10 well respected BOTL sample and give opinions. I think that's the only way a debate like this will be settled.

This was my understanding as well. Long term aging is based upon a slowing of the fermentation process not acceleration. But there are also two clearly divergent schools of storage as well. In the Far East the tendency is toward low temp/low Rh, whereas many Europeans recommend a much higher rh and temp.

[DocLogic77]

Originally Posted by bobarian

This was my understanding as well. Long term aging is based upon a slowing of the fermentation process not acceleration. But there are also two clearly divergent schools of storage as well. In the Far East the tendency is toward low temp/low Rh, whereas many Europeans recommend a much higher rh and temp.

That's $$$. I know the French like their CC at 70%+...even some breaking into the high 70's. The aficionado I spoke of keeps his stock in the low 60s F and at 58% rh. That's why I don't believe we know the right answer. Being a man of science and still fairly young I figured if I'm blessed with a long life I could set up a very subjective study. I think it would take many studies like this one to convince most of the smoking world that one particular style of aging is better than others.

As for slowing down the process that's absolutely correct. And that's why it makes more sense to me to lower temp, rh, and seal the cigars. The three things that speed up aging are temperature, room humidity, and oxygen.