Because most cigar smokers buy cigars online, they have to wait for them to arrive. As a result, I’m often asked does resting my cigars improve the my cigar experience?
Actually, the cigars should be ready to smoke right out of the box – the shipping box that is. After all, most well-made cigars are ready to smoke right out of their factory boxes. But whether they’re purchased online or at your local cigar store, premium handmade cigars tend to smoke better after being allowed to “settle” in your home cigar humidor anywhere from a few days to a few weeks…
Of course, the conditions the plane and/or the truck is exposed to en route such as extreme heat, cold, or dampness, could possibly affect them in some way. That said, if the shipper packs the cigars properly, regardless of the conditions in the time it takes to get from the store to your house, they should arrive in prime condition. Other factors include the condition of the cigars when they arrived at the port of entry, as well as the conditions of the retailer’s warehouse.
If you live in the same state as the retailer, or a neighboring state, it’s a pretty safe bet that the cigars will arrive within a day or two at the most by UPS, FedEx, et. al. If they go via USPS, add at least another day. If you live on the opposite coast of the supplier, it will usually take anywhere from five days to a week depending on the day they ship. Some cigar smokers are willing to pay extra for two-day or overnight shipping to keep their orders from getting too much travel time. The decision is up to you, but as noted above, if the cigars are packed well, they will survive up to two weeks with little or no effect – and that’s a pretty safe estimate.
Though it’s hard to resist smoking that first one out of the box, my advice is make sure your cigar supply hasn’t dwindled down to nada before the new smokes get to you. Always try to keep several days worth of cigars on-hand so you can give your new order at least a little time to rest. I know that some readers will take umbrage at this advice, but patience generally pays-off at a much higher interest rate.
I’ve also discovered that as each week passes, the cigars taste better, too. Try it yourself by smoking a cigar right out of the box, then smoking one a week later, then two weeks later, etc., and you’ll see, or better yet, taste.
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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Thank you for the knowledge
I’m not an afficionado, I’m mostly a nicotine addict, but I enjoy when a smoke is tasty. I have had cigars that totally sucked when I smoked them the same day they came off the delivery truck and consequently I was bummed out because I thought I’d have to suffer through the whole batch tasting and burning shitty. From a non-perfectionist’s POV, even a day or two rest in my humidor greatly improves cigar taste. There’s some nuts out there that claim cigars need a month or more rest after transit, and I believe them- I just don’t have the cash or patience to go to that extreme. But I do whole heartedly agree that cigars go through a shock in transit that can be remedied with a rest of some length. Also, well boxed cigars show less deterioration than loosely packaged ones.