Sucking the life out of a cigar

Q. If you put cigars in the newest craze, The Food Saver, will they keep, and if so, for how long? (This is a vacuum pack machine that claims to maintain freshness a lot longer). Will they still be required to store in a humidor? Also, can you freeze cigars, and if so, for how long, and will it affect the quality?
– Larry E.
A. Re vacuum-packing, they will probably last quite a long time in that state, but I wouldn’t bet they’ll be much good over a long period of time unless maybe you did keep them in the humidor. But then what would be the point? Vacuum packing means that they’re devoid of air, which cigars need, too. So, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you do plan to freeze them immediately afterwards, or they may eventually dry out. At least that’s my theory. But I sure would be curious to find out how long they will keep. ;-)

As far as freezing cigars goes, frankly, I’m not in favor of it under any circumstances. Some may disagree, but I don’t think they’re ever the same afterwards. If you do freeze your cigars, the key to thawing them is having a little patience. Put them in the fridge for at least one day after freezing to let them “warm down” in there. Then, remove them to rest at room temp out of the humidor for at least another day.

One final note: Never store cigars in the fridge, even though it may seem like a good idea. The humidity level is too low and they will dry out.

Q&A Update: Since originally posting this Q&A on the Food Saver, I received the following response, which I think you’ll find very interesting. – GK

I once ran out of room in my humidor and used the Food Saver on 10 coronas. I knew I had made a mistake instantly. As the air left the bag, I watched 10 cigars go from a 44 to a 34 in ring gauge. I couldn’t stop the machine from pulling air out of the bag. They were in the bag for about 45 days. For the hell of it, I took them out of the bag when room became available in the humi, threw them in and left them. They gain a unique Food Saver pressed look when you do it. There were very hard creases in the wrappers. To my amazement, they sprung back, but eventually the wrappers split from the loss of humidity they suffered and from the extreme contraction and expansion.

My general feeling is that this should never be done again, and I wouldn’t want any one else to find out the hard way. I should have noticed that it was called a “food” saver.

– Tom McCormick