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Aging in Cigar Boxes

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webmost

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Awoke again last night in the wee hours with hamster brain. Mind racing round and round visualizing the various steps in my new obsession: home grown cigars.

I started with habano seed I got from another cigar geek

A surrogate gardener has started my seedlings. She will plant most; I will plant a row or two in the back yard.

I'll cure the leaf in the garage attic where it gets good and hot, with the big old romping humidifier we use to season the house during Winter and fair ventilation. Here in Dull-Aware, you can count on 85-95 degrees and 70-80% humidity, with frequent thunderstorms.

Now comes time to age the leaf and ferment it. By now, you realize, cold weather will have set in. I sure cannot expect that the irascible RedHead who has the privilege of laundering my skid marks will put up with the odor of fermenting tobacco in her house regardless who pays the mortgage. I can't use the shed cause it's full, unheated, uninsulated, and unelectrified. The garage attic will be cold too, by now, cause there's no insulation there. So here's what I've come up with:

What's to prevent me going ahead and rolling my cigars, then packing them in tight cigar boxes and letting them age right there? The local cigar store sells good looking cedar cigar boxes with beveled seals and clasps for a buck a pop. These boxes are good enough to make small humidors. I can drop a water pillow in each one to keep it humidified. I can open each one once a week and stir the contents to let air breathe. If one gets mold or a beetle, the rest don't. I can make plenty of shelf space in the office closet. Let them age right there for a year or two. Ferment right in the cigar itself.

Would that work?
 

Chicken

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you have a good thought pattern going,

but im not a cigar type guy, but if the cigar boxes were made of cedar... and very well reinforced,,,, for a good seal. i think it may work,

but dont take my advice, i'd wait for one of the cigar guy's too,,,, let you know if your on the right path,,
 

Ashauler

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Cigar boxes work well for aging already fermented and rolled cigars. I'm not sure that rolling un-fermented cigar tobacco would be the way to go if you want to smoke them anytime soon. The cigars will ferment, release ammonia, etc.....they'll only do it slower once rolled.
 

webmost

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You think? Why would it be slower? Seems like every leaf of tobacco would be closer to air rolled than it would be in a bale.

But what do I know.
 

Knucklehead

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The bales will eventually be broken down and the tobacco aired, handled and processed more. I'm not saying this matters, I'm just saying that there is that difference in the comparison. Try it with a few and see what happens. I just don't think I'd put all my eggs in one basket until you've experimented and have a better understanding of what can happen.
 
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