What Should I Do With Cigars in Tubes?

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding cigars involves the tubes that some are packaged in. If you have received tubed cigars, then you may be wondering whether they should be kept in the tube, stored in a humidor, or smoked straight away. We answer why cigars come in tubes and if cigars in tubes need a humidor.

Why Do Cigars Come In Tubes?

Tubes are primarily used as an extra layer of protection when packaging cigars to ensure that the smokes are preserved safely during their transportation. However, cynics may claim that tubos cigars are a marketing ploy, as many tubes proudly display their brand’s logos.

Tubed cigars are infinitely useful. Their individual packaging makes these cigars excellent gifts. They are ideal for retailers and customers who perhaps do not have the prime conditions for storing cigars, but want to purchase a cigar to smoke at a later date.

With many retailers wary of storing large quantities of premium cigars due to the fear of them getting damaged or the quality being impacted through storage, tubed cigars allow a wider range to be stocked.

How to Store Cigars in Tubes

There are many options for storing your tubed cigar – put the tube in a humidor still sealed; remove the lid and place the open tube in the humidor; or abandon the tube and place the cigar alone in the humidor. But which way is the right way?

Should You Remove Cigars in Tubes?

Ultimately, it comes down to when you are planning on smoking it. Tubes tend to make cigars mature slower than if they were uncovered. The tube keeps most air out, meaning that the aromas and flavours develop slowly. If you are looking to smoke it in the coming year or two, and want it to mature, then you will definitely want to remove it from the tube to quicken the pace of its aroma development.

If you are in no rush to smoke it and want to leave it maturing for some years, then keeping it in the tube can have some interesting effects. While it’s certainly not to everyone’s tastes, stronger cigars left to mature in their tubes can become milder. The slight evaporation of essential oils and ammonia that will occur inside the tubes also means that the aromas of the cigar will have changed from that which it originally held.

Should You Keep Cigars in Tubes in a Humidor?

Whatever you decide to do with the tube, it’s probably best to put it in the humidor either way. While the cap stops a lot of air getting in, it isn’t quite airtight, meaning that the cigar isn’t being humidified if it’s just left in the tube outside of a humidor.

One way around all of these variables is to keep the cigar within the tube, inside the humidor, but with the tube’s lid removed. This will protect the wrapper leaf from damage within your humidor, while still allowing humidified air to reach the cigar.

Tubes can be especially useful if you like to take a cigar with you when you go out and about. The tube protects the cigar if you are carrying it in your jacket pocket or bag. Tubed cigars can also be handy if you are travelling and do not have room to bring a travel humidor with you, as they are kept safe and fresh.

How Long Do Cigars Last in a Tube?

Cigars in a tube will stay fresh for a few days – perhaps up to a week or so – when removed from the humidor. A tubed cigar stays fresh for longer than a cigar not in a tube when taken out of your humidor. 

It is still recommended to keep your tubed cigars in a humidor, as you can keep them indefinitely this way. 

What do you do with your tubed cigars? Let us know in the comments and on social media.