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Last post 8 months ago by frankj1. 27 replies replies.
Vacation/ cooler advice please.
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Mraia Offline
#1 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 6:49 PM EST
Joined: 04-18-2019
Posts: 426
I have tupperdores in my 70 qt Coleman cooler that I keep a blue ice pack in to keep the temps down. Been working pretty well as the temp / RH in the individual tupperdore are hovering at 67-68 each.
I’m going away for a week and know the packs will melt. They are double bagged so I’m not too worried about it but I was wondering if there is any benefit to tossing 1 or 2 320 gram 65% Bovedas in the cooler just to keep condensation down. Will that work? Nothing I can do about the temp in the cooler after a few days of me being away but I want to do everything possible.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. It’s been a long few weeks dealing with the temps and I’m a little worried
Thanks
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#2 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 10:04 PM EST
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 4,145
I would pull the ice packs out before you leave and not worry about the cigars. They’re gonna be fine
Mraia Offline
#3 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 10:05 PM EST
Joined: 04-18-2019
Posts: 426
Thanks Jake. Makes sense
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#4 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 10:05 PM EST
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 4,145
I’d worry about doing more harm than good by letting ice packs in thaw inside your cooler due to the condensation you mentioned.
Stogie1020 Offline
#5 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 11:22 PM EST
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,344
You know this is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, right?
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#6 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 11:33 PM EST
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 4,145
^riiight though. Cigars are way tougher than some think
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#7 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 11:33 PM EST
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 4,145
I try to keep my smokes at 73 degrees because that’s where I’m comfortable
Palama Offline
#8 Posted: Sun, Aug 13 2023, 11:42 PM EST
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,703
Stogie1020 wrote:
You know this is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, right?


LOL
DrMaddVibe Offline
#9 Posted: Mon, Aug 14 2023, 7:22 AM EST
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,444
Jakethesnake86 wrote:
I would pull the ice packs out before you leave and not worry about the cigars. They’re gonna be fine



Exactly why I'd NEVER put them in my Cooleridor.

EVER.
Mraia Offline
#10 Posted: Mon, Aug 14 2023, 7:24 AM EST
Joined: 04-18-2019
Posts: 426
Relaxing hobby? Lol it will be once I stop obsessing over this bs
drglnc Offline
#11 Posted: Mon, Aug 14 2023, 8:06 AM EST
Joined: 04-01-2019
Posts: 715
Stop overthinking it...
Mraia Offline
#12 Posted: Mon, Aug 14 2023, 9:34 AM EST
Joined: 04-18-2019
Posts: 426
^1000% correct! I am trying desperately to just leave this crap alone! I’m getting OCD as I get older.
delta1 Offline
#13 Posted: Mon, Aug 14 2023, 1:25 PM EST
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,794
I've rarely been able to store my cigars at 70F, except during the cooler winter months when the ambient temperature in the house settles there, or sometimes in the 60's. My wife will warm the house to 68 if the interior temperature falls below. During the other months when the temperatures are warmer outside, my wife likes to cool the house to 78F.

Happy wife equals happy life...so my cigars live in temps between 68 - 78F. They don't seem to mind...

RH in my storage containers range between 60 to 68, depending on ambient RH, and whether or not I seal the tupperdors tightly. I often leave one of the 4 snap lid seals undone to allow a bit of airflow...again, my cigars seem OK with the variation...
Mraia Offline
#14 Posted: Mon, Aug 14 2023, 6:31 PM EST
Joined: 04-18-2019
Posts: 426
^ I think I’m overestimating how fragile these things are. In all the years of smoking I never gave a thought to temps. Now that I’ve heard about mold and beetles it’s a f$&@ing crisis.
I’m gonna take everyone’s good advice and just keep the Tupperware in the cooler…no ice packs just some 65% Bovedas in each tupp and be done with it!
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#15 Posted: Tue, Aug 15 2023, 6:26 PM EST
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 4,145
^ yeah. That’s what I’d do
Stogie1020 Offline
#16 Posted: Tue, Aug 15 2023, 11:46 PM EST
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,344
Yikes. You sure that's a good idea?
Palama Offline
#17 Posted: Wed, Aug 16 2023, 4:21 AM EST
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,703
Mraia wrote:
^ I think I’m overestimating how fragile these things are. In all the years of smoking I never gave a thought to temps. Now that I’ve heard about mold and beetles it’s a f$&@ing crisis.
I’m gonna take everyone’s good advice and just keep the Tupperware in the cooler…no ice packs just some 65% Bovedas in each tupp and be done with it!


Four out of 6 of my coolers are here in our house so temps are anywhere between 90F and, on a "cold" night, down to middle-ish 70s. And I also have 3 wood humidors and 2 small Tupperwares in our bedroom. I've never (...knock on wood...) had any problems with beetles or mold so yah, cigars are nowhere near as fragile as you've been recently (over)thinking.

R-E-L-A-X and keep your RH at 65-ish and you'll be fine. At some point in time your OCD will subside and you'll look back and LYAO thinking "What impelled me to be such a worrywart?" d'oh!
LeeBot Offline
#18 Posted: Wed, Aug 16 2023, 9:03 AM EST
Joined: 07-08-2020
Posts: 2,007
Stogie1020 wrote:
Yikes. You sure that's a good idea?

LOL

I wasn't going to say this because it's not a good idea, and I don't want to give the wrong impression, but I had cigars in my old house, without air conditioning, for more than a decade and never got beetles. Temps would regularly go into the 80s in the summer. It's not an automatic thing.

But I was lucky, and I would not recommend that. Now that I have more, and better, cigars, I keep the temps below 75 in the summer and freeze treat everything except what goes into my desktop, and I don't mix those with cigars in the other boxes.
Homebrew Offline
#19 Posted: Wed, Aug 16 2023, 11:31 PM EST
Joined: 02-11-2003
Posts: 11,885
To be honest, I had a 36 quart coolerdor, filled with single sticks, that I forgot about for over 5 years. I quit smoking cigarettes, and didn't want to turn my cigar hobby into a replacement addiction. I had 2 of the large 65% Boveda packs, and 1lbs of 65% Heartfelt beads in it. Earlier this year, I started smoking a cople of sticks a week, and found the coolerdor, in my storage room. I have smoked several, since the discovery, and they smoke amazingly. The Bovedas were still viable, and not a dried out stick in the bunch. So no, don't worry about it. Just keep the humidity under 70% and the heat reasonable. Mold will not form, at humidity levels below 70%.
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)Beer
thephenomenon Offline
#20 Posted: Sun, Aug 20 2023, 7:59 PM EST
Joined: 04-06-2018
Posts: 8
I am traveling also to the Keys. I usually, shrink wrap multiple five packs, put in freezer for 17-19 hours, then water bath in the shrink wrap for 2 hours. After that I room temp sit for 24 hours and pack in small coolidor with cedar slats and electronic mister I can hook up to battery outlet inside car. When i arrive I open coolidor and bring down to about 72 degrees of Vrbo house. I then unwrap shrink wrap and coolidor again for at least one night at ambient 72 degrees with cedar slats in. Next days I usually remove a cedar strip every night, and begin to smoke. if my trip is over 7 days I will water bath the slats, zip lock the cigars I have remaining and allow to float on a few inches of water and unwrap, and lay them on a towel so they dont touch the moistened slats. if I am running below 70 degrees I will put them near the AC intake indoors, coolidor open. If I can maintain 72 or so, I will usually just let them breathe in a dry ziplock, and submerge cool them in cool water for a few hours before smoking. I like my cigars on the wetter side so I sometimes move the coolidor or zips to bathroom and make sure I hot shower 2-3 times before cutting and testing a smoke. A little icy cooling gel on the the seam of the zip lock bags when I do the 2nd submerge helps, but can def use petroleum jelly or even toothpaste in a pinch. Remove an hour or so before smoking and keep near bathroom or AC intake if indoors.
Sunoverbeach Offline
#21 Posted: Sun, Aug 20 2023, 8:08 PM EST
Joined: 08-11-2017
Posts: 14,668
Holy crap Gonz

I used to obsess about storage conditions. Then I learned to chill
bencounter Offline
#22 Posted: Sun, Aug 20 2023, 8:50 PM EST
Joined: 07-07-2023
Posts: 204
thephenomenon wrote:
I am traveling also to the Keys. I usually, shrink wrap multiple five packs, put in freezer for 17-19 hours, then water bath in the shrink wrap for 2 hours. After that I room temp sit for 24 hours and pack in small coolidor with cedar slats and electronic mister I can hook up to battery outlet inside car. When i arrive I open coolidor and bring down to about 72 degrees of Vrbo house. I then unwrap shrink wrap and coolidor again for at least one night at ambient 72 degrees with cedar slats in. Next days I usually remove a cedar strip every night, and begin to smoke. if my trip is over 7 days I will water bath the slats, zip lock the cigars I have remaining and allow to float on a few inches of water and unwrap, and lay them on a towel so they dont touch the moistened slats. if I am running below 70 degrees I will put them near the AC intake indoors, coolidor open. If I can maintain 72 or so, I will usually just let them breathe in a dry ziplock, and submerge cool them in cool water for a few hours before smoking. I like my cigars on the wetter side so I sometimes move the coolidor or zips to bathroom and make sure I hot shower 2-3 times before cutting and testing a smoke. A little icy cooling gel on the the seam of the zip lock bags when I do the 2nd submerge helps, but can def use petroleum jelly or even toothpaste in a pinch. Remove an hour or so before smoking and keep near bathroom or AC intake if indoors.

Thanks for the advice, especially for a newer cigar smoker like myself, although this method does seem a bit intimidating
Palama Offline
#23 Posted: Sun, Aug 20 2023, 8:52 PM EST
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,703
thephenomenon wrote:
I am traveling also to the Keys. I usually, shrink wrap multiple five packs, put in freezer for 17-19 hours, then water bath in the shrink wrap for 2 hours. After that I room temp sit for 24 hours and pack in small coolidor with cedar slats and electronic mister I can hook up to battery outlet inside car. When i arrive I open coolidor and bring down to about 72 degrees of Vrbo house. I then unwrap shrink wrap and coolidor again for at least one night at ambient 72 degrees with cedar slats in. Next days I usually remove a cedar strip every night, and begin to smoke. if my trip is over 7 days I will water bath the slats, zip lock the cigars I have remaining and allow to float on a few inches of water and unwrap, and lay them on a towel so they dont touch the moistened slats. if I am running below 70 degrees I will put them near the AC intake indoors, coolidor open. If I can maintain 72 or so, I will usually just let them breathe in a dry ziplock, and submerge cool them in cool water for a few hours before smoking. I like my cigars on the wetter side so I sometimes move the coolidor or zips to bathroom and make sure I hot shower 2-3 times before cutting and testing a smoke. A little icy cooling gel on the the seam of the zip lock bags when I do the 2nd submerge helps, but can def use petroleum jelly or even toothpaste in a pinch. Remove an hour or so before smoking and keep near bathroom or AC intake if indoors.


Imagine if this guy and the Cohiba Robusto guy got together to write reviews!?!? Gonz
LeeBot Offline
#24 Posted: Sun, Aug 20 2023, 9:09 PM EST
Joined: 07-08-2020
Posts: 2,007
^I don't want to hear about somebody shrink wrapping their boner.
frankj1 Offline
#25 Posted: Sun, Aug 20 2023, 9:44 PM EST
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,221
he's kidding.
Sunoverbeach Offline
#26 Posted: Sun, Aug 20 2023, 11:12 PM EST
Joined: 08-11-2017
Posts: 14,668
So he does want to hear Bout somebody shrink wrapping their boner?
frankj1 Offline
#27 Posted: Mon, Aug 21 2023, 12:08 PM EST
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,221
Doh!
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