What Happens If You Store the Same Cigar at 62%, 69% and 72% RH?
Ask three cigar enthusiasts for the perfect humidor humidity and you may receive three different answers.
Some prefer cigars relatively dry. Others stay close to the traditional 70% mark. Others deliberately push slightly higher because they prefer a softer cigar and slower burn.
Instead of debating it, there is a better approach:
Take identical El Septimo cigars and test the difference.
The Experiment
Choose cigars from the same box and randomly divide them between three controlled storage environments:
- Group A: 62% RH
- Group B: 69% RH
- Group C: 72% RH
Keep temperature identical across all three chambers. Use calibrated hygrometers and avoid opening one container more frequently than another.
The current El Septimo cigar collection includes several formats suitable for controlled comparisons. If using the currently listed El Septimo Coco, every test cigar should ideally come from the same box or production batch.
Why the Same Box Matters
Premium cigars naturally vary slightly because tobacco is an agricultural material and cigars are handmade.
If the 62% cigar comes from one box and the 72% cigar comes from another, you have introduced another variable.
The stronger design is:
Same cigar. Same box. Same temperature. Same storage period. Different RH.
Do Not Smoke Them After Two Days
The hygrometer can reach its target faster than the tobacco itself.
Cigars exchange moisture with their environment gradually. A meaningful comparison therefore needs enough conditioning time for the cigars to approach equilibrium rather than simply exposing them to three humidity readings briefly.
Humidity stability is also important. Research and practical humidor testing repeatedly emphasize that large fluctuations can themselves affect cigar storage, which would contaminate the experiment.
Before Smoking, Weigh Every Cigar
This is where the experiment becomes much more useful.
Use a precision scale and record the weight of every cigar before conditioning. Weigh them again immediately before tasting.
| Condition | Starting Weight | Final Weight | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62% RH | [DATA] | [DATA] | [DATA] |
| 69% RH | [DATA] | [DATA] | [DATA] |
| 72% RH | [DATA] | [DATA] | [DATA] |
The expectation is that moisture condition will influence cigar mass, but the actual numbers should be measured rather than assumed.
What Might 62% RH Change?
Lower-RH storage is popular among some collectors, particularly for aging. Cigar Aficionado has reported collectors deliberately maintaining long-term collections around 60% to 65% RH, while everyday smoking recommendations are commonly closer to 65% to 70%.
For our experiment, do not write that the 62% cigar will automatically be better.
Measure whether it shows:
- A firmer wrapper feel
- A more open draw
- Faster combustion
- Fewer relights
- A different smoke texture
- Different perceived aroma clarity
What About 69% RH?
Approximately 65% to 70% RH sits within commonly cited everyday cigar-storage ranges.
That makes 69% useful as the middle condition, not because it must win, but because it provides a conventional reference point against which the drier and wetter samples can be judged.
And 72% RH?
At higher humidity, tobacco may hold more moisture and feel softer. Some smokers prefer that condition.
Others find relatively wet cigars slower to combust or less open in the draw. Cigar Journal has specifically noted that at warmer temperatures, around 70% RH can leave cigars feeling too soft for some smokers, illustrating how temperature and humidity interact.
Again, that is a hypothesis to test rather than a conclusion to insert before the experiment.
Then Make the Smoking Blind
The smoker should not know which cigar came from which chamber.
Remove identifying humidity labels and replace them with random codes such as X, Q and M. Ideally, another person prepares the cigars so even the person conducting the tasting does not know the answer until the scorecards are complete.
This matters because telling someone, "This is the wet one," immediately creates expectations about draw, burn and flavor.
Measure Performance, Not Just Flavor
Record objective and subjective outcomes separately.
| Measurement | 62% | 69% | 72% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cigar weight | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
| Draw resistance | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
| Total smoking time | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
| Relights | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
| Burn corrections | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
| Smoke texture | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
| Flavor clarity | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
| Blind preference | [RESULT] | [RESULT] | [RESULT] |
Do Not Test Just One Cigar at Each RH
One cigar at 62%, one at 69%, and one at 72% makes an entertaining tasting, but it does not separate humidity effects from normal handmade-cigar variation.
A stronger experiment uses multiple cigars at every humidity level and several tasters.
Cigar Journal has previously used this type of controlled approach in storage experiments, including splitting identical cigars into differently stored groups and later presenting numbered cigars to panels of 45 testers.
El Septimo can adopt the same principle on a practical scale.
A Better El Septimo Test Protocol
- Use 9 to 18 cigars from the same box or batch.
- Assign equal numbers to 62%, 69% and 72% RH.
- Maintain the same temperature.
- Use calibrated sensors.
- Condition them for the same period.
- Record pre-test and post-test weights.
- Use identical cuts and lighting technique.
- Blind-code every cigar.
- Record burn corrections and relights.
- Reveal the RH only after scoring is complete.
The Result We Should Publish
Do not publish:
"69% is scientifically the perfect humidity."
The experiment cannot prove that universally.
Publish what actually happened:
"Our tasters preferred the 62% cigars, but the 69% group required fewer corrections."
Or:
"Nobody could reliably distinguish 69% from 72%."
Or even:
"The results were inconsistent."
An unexpected result makes the experiment more credible, not less.
Run Your Own Humidity Experiment in Dubai
El Septimo Dubai currently offers desktop, electronic and larger climate-control humidors, providing different approaches to managing a collection.
Step 1: Explore the cigar humidor collection in Dubai and the El Septimo cigar collection.
Step 2: For private tastings, VIP requirements, corporate gifting, or larger storage solutions, contact El Septimo Dubai through the website.
Final Thoughts
62%, 69% and 72% RH are not simply three numbers on a hygrometer.
Over sufficient time, they represent three different moisture environments for the same tobacco.
The interesting question is not which percentage cigar culture says should win.
It is whether smokers can actually feel, taste and measure the difference when everything else is controlled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 62% RH too dry for cigars?
Not automatically. Some experienced collectors deliberately store cigars around 60% to 65% RH, especially for aging. Whether you prefer smoking them at that condition is a separate question.
Is 69% RH ideal for cigars?
It sits within a commonly recommended everyday storage range, but there is no universal percentage that every cigar and every smoker must prefer.
Is 72% RH too wet?
Not necessarily, but cigars conditioned at higher RH may behave differently in softness, draw and combustion. Temperature also affects how a given RH condition influences tobacco.
How long should cigars stay at each humidity before testing?
Long enough for the tobacco to meaningfully acclimate and for the storage environment to remain stable. A short exposure only tests temporary air conditions, not properly conditioned cigars.
Why should the experiment be blind?
Knowing the humidity can create expectations. Blind coding makes it harder for the smoker to unconsciously search for the characteristics they expect from a drier or wetter cigar.
For adults 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.
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