WRAPPERS ON OR OFF?

Daily I get asked, "Should I remove the wrapper from my new cigars before I store them in my humidor?" The simple answer: It doesn't matter.

You may think that the plastic prevents the cigar from getting humidity, but they won't. The cellophane is used to prevent the cigars from being damaged, and it also deters against flavors mixing. But what many people don't know is that cellophane is actually a porous material, so it allows humidity to pass through it.

Want an example? Take a cigar in the wrapper and leave it outside your humidor for a week. You might as well throw it away, because it'll be ruined. The wrapper didn't hold in the humidity; it did nothing at all, really. So it isn't hard to see how the wrapper doesn't really affect the humidity of the cigar.

It comes down to personal preference. Some people like them on; some people like them off. The advantage of keeping them on is that your cigar flavors won't mingle as much, though you probably won't notice unless you're an expert. It also is great to cut your cigars with the wrappers on, as it keeps the blade clean and sharp much longer.