The Naked Truth on Cellophane
Take it off?
Or leave it on?
What should you do with the cellophane wrap you’ll find on many cigars? And why is the wrap there in the first place? Let’s start with why it is there and dispell some myths at the same time.
First, if you think that cellophane is any indication of the quality of the cigar — either good or bad — then you’re wrong. You’l find some very expensive sticks individually wrapped, but you’ll find some cheap ones dressed up that way as well.
Second, you’ll often hear that keeping the cellophane on in the humidor protects the cigars from tobacco beetles. That isn’t totally true. While it does provide an additional barrier, the pinhead-sized pests are perfectly capable of eating their way through the cellophane wrappers. Many cigar aficionados have found that out to their dismay. In fact, tobacco beetles have been known to eat their way through metal foil.
Third, cellophane is not air and moisture proof, contrary to what many people believe. An additional coating has to be applied to cellophane in order to make it impermeable to air and water, and cigar cellophane lacks that coating. Cellophane slows, but does not stop, loss of aroma, flavor and moisture in a cigar.
The cellophane wrapper does serve a couple of very practical purposes however. It protects the cigar during shipping and handling, preventing tears, bruises or other damage. It also helps to shield the cigar from humidity changes during the trip from the manufacturer to the humidor at your local tobacco shop, and from the shop to your own humidor at home. Finally, in states that require each individual cigar to carry a health warning lable, it provides an easy way to apply that warning lable without damaging the cigar.
So, what about after you get the cigar home?
That is really up to you. Those who advocate taking the cellophane off before storing cigars in a humidor believe that it will allow a better circulation and better humidification, and allow the cigars to age better. To some extent, that is true, but remember that cellophane isn’t a perfect barrier against moisture and humidity.
Just try leaving a cellophane-wrapped stick out of a humidor for a few days if you doubt this and see how smokeable it is.
Those who recommend keeping the cellophane on in the humidor say that it helps prevent mixing of flavors and aromas of different cigars stored together. There is some truth to that as well, but again because cellophane isn’t a perfect barrier it won’t prevent mixing over a long storage period.
Some feel that the cellophane, left on, also provides a barrier against infestation by tobacco beetles. I have not found that to be true. The little devils seem to have no problems burrowing through the protective film to get to the cigars inside.
I do find one argument in favor of keeping the cellophane on, advanced by Hong Kong cigar aficionado and collector Min Ron Nee, noted author of An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars, especially persuasive. He says that as oil leaches out of the cigar, coating and coloring the cellophane wrapper over a long period of time, it seals in the flavor and provides an ideal environment for the cigar to age. That has been my experience as well.
Mostly, however,this comes down to how long the cigars are going to be stored and under what conditions. If you are looking at short-term storage of one kind of cigar for a few weeks to a few months, then removing the cellophane wrappers can help mellow the cigars, and speed the aging process. However, if you have a lot of different cigar brands and varieties in one humidor, you may not want that to happen and in that case leave the cellophane on.
The most important thing is to store your cigars in a good humidor. The rest is a matter of individual preference and your own experience.
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