My dear friend, Unco B (Brendan Delumpa) tackled this chicken and the egg dilemma.

Quotes from his post:

“There’s a familiar notion in cigar culture that removing the cellophane allows cigars to age faster. I’ve never been convinced by that explanation.”

“There are plenty of practical reasons to use cellophane. It protects the wrapper during handling and transport, provides a barrier between the cigar and customers’ fingers, and gives retailers somewhere to put a barcode. “

“Its influence on development takes a little more explaining. A cigar might retain more of its original aroma, acquire characteristics from its surroundings, or become noticeably milder.”

“A 1994 packaging study demonstrated this behavior experimentally. Water vapor passed readily through the tested cellophane, while very little of the aroma compound being tested made it through. That helps explain why a cigar can respond to the humidity in your humidor while retaining more of its own aroma inside the sleeve.”

If you’d like to read the entire article, click “To Cello or Not to Cello.”

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS