Many cigars are sold in individual cellophane overwraps. Should I remove the cellophane prior to placing the cigars in my humidor? What about tubes and bands? Are cigars best stored “naked”?
A. Cellophane serves several purposes on a cigar—in states that require each cigar to have a warning label, it makes this notification much easier to accomplish, and it prevents damage to the cigars from excessive handling in cigar shops. But once you’ve bought the cigar and are placing it in your humidor, we recommend you remove the cellophane. Cellophane will prevent humidity from reaching the cigar, and you’ll find the cigars will respond to humidification better if the overwrap has been removed. The same holds true for cigar tubes, whether glass or aluminum; these tubes will completely close off a cigar to humidification if left on. However, if you intend to transport your cigars \(such as in a coat pocket\), it may be a good idea to keep a few tubes or cellophane overwraps handy to protect the cigars during transport.
As far as bands are concerned, it’s a matter of personal preference. Some people like to remove them, but when possible, we generally choose to keep the bands on \(outside of our tasting procedures, of course\). First, it makes identifying the cigars much easier, and it also prevents inadvertent damage to the cigar’s wrapper that can occur while removing the band.