If there is one very common question posed by those who enjoy buying and smoking high-quality cigars it is “Do you remove the plastic wrapper when storing in a humidor?” Unfortunately, this is a question that doesn’t have an authoritative answer. Many experts would simply reply that it is a matter of preference, but there are some benefits in choosing to use the humidor AND leaving the cigars in their wrappers while inside the well controlled environment.

Let’s first look at cigar wrappers in general and understand how they can be of tremendous benefit to a true aficionado. Firstly, they are made of a material known as cellophane. This has the feel of traditional plastic, with the great exception that it is actually a porous or breathable material. Cellophane can prevent the actual wrapper or leaf of the cigar from sustaining damages, and will also deliver a host of other beneficial services. For instance, if you leave a cigar in its wrapper outside of a controlled-environment it will go stale and be completely ruined in only a matter of days. This is because the air and moisture of the environment can travel in an out of the pores of the wrapper and leave it open to flavor and moisture loss unless it is put into a humid and controlled environment.

Next, cellophane may allow air and moisture to readily transfer away from or directly into the cigar, but it does impact the transfer of scents and flavors too. This means that you will be able to limit the amount of flavor mixtures that would occur inside the box were the wrappers removed. While some experts point out that you would have to be extremely knowledgeable about cigars to notice any transfers, it is still not worth the risk of ruining an expensive box of cigars due to one overpowering scent tainting them all.

So, leaving a cigar in its cellophane wrapping protects it from harm, reduces the amount of flavor that is exchanged with neighboring cigars, and it also preserves the life of the cigar cutter blades. That’s right; when someone keeps their cigars in their wrappers during the cutting process the blades stay a bit cleaner and sharper, enjoying a significantly longer life span.

This all adds up to a somewhat clear-cut answer, which is to opt for leaving the cigar in its original cellophane wrapper whether it remains in the box in which it was purchased or in a climate controlled environment instead.