good question. i can just speculate, not really give a definitive answer. D - all of the above. E- none of the above. lol
i think, an assumption, that there is better air circulation and therefore better moisture circulation without the cellophane. i also think the cedar and other cigars add to the environment like the oak wine barrel example i gave. but ultimately is was my experience storing 20 cigars for 4 or 5 years that convinced me to take them off, especially after reading some articles. the cellophane had turned yellow and the overall cigar quality was slightly poorer once i removed the wrappers and inspected the cigars. and when i smoked them they burned well, but had lost the flavors that were there when they were new. I actually took my 20 cigars in my tupperware container to a local cigar shop and got the manager to smoke a few of them and give me his opinion. he said the same. they smoked and burned really well, but they had lost a lot of their flavors. i'm really gentle with my cigars and monitor the RH daily and have increase air flow from 2 auxiliary fans i installed inside, so i get great airflow and now inconsistent dead humidity spots or elevated. i have 5 drawers that all have ventilation but there is usually 1-2% RH variance from the top drawer to the bottom. so in my unit there is constant air flow, circulation, and new air coming in through a Hepa Filter i designed and installed on the back. the cigars look great and as long as they are around 68%RH, i'm happy with the setup. i'll let you know in 10 years how they aged.
