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cigar humidors
howdy folks,
i've been enjoying cigars for a few months now. almost always i go down to the local cigar shop and pick out what i want from their large room full of boxex in their humidor room. then head back out to the main lobby area and sit down on one of their couches or many old barber chairs in front of the TV and watch the college games/pro games/ golf whatever happens to be on. its been very enjoyable way to get out of the apartment, get away from the wife and go enjoy a game with some buddies here and there.
lately i've been picking up an extra 1 or 2 cigars for back home during the week if i know i have a rough week coming up that won't afford me the luxury of heading over after work. however, i don't have a humidor at my place to keep the waiting cigars in. on top of this, i've been thinking about ordering a bit larger quantity of cigars online to drop my cost basis down. they are not cheap around these parts! sheesh.
so what exactly should i be looking for in a humidor? there are a bunch on ebay but i can't really tell if any are better then the rest. i don't need a super large one, i was thinking either 25 or 50count would be plenty sufficient. could someone who's knowledgable in the area point me to a good place to buy a smaller humidor or give me some specifics on what to get or not to get, please.
thanks much,
~Jared
ps. i've been loving the Ashton's lately but i like a bit of variety, so i usually mix it up with Partagas', Rocky Patel's, and if the place has some of the Punch Rare Carojo's ill have one here or there. if anyone is really in love with a medium bodied brand let me know so i can give it a try!
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A tupperware container with a small hole punched in the top (to let it breath) will work. Put a bit of damp paper towel in a freezer bag and put some salt on it (to keep it from molding) and leave the freezer bag unzipped. Toss your cigars in and you're good to go. If you've got propylene glycol you can use that instead of salt, it works better but you've got salt in your kitchen.
Traditional cedar humidors aren't that expensive nowadays, but they do require a few weeks of stabilization before you can put cigars in them -- you fill the humidifier and close the lid and wait for the cedar to absorb the moisture like a sponge. After a week or two you can put cigars in there; the cedar and propylene glycol act like a buffer to keep the humidity level stable.
I've got a small 36-cigar box that's mostly filled with Partagas, Arturo Fuente, Butera, and Cuesta Rey.
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I thought I'll share some wisdom here reading the title of the thread but mparker762 really left nothing to say - great advice!
Cheers
Ivo
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Holts Cigar, JR, Thompson and maybe some others give away humidor's sometimes with the purchase of a box of cigars........
Lynn
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I've got a little cheapie from Thompson's that my wife got for me a few years ago. It came with a nice sampler pack of some of the upscale cigars. Nice little humidor and a great way to try out some new cigars.
-Pary
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Jared:
You might find more answers at:
http://www.jrcigar.com/index.cfm?page=cigar_university
I started out with Rubbermaid containers, quickly moved up to coolers and have been happy with my 'fridgeador' for a few years now. (It's a defunct 22 cu. ft. refrigerator with good seals that a local appliance dealer was happy to give me.) Good luck with trying to keep your purchases down. You might also want to check out some of the cigar forums for sampler deals (I frequent herfersparadise.net myself).
Wayne
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I have two. My dad gave be both. One was a 25 count that came with cigars in it. The other is a 100 or 150 I believe (birthday present). I like having two, I keep the flavored ones in the small one and the non flavored in the large one. It is a bit big, but it was a gift.
My Dad buys a lot from JR's and Thompson as well. He also uses a cooler in the basement for his overflow from time to time.
So you could start with a 25 for very low cost now, and use it later on even if you upgrade.
One of my co-workers buys a lot of cigars off of auction sites, I don't know what the address are, but they are pretty cheap FWIW.
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A lot of good advice here. Cigars is something I know about as opposed to shaving with a straight razor.
I would not buy an humidor from e-bay. I have never heard of anyone getting a good one from them. I am sure there are some but I would steer clear. You say you only pick up 1-2 at a time to bring home. My guess is that they put them in a plastic bag with some type of sealing device. If you keep them closed a cigar can spend a long time in them without drying out. I have stored cigars in bags like this for months with no problem. Keeping the humidity around a cigar near 70% is the key. A small tupperware container will work well too. Your cigar store will sell humi packs or something similar. Wet one of them and put it in the tupperware and you will be fine. If you are storing for extended periods of time you should open the tupperware and rearrange them so they dont get soft spots.
Unless you are planning on storing a lot of cigars a humidor is not necessary. I guess that depends on whether you are a cigar smoker or a cigar collector. I know people with over 500 cigars in their humidors. I humidor with only 2-3 cigars can be a problem too. The Spanish cedar walls can dry out as well as your cigars. Its much easier to keep the humidity at 70% when a humidor is at least half full than almost empty.
Check out this site for tons of great information.
http://cigar-review.com/index.php
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MParker is right. A tupperware canister is all you need to start with. If you really want something to invest in, you may want to consider something a little more precise that a wet tissue in a baggy for your humidification system. Do a google search on Boveda Humidification packs. They come in 65%, 69% and 72% packs and they automatically control the humidity level in your container (ie. they provide humidity when the RH falls below the set point and they absorb humidity when the RH goes above the set point). Amazing little crystals in a bag. You can even lay cigars on top of the bags with no danger to your cigar stash. Each pack last about 3 months and they are really very reasonably priced. You can get them at most cigar shops. Good luck with your new hobby.
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All the advice above is good. With cigar storage, the basic principles are a closed space, a source of humidity, and no off-flavors or aromas. Whether you about it in a low-tech way or a high-tech way makes no difference. You can even use a slice of raw potato for humidity (but not a slice of apple or pear). You can also buy what's called a "credo" in your cigar shop. But don't think the fact that it's designed for this purpose means that it's automatically calibrated; proper humidification depends on the size of the container, the number of the cigars, etc.
There's a right amount of humidity, and some people buy aggrometers, even fancy digital ones, to ensure this. But with practice and attention you'll know a cigar has been stored w/the right amount of humidity by the way it smokes and the way it feels in the hand. These are the real tests; the rest is just technique, and I assure you it's less complicated than straight-razor shaving. If the draw is tight and the smoke slightly acrid, it's too humid. If the draw is lush and the smoke a little hot, the cigar is too dry. A properly stored cigar will give a little when you squeeze it, i.e. not be brittle; but neither should it be spongy – there ought to be a little bit of 'crackle'. Within those poles there's a window of preference, depending on whether you like a lush or firm draw and whether you want to fill your living room with cumulus clouds, say, or cirrus.
Two other principles:
1. A cigar that's been stored a little too dry or too humid can be corrected, just don't move too swiftly between extremes -- this can cause swelling, cracking, draw problems, etc.
2. Never, ever, ever put a half-smoked cigar back in a humidor (whether a 'real' humidor or makeshift). It'll quickly ruin your other cigars and possibly the humidor as well.
