Thread: 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!

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.

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

Holts Cigar, JR, Thompson and maybe some others give away humidor's sometimes with the purchase of a box of cigars........

Lynn

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

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

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.