Cigar Humidors - How to Select One
Humidors. Every cigar smoker, whether seasoned aficionado or new to the pleasure of stogies, understands they are a worthwhile investment. But why? What exactly is the purpose of the humidor? What kind do you need? Do you need more than one? Here we provide a brief summary of humidors, what they do and why you should have at least one.
What Are Cigar Humidors?
In most basic terms, a cigar humidor is a storage device typically made out of wood. It's responsible for providing and maintaining the most optimal level of humidity for your cigars so they don't go dry or become overly moist over time.
There are many different types of cigar humidors. On our website, you'll find five different types, including humidor cabinets, desktop humidors, electric humidors, furniture humidors, and travel humidors.
What Makes a Good Humidor?
There are several factors that differentiate good humidors from their subpar counterparts. The first and arguably most important one is the accuracy and reliability of the humidification system. It's essential that your favorite cigars are always stored in the most optimal environment, or too much moisture or dryness can make them go bad.
Another important factor that separates a good humidor from a bad one is the seal and airtightness it provides. When you have a tightly sealed humidor, the outside humidity levels won't affect the cigars that you're storing within. Other factors that indicate a humidor is of good quality include:
- The materials it is made out of
- Its size and capacity
- Ease of use
- Ventilation
- Appearance and craftsmanship
Types of Cigar Humidors
Depending on your lifestyle, cigar collection, and budget - you may prefer a certain type of humidor to the other. Let's have a look at some popular humidor categories.
Humidor Cabinets
Have more than a handful of cigars to store? A cigar humidor cabinet is the perfect solution for people who have or plan on having hundreds or even thousands of cigars at any one time. As the name suggests, this type of humidor is a cabinet the size of a wardrobe, allowing you to have all the shelves, drawers, and capacity you need to store your collection of fine tobacco products.
Desktop Humidors
A desktop humidor is designed to sit on a desk, table, or shelf without causing any obstruction. This type of humidor can typically hold anywhere from 20 to 100 cigars at any one time. It's a fantastic choice for personal use and can certainly add a touch of class to your space.
Electric Humidors
An electric cigar humidor is a good choice if you prefer a more automated approach to taking care of your cigars. This type of humidor connects to your electricity grid and allows you to adjust the inside conditions and monitor them via a digital display.
Furniture Humidors
Looking for a convenient way to store your cigars without having them out in the open? One great way to do that is to go for a furniture humidor, which looks just like any old piece of furniture you'll see in the average American home.
Our furniture humidors can help you store anywhere from 300 all the way to 1,500 cigars at any one time. So, for most cigar lovers out there, this type of capacity will be sufficient.
Travel Humidors
Fancy bringing a selection of your fine quality cigars while on holiday or a business trip? A cigar travel humidor can make that possible without being a hassle to carry around or putting the quality of your cigars at risk.
On our site, you'll find a wide selection of travel cigar humidors that range in size. Whether you want to bring five, twelve, or 60 cigars with you, we've got a travel humidor cigar box that can help you make that happen.
How to Select the Right Cigar Humidor
To select the right cigar humidor, it's essential to take your current and future cigar needs into consideration. If you only plan on storing a handful of cigars at any one time, there is no point in investing in a large cigar humidor. On the flip side, if you're an avid cigar smoker and plan on aging some of your favorite cigars, then having more space is always a good idea.
If you're the type of person that enjoys premium cigars, you shouldn't make any compromises. In such a case, you should go with a humidor that not only provides a tight seal (to keep moisture level and tobacco beetles at bay) but also has Spanish cedar lining. Besides the above, you also want to pick a cigar humidor that matches your aesthetic needs and the level of involvement you want to have in taking care of your cigars.
Do you want minimal involvement and a modern-looking humidor? Go for an electric one. Or perhaps you want that antique look and to be heavily involved in taking care of your cigars? Consider a furniture humidor.
The Most Popular Ways to Maintain Humidity
There are several ways in which cigar humidors maintain humidity. Let's have a look at some of the most popular ones.
Foam
Foam is the most popular humidification method. Almost every modern cigar humidor you buy will come with a humidification system that's made of foam. The main reason why foam is so popular is because it absorbs the distilled water you pour over it and releases it slowly over time. All you need to do is refill it with water once or twice a month, and your cigars will be in tip-top condition.
Humidipaks
Using Humidipaks is the most convenient and hassle-free way of maintaining the right humidity level for your cigars. These packs can add or withdraw humidity from your humidor as you see fit. And best of all, you don't need to add any water to them. Simply replace them every couple of months. What's more, is that they can either sit alongside your cigars or be placed in a holder.
Crystal Gel
If you're looking for a hands-off approach to maintaining humidity, using crystal gel is a great idea. If you choose to take this approach, you will need to check the hygrometer from time to time as they can lose their vigor within the space of a year.
Silica Beads
If you live in a humid part of the country, silica beads are excellent as they absorb moisture extremely well. With that said, it's important not to rely on silica beads alone if you live in an area with low humidity levels.
Electronic Humidifiers
Electronic humidifiers are another fantastic and very convenient way to maintain the same level of humidity within your humidor. They are particularly great as they have sensors that can detect the humidity within the humidor. And should the cigars require more or less moisture, the humidor will take care of that for you automatically.
Cigar Humidor FAQs
After almost 10 years in business, we have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions below.
Do Humidors Make Cigars Better?
Since cigars are extremely sensitive to humidity and temperature, placing your cigar in a controlled environment (a humidor) can certainly make a big difference in the flavor and aroma that you experience when you light it up. If you let a cigar sit outside of a humidor, it will either dry out or become overly moist, neither of which is going to provide you with the best smoking experience.
So to answer the question, while the humidor won't make your cigar better than it could possibly be, it will preserve its initial quality. So, when you light it up, it smells and tastes exactly as it is supposed to.
How Long Can You Keep a Cigar in a Humidor?
Generally speaking, you can leave a cigar in a humidor anywhere from a few months up to a few years. The range is so great because each cigar has different needs, and no two types of humidors are the same. The exact duration that you can keep your cigars in your humidor will depend on a few factors, including:
- The initial quality of the cigar
- The humidity and temperature within the humidor
- The quality of the seal of the humidor itself
Lower-quality cigars typically don't need to be stored for a long time as their flavor or aroma won't change much. On the other hand, much like wine, premium quality cigars are much better suited for longer-term storage as many cigar smokers like to age them.
Can I Store Different Types of Cigars in the Same Humidor?
In theory, it is possible. In practice, it's not recommended. If you decide to store several different types of cigars in the same humidor, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. The first, and arguably most important, is that the flavors of the cigars may start to mix over time.
This happens when you store cigars with distinct flavors and strong aromas with cigars that are milder. And though this process doesn't happen overnight, if you store different types of cigars together for months and years, you will definitely experience the flavor mixing phenomenon. To prevent that from happening, store each type of cigar in a different divider within the humidor.
How Many Cigars Can a Humidor Store at Once?
The number of cigars a humidor can carry at any given time depends on the type and size of the humidor you're looking at. When you browse through this page, you'll find a cigar humidor for sale of almost every size you can think of. So whether you're after a small cigar humidor that can hold as few as five cigars or a large cigar humidor cabinet, chances are that we have exactly what you're looking for.
Do Cigar Humidors Smell?
No, there are no cigar humidors that give off a strong smell that can become problematic. For example, if your cigar humidor is made out of the typical Spanish Cedar wood, you’ll notice that it has a very mild aroma and is not strong.
And, if your cigar humidor is made out of Mahogany, Okoume, or any other wood for that matter, there won’t be any smell at all. So, rest assured that neither your cigars nor your room will be affected by the smell of your cigar humidor.
