A cigars humidor is primarily a humidity-controlled room or box for keeping or storing cigars or pipe tobacco. This is to ensure it maintains a constant, steady, desirable moisture content level inside the cigar and the tobacco in particular. This preserves the tobacco’s flavour and freshness.
Moisture and humidity
After manufacturing and when it is shipped out of the factory, it has a 12% -15% moisture content. You would like to smoke your cigar with that richness and taste. Then the cigars must have the same level of moisture.
When you smoke, the cigars burn and release sugars and essential oils stored in the tobacco leaves. They blend with the smoke, which is what your tobacco taste as you draw in your smoke.
If you are an avid cigars smoker you must understand the role humidity and moisture interplays if you want to enjoy a good smoke. Good smoke entails the subtle interplay between the oil, the sugars and the tobacco in the cigar all of which whether the cigar is too damp or too dry. Hence. the selection of good quality humidor only will guarantee you that every time you light up you will enjoy the good taste.
Small cigar humidor, large cigar humidor
Too much or too little humidity causes tobacco products damage. Also keeping it in a humidor helps protects its contents from deterioration from sunlight. For home consumption, a small wooden box, cabinet humidor or tabletop humidor is sufficient to keep a few cigars whereas if you are a collector or cigar distributors may require a bigger box or temperature-controlled walk-in rooms.
The optimum measurement amount of humidity and water vapour is measured by an instrument called a Hygrometer. A hygrometer is a device to measure and shows the readings of humidity levels. You can either buy your humidor with the hygrometer or without it. It would be much more expensive to buy it separately.
Rotate your cigars in your humidor?
Remember size matters when it comes to choosing a humidor. If it is too small, it will force the cigars to cram together and it will affect the overall flavour. Remember to rotate your cigars in your humidor to prevent one side from being overly exposed to the humidity than other. If it is too big, you are not maximizing the whole space hence the extra humidity will be absorbed by the cigars causing a worse humidity condition.
Typically, a humidor is made of wood. Other materials used include polyethene, silicon carbide and carbon fibre. The main purpose is to protect cigars from exposure to the external environment. A pleasing casing which is airtight is sufficient.
Think Portability – Is a cigar box a humidor?
When you travel frequently and you don’t have a large collection of cigars you do not opt for a larger humidor like a walk-in model or a cabinet. You would choose a portable one!
These portable humidors are small, lightweight and best of all it can be carried around anywhere. Even though you might have a full-sized humidor at home, it is practical to own one if you like travelling. A cigar box is also a humidor.
Spanish cedar, Why Store Cigars In A Wooden Humidor?
If the interior is a veneer of Spanish cedar, a species of the tree known as Cedrela odorata is used, the
- Moisture retention – it can retain more moisture than most woods, so it can maintain humidity. It”s a perfect environment for storing your favourite cigars. It offers the best insulation so far and by far the most expensive.
- Warp-proof – Most woods are prone to warp or cupping in high humidity, but Spanish cedar won’t.
- Wrap in Spanish cedar – just as it imparts its aroma to cigars, wrapping them in Spanish cedar sheets before they are sold enhances its favour.
- Optimum temperature – Spanish-cedar wood repels tobacco beetles and other pinhead-sized pests. Once they lay eggs and caused infestation they can ruin the entire stocks of cigars, by eating the tobacco. These pests strive when the temperature gets hotter than 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). It is of utmost importance to know the optimum temperature you should keep your humidor.
- Know your wood – The type of wood you choose will have a direct correlation to the humidor’s ability to retain temperature and humidity.
Tip
Other wood like Mahogany is a fine wood but over time it cannot offer protection from tobacco beetles and worms as compared to Spanish Cedar is used.
How to maintain your humidor
Your brand-new humidor needs to be seasoned before use or when not in use regularly. If you use an unseasoned wood humidor it will tend to absorb moisture. If cigars are put inside it will absorb the moisture from the cigar drying out the cigars. Initially, in a box humidor, you placed the hygrometer inside together with a bowl of distilled water for seasoning.
Find a suitable humidor that can constantly keep the air moist. Moist air keeps the cigars moist. Without a good humidor, cigars will quickly lose their moisture content within days.
Optimum Humidity
You will find the ideal relative humidity in a humidor to be around 68-72% but it should never go higher than 75% when the tobacco beetles will hatch their eggs. The ideal temperature should be 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) maximum. Ideally, we suggest using a digital hygrometer and thermometer for better control over the relative temperature inside your humidor.
Humidity levels tend to vary, just ensure you check on it at least every two weeks. If it drops to 65%, it’s time to add more PG Solution or distilled water to the humidor.
Most humidifying elements are passive
What do you mean they are passive? They release stored humidity through diffusion and evaporation without any activity involved. By using the recommended replenishing agent (propylene glycol) and distilled water, it can build up a buffer of 70% on air humidity.
Electronic humidifiers
Electronics humidifiers can maintain more stability in their humidity than that passive humidors. If the level of humidity level reached the preset level it stops the ventilator, just like a thermostat used in the refrigerator, the fans turn off.
You have to check and refill the water reservoirs every month and replaced them every 6-9 months. The buzzer has a warning light and the buzzer when off when the water cartridge needs to be refilled.
Likewise, when it drops below the set level it triggers the sensor. The sensor measures the humidity outside and then activates a ventilator, which blows air over-saturated sponge into the humidor. Clevelander Electric Cigar Cooler Cabinet Humidor – Stainless Steel Door Shop at Walmart
Silica gel and bead-based humidor
You are familiar with silica gel beads. It removes moisture from the food or electronic equipment from package containers. These contain mineral salt which absorbs or releases humidity, providing a buffering effect on relative humidity. This crystal gel-based humidor turns
In a Bead-based humidor, the beads absorb or release moisture depending on the humidity level of your humidor. You have to charge with distilled water and refilled once every 2-4 weeks. These beads are clear when wet, and opaque when dry. So wet them down when you can’t see through the beads.
Beads are very lasting and hardy and they do not lose their ability to absorb water over time but they do absorb from the cigars. Some claimed they do not need to be changed for 3-4 years!
Temperature
As mentioned above, tobacco pests strive when the temperature gets hotter than 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). It is of utmost importance to know the optimum temperature you should keep your humidor. Placed your humidor away from direct sunlight. Your humidor’s surface should be dried and make sure it doesn’t drip water.
How long do cigars last in a humidor?
The only way cigars would go stale is if they are not properly stored. It will begin to lose its nicotine content and flavour in about 2 months. It will take forever, is a lost, gone cause, even if you have the best humidor.
However, cigars would last decades and still be ready to enjoy your smoke if it is properly stored.
Keep in mind if cigars are kept in a humidor for a long time, the flavour profile will change but mostly changed for the better.
So the next time you are in a cigar shop, you think the cigars might have gone stale in the humidor for a long time, they probably got better. Before arriving at the cigar shop, probably they would have aged considerably during their stay at the warehouse. Berkeley Glass Top Cigar Humidor w/External Hygrometer – Cherry Finish Shop at Walmart
What is the best cigar humidor?
The final consideration before you go out to buy your humidor – is how does your humidor going to perform in the long run. Acrylic Jar Cigar Humidor w/ Humidifier – Capacity: 25 Shop at Walmart
Your humidor should not fail in your model’s design in every aspect from the cover, hinges, seal, the wood. Tight seals
Burl Window Top 3 Drawer 75+ CT Cigar Humidor Shop at Walmart
One Final thought
A good quality humidor, one that is properly constructed to last for years doesn’t come cheap. If cheap and you are on a budget, it is probably because they are cheaply made and unreliable. Regent Glass Top Cigar Humidor w/ 3 Drawers – Dark Mahogany Finish Shop at Walmart
If the price is downright cheap, it is a sign the humidor is fake. Don’t let the too-good-to-be-true price fool you. They probably don’t perform much to your expectation and you are wasting your money, and you have to buy another one later.
The good ones are made from Spanish cedar, would it makes sense for the manufacturers to sell them for a low price?
Choosing a Cigars Humidor – Are You Making the Right choice?
Hey, you might be interested to purify the air after all the smoke.
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