Cigars are works of art.
It’s not hard to agree with the above sentence when someone just puts it out there the way it is, like in this article. The problem is, we need to forget this when it comes time to store these works of art, and in the process we also forget about how much we paid for them. Truly great cigars make for a wonderful experience when you finally get to enjoy them, but they don’t come cheap, not at all. Thats why you need a humidor to protect your investment.
This is why anybody who is into cigars in any way shape or form needs to get a proper humidor to protect that art and protect that investment the way it needs to be protected.
Types Of Humidors:
Humidors range in size and type quite widely. In size, you can have anything from a little 5-cigar box or even a tube for travelling, all the way up to what amounts to basically a walk-in closet with tightly controlled humidity and temperature capable of storing thousands upon thousands of cigars for decades. In between these options, you will find cabinet humidors or other types of furniture humidors. Some humidors have a very elegant and practical coffee table type of design. Furniture humidors hold typically anywhere from 1000 to 5000 cigars.
Aside from their size, there are three basic types of humidors: Wood, glass or acrylic, and metal. Wood of course is the classic style for a humidor, and it is also by far the most common. Among the wooden humidors, Spanish cedar is a clear favorite, as it naturally helps regulate humidity, doesn’t warp in humid conditions, and also naturally repels insects which can devastate a cigar collection, causing untold amounts of damage.
Build Your Own Humidor:
Building your own humidor is not as hard as it sounds. Even the most basic DIY-friendly person can do this and it’s not expensive at all, with costs typically coming in at around $25. This can actually be a fun and worthy project for you and a great conversation piece every time you pull it out.
We even already have the instructions on how to build a humidor, so you don’t have to go looking around the internet for them. So there really are no excuses for you being able to properly protect your precious cigars from the ravages of just leaving them anywhere.
What If You Are Travelling?
Believe it or not, travelling with cigars does not mean you have to subject yourself to the vagaries of letting your cigars get crushed or having they dry out on you. There are a lot of options for travelling with cigars, from simple cases made of Spanish cedar for the shorter trips, to portable humidors which can in some cases hold up to 50+ cigars.
We have a complete run-down on how to properly travel with cigars, which contains all the information you may need. Once again, there are no excuses for not doing things properly and in a gentlemanly way. Cigars need proper preservation wherever they may go, and it’s not that difficult, really.
Don’t Be Afraid To Buy More Humidors:
One of the best things to do is to avoid the larger types of humidors completely, and just buy multiple smaller ones. This allows for storing different kinds of cigars separately so that they maintain their unique flavors and don’t impregnate each other as over time. There are separators for the larger humidors, but there’s nothing better than total isolation. This is also obviously a much more scalable solution than going full-bore and building a room as a humidor.
Other Advice And Tips:
-Don’t let the humidity get too high. Anything over 72% can run you the risk of the cigars deteriorating from excess humidity, which can be even worse than having them dry out. Also, the cigar beetle becomes an exponentially greater problem above 72% humidity.
-There are many ways to humidify the interior of a humidor, but one of the best is humidity beads. These are super convenient and easy to implement. You shower them with distilled water and then put them in the humidor. After a month or so has passed, they will change color and you will know that it’s time to water them again. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
-Check your seal and make sure it doesn’t get compromised. Most commercial humidors, in fact all but the cheapest ones, will offer a guarantee on their seal, but don’t just take their word for it with your cigars at stake.
-Humidors often come with hygrometers which give you a readout on the humidity level inside. It’s almost always a great idea, however, to purchase your own high-quality hygrometer and monitor your humidors regularly with it. Pro tip: despite the fact that cigars are such a time-honored tradition, in the case of hygrometers, digital is definitely better than analog, as it is much much more accurate.
-Try not to unduly move the humidor(s) around too much. Obviously you have to when travelling, but when at home, keep the humidors in the same place.
-Corollary to this, don’t unduly open and close the humidors. Open it to take a cigar out, and close it immediately. Locks on humidors are very good things for this reason as well; even if you trust people around you, it’s a good idea to keep the cigars away from the curious..
-Even if your cigars haven’t moved, be mindful of the changes of the seasons and how it can affect the conditions in your house. This can still have some effect on humidors, which, after all, are still not perfect systems. Check the humidors every time the weather turns.
Keeping in mind everything we have discussed in this article, you should be able to have a lifetime of enjoyment of fine cigars with very little effort. We hope that this hobby brings you as much pleasure as possible.