I took the first step towards a coolidor today. Picked up a 52qt Igloo at Academy. I gave it a couple of good scrubbings today and let it air dry. Gonna let it sit overnight and see if the plastic smell is still present tomorrow. My first question is: I have two of the cheap China made desk top humidors. Would it be a good idea to take the hinges off and use both pieces as trays in my coolidor to hold singles? Are most "boxes" (including boxed samplers) made of Spanish cedar and ok to stick straight in the coolidor? Also, how important is air circulation inside the coolidor? Thanks in advance.
Building my first coolidor
- Thread starter jonboy
- Start date
first if you haven't done so read A Coolidor Primer lot of good info. As to your questions, those cheap china desktops usually contain spanish cedar veneer you can use them as trays but not really going to get the benefit of spanish cedar. yes putting cigar boxes directly inside the humidor is fine, hell box storage is why we start using coolers in the first place. As for Air circulation, comes down to how often you'll be opening the cooler. If your going into the cooler every few days that should be sufficient air circulation for long term you may want to get an oust fan, if you can find one.
Few other info sources:
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Few other info sources:
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Update: Got the coolidor up and running. So far so good. I have two hygrometers in it, one on the top and bottom levels. There is often a difference in rh of up to 3% in the two. I've found an Oust fan on fleabay for $18.50. Do you think it's worth it, and will it help disperse the rh more evenly?
I bought the Camco 44123 Fridge Airator for my coolidor.
Pros:
Inexpensive
Battery operated (so no wires running out the cooler)
Small
Air movement is quite gentle
Cons:
Uses two D cell batteries and need to be replaced approx every 30 days (although, I suppose, using AA would require more frequent changes)
So, other than the battery replacement once a month (I just need to get around to getting rechargeable batteries) I will get another one of these fans if/when I get a second cooler.
Pros:
Inexpensive
Battery operated (so no wires running out the cooler)
Small
Air movement is quite gentle
Cons:
Uses two D cell batteries and need to be replaced approx every 30 days (although, I suppose, using AA would require more frequent changes)
So, other than the battery replacement once a month (I just need to get around to getting rechargeable batteries) I will get another one of these fans if/when I get a second cooler.
Nice. Thank you sir.I bought the Camco 44123 Fridge Airator for my coolidor.
Pros:
Inexpensive
Battery operated (so no wires running out the cooler)
Small
Air movement is quite gentle
Cons:
Uses two D cell batteries and need to be replaced approx every 30 days (although, I suppose, using AA would require more frequent changes)
So, other than the battery replacement once a month (I just need to get around to getting rechargeable batteries) I will get another one of these fans if/when I get a second cooler.
I'm trying to keep from going into full blown panic mode right now. I just smoked my first stick since moving to the coolidor on Monday. It was a Genesis the Project (first try). I didn't really enjoy it, which is ok in and of itself. But, the real problem is that I could almost swear I picked up on some plastic bitterness. I took two days including multiple cleanings with soap and water followed by long periods of air drying in the sun to ensure the plastic smell was gone. Practically drove my wife nuts getting her to smell check it for me several times. Hopefully it was only a bad stick and I'm just being paranoid. Anybody else using a coolidor have a similar experience?
I drove my wife crazy with smell checks also when I was cleaning out mine. I thought I tasted plastic also in the first cigar, so I smoked one from the cooler and then another from the desktop that were from the same box just to see. Turned out it was all in my head.
The only reason I didn't drive my wife crazy with the smell checks is that my coolidor is in the basement and my wife hates going down there. :rofl:
But I checked it a lot! I had three or four trays of charcoal in the cooler for about 4 days to remove the plastic odor. The thing is, some people report strong plastic odors at first while others don't smell it at all. Each cooler is different (how long it's been sitting around, etc.) and each person's sensitivity to the plastic smell is different, so be your own judge.
Plus, I suppose, if you put enough cedar trays and cigars in it, that will help eliminate any residual odors as well. It's not like cigars have a subtlety to their smell. <grin>
That's my plan for this evening.
That's another thing. It's fairly well stocked, and already beginning to give off that nice tobacco/barnyard smell that I love. But, if I try hard enough, I can make out a slight off smell. Don't really want to let the wife do a smell check for me now.........I've been buying way to many smokes lately.
I remember several months ago my wife asked how many cigars I had in my humidor. She thought I had around 20 or 30.That's my plan for this evening.
That's another thing. It's fairly well stocked, and already beginning to give off that nice tobacco/barnyard smell that I love. But, if I try hard enough, I can make out a slight off smell. Don't really want to let the wife do a smell check for me now.........I've been buying way to many smokes lately.
That was an awkward conversation :rofl:
ChefBoyRG54
BoM Sept '14 & BoY 2014
God I hope mine doesn't ask or lookI remember several months ago my wife asked how many cigars I had in my humidor. She thought I had around 20 or 30.That's my plan for this evening.
That's another thing. It's fairly well stocked, and already beginning to give off that nice tobacco/barnyard smell that I love. But, if I try hard enough, I can make out a slight off smell. Don't really want to let the wife do a smell check for me now.........I've been buying way to many smokes lately.
That was an awkward conversation :rofl:
Lol my wife actually paid attention to the wineador the other day and pointed out that I had WAY too many cigars...I told her she should see some of the other crazy mfer's on the forum I'm on. Learning from the best. In regards to the OP I am in the put cedar drawers/boxes/etc in and that generally overcomes any traces of plastic/off smells. Don't let the wife see everything piling up though!
Scrub with distilled white vinegar a lot!! Close the top and shake it like it owes you money. Leave an inch of so of it in there for an hour or so. Rinse with water. Repeat a few times.
Give it a final good rinse with water and let it dry in the sun for a couple days. Should be good to go!!
Worked like magic for my coolidor. Had strong plastic odor. Distilled white vinegar does a great job. Getting some sun and heat onto the plastic of the cooler helps with smell quite a bit too
Give it a final good rinse with water and let it dry in the sun for a couple days. Should be good to go!!
Worked like magic for my coolidor. Had strong plastic odor. Distilled white vinegar does a great job. Getting some sun and heat onto the plastic of the cooler helps with smell quite a bit too
Well, I smoked a le bijou 1922 last night and it was good to go. Gonna get a few more sticks in this weekend, and if I feel the need, I'll go through the whole process again. It's holding rock steady at 65% for two solid days now.
I would be murdered shortly after...