When a humidor comes to life

[Mitch]

I've built a cabinet humidor about two years ago and stocked it with good cigars. It's still stocked with good cigars but in the last year it has really started to take on a life of it's own. It smells like heaven now, unlike the first year and I'm loving it.

Well, it got me to thinking, what has changed? Quality of the cigars is about on par with how it started out, age is only a bit better, I filled it with cigars from smaller humidors, maybe the wood itself has taken in flavors. Anyway I don't know, but was woundering if any of you have noticed a humidor develop as it aged or any guess as to why?

 

[funkejj]

Yep I have noticed that to with large humidors. I don't know what causes it but the smell just keeps getting better. Is the cabiunet lined with the spanish cedar?

 

[scottYDucati]

Yes sir...I love to open it and take a whiff. Mine is only about a year old but damn it smells good! I think it has to do with the aroma of cigars more than anything else though. I'm guessing a well stocked humidor makes it more pronounced.

 

[Clint]

My cabinet (6 years old now) will make the whole room smell like Alejandro Robaina's curing barn! You guys are right...It's devine

 

[L8A]

Mitch,
My big cabinet is about 15 years old but sat empty and dry for the last five. After I got it home, cleaned up, and the humidity coming up my office smells like a cigar shop. i can only imaginge what the thing must have held in its day. I have even noticed that my small 300 has taken on a very different smell over the last 2 years as it has really seasoned and been stuffed.

 

[Mitch]

Mine is cedar lined, I'm starting to think something is soaking into the wood. I've also noticed that my beeds have gotten a slightly brown tint, I'm guessing from the oils in the cigars.

 

[scottYDucati]

Ya when I go to rejuice my beads(which is not needed very often) I usually pull out a couple brownish tinted Beads in a couple jars. Nothing major but I wondered myself where that comes from; and yes I use distilled water.

 

[Gordy]

Reading this made me imagine the smell! bet its great

 

[andy]

I heard barrels soak in and squeeze out wine and liquor as they expand and contract by influence of temperatures and such. I want to think that humidors work the same way in that the cedar lining intakes and expels the lingering aromas of cigars over time as the wood expands and contracts.

Cigars release ammonia as the tobacco ages. Its natural. That could be a reason why your humidor smells better now then it did when you first filled it. Perhaps you had some cigars that were still letting off some ammonia.

 

[dpricenator]

I just think it's the combined smell of the cigars and cedar just melding together and as the cigars sit longer they offer more tobacco to the cedar and visa versa. Even my wine-a-dor smells more like cigars when I open it. and all I use is cigar boxes for cedar.

 

[Jfire]

Last year I had alot of young Jo's from a Santa on here w young CCs. Last spring Man did the humi stink. Now it smells alot better after a year of releasing the amonia.

 

[Robinsond]

Making me hungry for some reason...can't wait till my new-ish humi starts to take on that smell!

-Dave

 

[veeref]

Mine is cedar lined, I'm starting to think something is soaking into the wood. I've also noticed that my beeds have gotten a slightly brown tint, I'm guessing from the oils in the cigars.

This is an interesting observation about the beads changing color. I have two 100 count humidors, both with the same amount and variety of cigars. The one which has some cigars without cello wrappers has browned some of the beads. The one without them has not -- it also smells a lot better.

I'm thinking I might start taking the cello of my wrappers to marry the flavors.

~R

 

[Danilo]

I love that smell!!! I can't wait till my wine cooler develops into that!
I hope that there will be enough cedar in there for that to happen!!

 

[earnold25]

whew, I thought from the title of this thread that you got a case of the dreaded beetle!

 

[Mitch]

whew, I thought from the title of this thread that you got a case of the dreaded beetle!

Nope, I'm 100% temp controled here, not skeered by no buggies no more.