Humidor Questions

[Dr. Xikar]

Alright, My turn to throw in...

First of all, greetings from a brother Collegiate Cigar Smoker!

I'd recommend you start with a 35-50ct desktop humidor. It's safe to say that you probably won't be buying any box purchases (or at least one at a time, as I did), so 50 should be more than enough, and 35 is pushing the low end. The desktop humidor will also be easy to store, which is a huge plus.

Once you graduate, you can buy a larger, more expensive humidor, or get a coolidor, or whatever tickles your fancy, but for now a desktop sounds right...

I'd personally recommend this guy: http://www.cheaphumidors.com/p_small-humidors_DH-25LTH.html

or this one: http://www.cheaphumidors.com/p_small-humidors_DH-25LTH-BLACK.html

The pick is purely aesthetic - Which color do you like more?

Don't be worried by the name, Cheap Humidors (dot com) is a fantastic site with great customer service. Anything you get from there will work perfectly, or be replaced promptly. That's the exact model of humidor that I started with and it lasted me fantastically. And it looks pretty classy to boot!

So, I'd recommend that humidor, and stick to buying singles/5-ers... Also it is WORTH the 20$ to upgrade the Hygrometer to a digital one. The analogs are crap, and you'll be glad to upgrade now, then, when the time comes, move the digital hygrometer into your future humidor.

As for humidification, Don't upgrade the humidifier if you get that humidor... And here's why:

I'm a little prone to empathy when I hear from beginning cigar smokers in college with tight budgets... Been there for two years, and will be there for another 8-10! So, If you get a humidor that is 75-count or smaller, I'll give you humidifiers.

I've got extra Heartfelt Beads (65%). Enough for a desktop humidor. I'll send you them. Storage is up to you (I reccomend a tiny tuperware dish, or pantyhose turned into small pouches), but if you buy the humidor, I'll supply the hydration!

Cheers, let me know if you're in!
Jeremy

 

[RonC]

a small desktop humidor is typically what most people start with, and it is typically what most people have the most trouble with.

You will be spending $ on a wood box that has inferior humidification with an inferior hygrometer. Whewn you start having trouble, you will be advised to spend another $25 on a good hygro with a calibration kit. Then, when you are done with that, you will find out that you need to upgrade your humidification for even more $. Then on top of that, at the end you can find out that you have a humidor that really doesnt hold humidity that well anyway. You could easily put $80 into a small desktop, and find out its not as good as you hoped.

Do it the simple, easy, foolproof way. Get an airtight container. That can be as cheap as tupperware, or a Cigar Caddy, or a humidor jar. Dont use any provided humidification, Use a $4 Boveda. In a small airtight container, the Boveda will last about 2 years. Do as I said, and you will have a 100% reliable humidor for about $10 - $30.

 

[Pietastervw]

a small desktop humidor is typically what most people start with, and it is typically what most people have the most trouble with.

You will be spending $ on a wood box that has inferior humidification with an inferior hygrometer. Whewn you start having trouble, you will be advised to spend another $25 on a good hygro with a calibration kit. Then, when you are done with that, you will find out that you need to upgrade your humidification for even more $. Then on top of that, at the end you can find out that you have a humidor that really doesnt hold humidity that well anyway. You could easily put $80 into a small desktop, and find out its not as good as you hoped.

Do it the simple, easy, foolproof way. Get an airtight container. That can be as cheap as tupperware, or a Cigar Caddy, or a humidor jar. Dont use any provided humidification, Use a $4 Boveda. In a small airtight container, the Boveda will last about 2 years. Do as I said, and you will have a 100% reliable humidor for about $10 - $30.

+100000000 what he said. When I first started I just used the tupperware method getting the boveda's from Ron and they kept the cigars perfect. After I knew this was a hobby I was going to stick with the search for a good humidor started. I was fortunate enough to get something here from a BOTL that was unloading a desktop and couldn't be happier. I am happy that I didn't go get a cheapo humidor and go through what Ron mentioned here, getting an inferior product then spending money upon money trying to get it right.

 

[Dr. Xikar]

Alternatively, as has been mentioned above, get a large tupperware, and a digital hygrometer... That might actually be better than a desktop humidor, considering you're currently not going through that many cigars...

Get yourself a digital, adjustable hygrometer (I recommend Cigar Solutions - They ship fast and the products are always good, Way to go, Ron!) and a healthy sized Tupperware container.

I'll still provide beads, though.

 

[jebloom22]

Eh. So long as the RH and Temp are consistent and in the right range, there should be no reason a travel humidor (that seals tightly) would be any different than a tupper-dor or cooler-dor in that aspect. The Cedar in humidors helps to keep the RH consistent because it is itself hygroscopic to some degree. Not sure about the whole "breathability" note. A well sealing humidor is just as much a closed system as a tupper-dor/igloo-dor/travel-dor.

Perhaps I've learned something today..

 

[Jwrussell]

a small desktop humidor is typically what most people start with, and it is typically what most people have the most trouble with.

You will be spending $ on a wood box that has inferior humidification with an inferior hygrometer. Whewn you start having trouble, you will be advised to spend another $25 on a good hygro with a calibration kit. Then, when you are done with that, you will find out that you need to upgrade your humidification for even more $. Then on top of that, at the end you can find out that you have a humidor that really doesnt hold humidity that well anyway. You could easily put $80 into a small desktop, and find out its not as good as you hoped.

Do it the simple, easy, foolproof way. Get an airtight container. That can be as cheap as tupperware, or a Cigar Caddy, or a humidor jar. Dont use any provided humidification, Use a $4 Boveda. In a small airtight container, the Boveda will last about 2 years. Do as I said, and you will have a 100% reliable humidor for about $10 - $30.

What he said!

Ron, I had no idea a Boveda would last that long. That assumes regularly getting in to the container for cigars? I ask, because according to the Boveda website they say they last about 2 months in the average humidor.

 

[dpricenator]

I ave the same boveda in my cigar caddy that is just as squishy as they day I got it, 2 years ago

 

[RonC]

What he said!

Ron, I had no idea a Boveda would last that long. That assumes regularly getting in to the container for cigars? I ask, because according to the Boveda website they say they last about 2 months in the average humidor.

we go back to leaky, cheap desktops. Lets say you buy a 69% Boveda. the science behind the Boveda ensures that the Boveda produces a 69% humidity level. When used in an airtight travel humidor or humidor jar, the Boveda is accurate too within a half %. but use it in a cheap desktop, and the results are typically a few % lower than advertised. Thats why Humidipak had to adjust its advertising. it wasnt the bovedas fault, it was the fualt of poorly sealing humidors. a 69% boveda now says it keeps your humidor at 65% to 69%. thats because sometimes the humidor leaks so bad, its hard for the Boveda to keep up. In these leaky desktops, Humidpak had to really watch its claims on how long a Boveda should last. so again, if your desktop is a leaker, it might only last 2 or 3 months. if your humidor is airtight, it can last years. Humidipak is being very conservative in its claims.

the boveda in my humidor jar is over 2 years old, and you would think that its brand new.

the added benefit is that the boveda are so damned easy to recharge. i wet a sponge with distilled water. stick the sponge in an airtight container along with an almost used up boveda. i forget about it for a few months. good as new.

 

[Jwrussell]

Damn, I had no idea. Especially about the recharging deal! Of course, I'm guessing they really don't want to advertise that! :wink:

It's really a shame they had to dumb down their advertising so much. The main reason I don't use them is that I didn't want to be replacing them constantly.

 

[RonC]

Damn, I had no idea. Especially about the recharging deal! Of course, I'm guessing they really don't want to advertise that! :wink:

It's really a shame they had to dumb down their advertising so much. The main reason I don't use them is that I didn't want to be replacing them constantly.

just dont let the sponge touch the boveda