Help with First Humidor Setup

[bmd1191]

Hey all, just joined the forum and figured I would ask some questions about ordering my first humidor and extras and get feedback from the vets on here. I'm thinking of ordering the Whitetail Glasstop Humidor from CigarsInternational. Its a basic 35-50 count cedar humidor.

With this I was either going to order the Humi-Care Jar of beads as a humidifier or the Boveda packets. Which of these requires less maintenance. The Humi Care Jar supposedly lasts a year and I just have to keep adding distilled water. I heard the bovedas are good but they are a little costly. Also if I ordered a bag of 20 bovedas and only use 2 at a time for the humidor will the other 18 or so dry out while they're not being used?

If anyone could help me out or point me in the right direction that would be great!

 

[MikeHar]

Well my first advice would be to go a bit bigger than a 35-50 count. One because they always say they fit more than they do and two because it will fill up faster than you think. The Boveda packs are good and simple to use. Each should come individually wrapped so there's not much worry about them drying out. Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[rdomfoto]

I agree that you should go bigger. Unless you have a 5000 count walk-in humidor and only 10 cigars, I've never heard anyone complain that they have too much space.

I would also say avoid the cheap humidors. They leak air, you'll be changing out and recharging your Boveda packs on a very regular basis, and you'll have a next-to-impossible task of trying to keep the Rh steady.

Instead, seriously consider getting a larger Tupperware container with a sealing lid. A few cigar boxes (acquired easily and cheaply from your local cigar store) along with a few Boveda packs or beads (or many of us use kitty litter) and you will have a much better humidor for a lot less. The one drawback is that most people don't think a Tupperdor is aesthetically pleasing enough to keep in a formal dining room but, if you're storing your cigars out of sight anyway, then who cares? Function triumphs form in that case.

Just my two cents.

 

[rdomfoto]

Oh, and to keep a glasstop humidor sealed, you'll need to do a bunch of DIY work with food-grade silicone, etc. Best to avoid altogether.

 

[bmd1191]

Thanks for the replies guys.

For now I think that size box will suffice for a while. I can't really ever imagine having 30 or 40 in the thing at once as I don't smoke that often. Maybe 1 or 2 cigars a week. I actually only plan to have 10 or 20 max in the humidor at a time. Once i go through 5 or 10 ill just replace them. The humidor box has really good reviews on cigarsintl and it's relatively cheap. If i really start to get into the hobby and acquire a lot ill upgrade then. For now the cheapest route is the best.

So bovedas sound like they will be the easiest to maintain. Sucks they're so expensive though. Might have to try them out.

 

[bmd1191]

Oh, and to keep a glasstop humidor sealed, you'll need to do a bunch of DIY work with food-grade silicone, etc. Best to avoid altogether.

I will look into boxes without glasstops then. Thanks.

 

[MikeHar]

Thanks for the replies guys.

For now I think that size box will suffice for a while. I can't really ever imagine having 30 or 40 in the thing at once as I don't smoke that often. Maybe 1 or 2 cigars a week. I actually only plan to have 10 or 20 max in the humidor at a time. Once i go through 5 or 10 ill just replace them. The humidor box has really good reviews on cigarsintl and it's relatively cheap. If i really start to get into the hobby and acquire a lot ill upgrade then. For now the cheapest route is the best.

So bovedas sound like they will be the easiest to maintain. Sucks they're so expensive though. Might have to try them out.

What Kind of sticks are you smoking...ie band and size?

 

[bmd1191]

Thanks for the replies guys.

For now I think that size box will suffice for a while. I can't really ever imagine having 30 or 40 in the thing at once as I don't smoke that often. Maybe 1 or 2 cigars a week. I actually only plan to have 10 or 20 max in the humidor at a time. Once i go through 5 or 10 ill just replace them. The humidor box has really good reviews on cigarsintl and it's relatively cheap. If i really start to get into the hobby and acquire a lot ill upgrade then. For now the cheapest route is the best.

So bovedas sound like they will be the easiest to maintain. Sucks they're so expensive though. Might have to try them out.

What Kind of sticks are you smoking...ie band and size?

Usually Robusto or Corona sizes. 40-50 ring gauge, 4-6 inches long.

 

[gravel]

If i really start to get into the hobby and acquire a lot ill upgrade then. For now the cheapest route is the best.

A Tupperdore is the cheapest option. I looked at humidors and found for the money, a small Tupperdore was the best. "I'd never fill this up," I thought ignoring the counsel of those established in the hobby longer. I did. Quickly.

You can buy a relatively inexpensive Tupperware setup, get an empty cigar box from a B&M, boveda packs, distilled water, and a digital hygrometer. It's easy to set up and easy to maintain.

Whatever you do, please share your setup with us.

 

[bmd1191]

If i really start to get into the hobby and acquire a lot ill upgrade then. For now the cheapest route is the best.

A Tupperdore is the cheapest option. I looked at humidors and found for the money, a small Tupperdore was the best. "I'd never fill this up," I thought ignoring the counsel of those established in the hobby longer. I did. Quickly.

You can buy a relatively inexpensive Tupperware setup, get an empty cigar box from a B&M, boveda packs, distilled water, and a digital hygrometer. It's easy to set up and easy to maintain.

Whatever you do, please share your setup with us.

Thanks for the reply. Will do!

 

[rdomfoto]

As a side by side comparison, the Whitetail Glasstop Humidor is $40.
Walmart has the Snapware 29 cup storage container for $16.

With the Glasstop (or any cheap wood humidor) you'll need an additional $5 for silicone to seal it.

So, $45 versus $16 (BTW, the $16 storage container is roughly the same size).

Regardless of which one you go with, you'll need an additional $15 for a digital hygrometer (the analog hygros that they use in the cheap humis are worthless) and $15 for beads. Or if you're using Bovedas, whatever that cost comes to.

If you go with the storage container, just run to your local B&M and ask to buy an empty cedar box. When I bought mine, I paid $1 each but you should only need one.

 

[LikeAPuma]

For now I think that size box will suffice for a while. I can't really ever imagine having 30 or 40 in the thing at once as I don't smoke that often. Maybe 1 or 2 cigars a week. I actually only plan to have 10 or 20 max in the humidor at a time.

I said the EXACT same thing about my 50 count (that I had already had a few years)... But this forum has a funny way of ballooning your cigar count. Within the last 2 weeks, I went out & bought a tupperdor setup. Cost less than $20 (container, kitty litter, & weather striping) and probably holds quadruple what my 50 did. It's been holding humidity much more consistently as well, which was a big factor in looking at a tupperdor as well.

 

[rdomfoto]

HOWEVER, I should add that, if you like the look of a wooden humidor (I really do, too) and it's worth it to you, then definitely get it. Regardless of how much money you sink into your hobbies, you should be enjoying it.

Either way, I would strongly suggest getting a more accurate digital hygrometer and, if you get a cheap wooden humi, know you'll likely need to seal it.

And, BTW, welcome to BoTL!

 

[danmdevries]

There are some decent low cost wooden humidors, that's not one of them.

I rebuilt one of those for my brother in law and it works now, but had to put $50 into it. Sealed the super thin base with lexan, silicone the glass, 1/2# HF beads, and a digital hygrometer.

Im currently messing with another, trying a new approach.http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/75440-Making-Cheap-Chinese-Humidors-Work

Tupperdors are really the way to go for small storage without spending much.

Sometimes a quality desktop humidor will show up on craigslist or ebay. Got mine off CL.

But if you really want a cheap wood desktop humidor, you're going to need to do some work on it.

 

[bmd1191]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Loving this forum already lol. Honestly I do like the look of the wooden humi's better than making a tupperdor even if it is cheaper to do the latter. My humi will be in view of people that are over my house so I want it to look somewhat nice you know. I'll try to look for maybe a cheap wooden humidoor with no glass or analog hygro as it will reduce parts I have to seal. I am definitely getting an analog hygro to put in and am leaning towards the boveda packs. 69% is what I should get right?

 

[plumber1965]

Thanks for the replies guys.

For now I think that size box will suffice for a while. I can't really ever imagine having 30 or 40 in the thing at once as I don't smoke that often. Maybe 1 or 2 cigars a week. I actually only plan to have 10 or 20 max in the humidor at a time. Once i go through 5 or 10 ill just replace them. The humidor box has really good reviews on cigarsintl and it's relatively cheap. If i really start to get into the hobby and acquire a lot ill upgrade then. For now the cheapest route is the best.

So bovedas sound like they will be the easiest to maintain. Sucks they're so expensive though. Might have to try them out.

Said the same thing 6 months ago and now well...... that one and another is full and i am thinking i am going to tupperdore for most of the storage and display some in my glasstop. Did have to seal it up with the silicone though.

 

[bmd1191]

Any if any of you guys know of some better cheaper wooden humidors that I could grab online and could point me in the right direction, that would be great.

 

[rdomfoto]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Loving this forum already lol. Honestly I do like the look of the wooden humi's better than making a tupperdor even if it is cheaper to do the latter. My humi will be in view of people that are over my house so I want it to look somewhat nice you know. I'll try to look for maybe a cheap wooden humidoor with no glass or analog hygro as it will reduce parts I have to seal. I am definitely getting an analog hygro to put in and am leaning towards the boveda packs. 69% is what I should get right?

I totally understand wanting something that looks good when people are over. I also know the pain of outgrowing humidors almost as quickly as I build them. When I first joined the forum last November, I was proud of my large Ziploc bag with 5 cigars and a moistened piece of paper towel (and moistened with tap water, too). Then, in December I built my first Tupperdor and was thrilled. Until around May when I outgrew that and finally built a coolidor (like a lot of the brothers here). :rofl:

Hope you continue to enjoy your time here and ask lots of questions. We love to answer them.

 

[rdomfoto]

Thanks for the replies guys.

For now I think that size box will suffice for a while. I can't really ever imagine having 30 or 40 in the thing at once as I don't smoke that often. Maybe 1 or 2 cigars a week. I actually only plan to have 10 or 20 max in the humidor at a time. Once i go through 5 or 10 ill just replace them. The humidor box has really good reviews on cigarsintl and it's relatively cheap. If i really start to get into the hobby and acquire a lot ill upgrade then. For now the cheapest route is the best.

So bovedas sound like they will be the easiest to maintain. Sucks they're so expensive though. Might have to try them out.

Said the same thing 6 months ago and now well...... that one and another is full and i am thinking i am going to tupperdore for most of the storage and display some in my glasstop. Did have to seal it up with the silicone though.

Time for the coolidor, brother!

 

[LikeAPuma]

leaning towards the boveda packs. 69% is what I should get right?

Boveda, Heartfelt, or Kitty Liter... They'll all do the trick!

You'll have to decide what humidity you want. If you were to take a poll on what other brothers use, I have a feeling that a majority are going to be 65% or possibly under.... But it all depends on where you live/how you prefer your cigars.