Keep Your Cigars Fresh: A Guide to Humidors

July 26, 2018

If you are just starting to learn more about the world of a fine cigar, there is one thing that you must add to your collection – a humidor. Simply explained by Gentleman’s Gazette:

A humidor is the vault you lock and store your cigars in. It’s made with a specific purpose in mind and that’s to allow you to safely store and age your cigar collection in a pristine environment that is made to exacting standards ensuring your cigars remain fresh and healthy for years to come by generating a precise level of humidity so they don’t dry out.

A humidor ensures that your cigar stays fresh because otherwise, you may get wrappers that break due to heat build up, a bitter taste, difficulty in taking a draw, or in a worst case scenario – a cigar that is impossible to smoke.

Humidors are made out of three types of material – wood, acrylic, and metal. No matter what type appeals to your aesthetic, there are a couple of main components that are a must-have.

Two Crucial Components

There are two crucial components that much be a part of the humidor you choose: Spanish cedar and an excellent seal.

Spanish Cedar

The inside must be lined with Spanish cedar no matter what you choose for the outside material. There are multiple reasons for this: Not only does this material absorb moisture but it doesn’t warp, it is the go-to material choice that it won’t affect the flavor or taste of your cigar, and it is resistant to tobacco beetles – also known as cigar beetles.

A Perfect Seal

The seal on a humidor is as important as the material inside. Without a good seal, your cigars will dry out due to the humidity escaping. An easy test is to take a dollar bill and put it halfway in the humidor with the other end hanging out. Close your humidor or the one you are testing, then try to pull out the bill. If the humidor drags along with the money, then the seal is acceptable. If the dollar comes out, then you need a better seal.

Choosing a Size

You should always have more room than you need so a larger humidor is the ideal choice. This is because you want to leave room for any humidification devices such as the humidifier or hygrometer, and for air circulation. For instance, if you plan to store 100 cigars, you should look for a humidor that can easily hold 125 or so.

Location is Key

The location of your humidor is important too. You will want to keep it in an area that is dark and cool. That’s not to say that you can’t show off your humidor but you do not want it in direct sunlight and even light from lamps can affect the temperature and raise it higher than you’d like.

While you do not want extra heat on your humidor, you do not want extreme cold either so do not place it near areas where there are cold drafts such as by a window (which applies to the sunlight rule as well) or door.

The Ideal Storage Space

Humidors are a must-own for those who are cigar connoisseurs. There are furniture humidors, travel humidors, and personal humidors. Choosing one for your premium cigars should be an experience that is only rivaled by the cigar itself.