How to pick the right humidor for your cigars

A cigar humidor provides an important function for any cigar aficionado, or beginner. The main function is to store your cigars, which keeps them at the perfect humidity, which needs to be in the range of 65% to 75%. Being able to maintain the right humidity is very important in keeping your cigars in the best condition possible. If the air becomes too dry, then your cigars will dry out and lose flavor. If the air is too moist, then mold can ruin your cigars. When a cigar humidor is doing their job right, then your cigars will age in a way that will enhance the overall flavor, which in turn improves your enjoyment.

If you enjoy having a top-quality cigar, then picking one of the?top quality cigar humidors available will be come a vital investment for you, and it is one that will last for years. If you stop and think, you are going to be potentially investing hundreds of dollars in cigars, so wouldn’t it be beneficial to store them correctly?

Humidors can come in various styles and you are able to choose one that has trays, legs, a high-gloss finish, etc. There are plenty of them to make a selection from, but before you buy, you should know the basics in order to ensure that you are getting a quality box that will preserve your cigars for many years.

There are 5 steps, when it comes to selecting the right humidor.

Size.

There was this famous nerdy guy, whose name I can never remember, but he said that you will take up as much space as you are given. Take for example, my girlfriend’s purses are getting larger and bigger, and then more and more things get thrown inside. Is it really needed to have 25 different types of gum? Anyways, you need to start off with getting a humidor that is around 50% larger than what you believe you will need. So, if you have 20 cigars, then you should buy a humidor that is for 40-50 cigars. Why? Because eventually you will begin to store more cigars, so it would be better to plan ahead. Begin with one that won’t empty your wallet, but won’t be too small. If you are a brand new smoker, who is just beginning, then it has been recommended to get a 50-100 cigar humidor. Keep in mind that you can put a few cigars in a large humidor, but you certainly can’t put more in a small one.

The seal.

A humidor that doesn’t have a good seal is almost like having a BBQ without any BBQ sauce. It really sucks. You want to ensure that when you close the lid of the humidor that it makes a big whoosh sound when it closes. People have talked about doing the dollar bill test, and other little things. In all truth, it comes down to closing the lid. If it happens to slam shut, it is worth nothing and it would be a great place to store remotes, but if it whooshes or puffs when it closes, then its good. When you purchase a humidor online, you aren’t able to touch or see the humidor, so be sure to ask the seller if the humidors whoosh when they close.

The Liner.

All quality cigar humidors will come with Spanish Cedar linings. It’s been selected because it is able to deal the humidity without warping. Adding anything else inside of the humidor is plain silly. You want the cedar to be kiln dried, which means it has been completely dried out to remove the sap. This prevents a pretty sticky mess on your cigars. Feel free to add in Clinton joke here. Seriously though, Spanish Cedar is the best. The Indians used to build boats out of it because it was water friendly. The cedar needs to be smell free. This isn’t the type of cedar that you would put in a closet or hamster cage. It doesn’t smell.

The Style.

Ensure that your humidor choice compliments your personal style. There isn’t much to really say about that. If you won’t like the look of it on your desk or wherever you plan to put it, it doesn’t matter how awesome it works. If a world renowned chef made your favorite meal and colored it green, you most likely wouldn’t eat it. So, why have a super ugly humidor sitting around?

The quality.

You need to make sure that the humidor is good quality. If the hinges fail, or the lid warps, then the seal will be broken. Then you will have just a nice looking box. So, remember, quality will be remembered after the price is forgotten. The price doesn’t even dictate quality. There have been humidors that have costs thousands and are made with poor quality than some of the more inexpensive humidors. Be sure that the hinges are great, the joinery is great, and ensure that it comes with a guarantee or warranty.

Seasoning Your Humidor