First thing is first. Are you ready for humidor? You may be wondering
why I'm asking like we're talking about tropical fish aquariums. The reason for this is because humidors are
not merely fancy boxes to put your cigars in. In fact they are much more than
that.
So, what are humidors? They are the preservers of your expensive hobby.
I say expensive because your typical desktop humidor holds between 50 and 100
cigars and even at the lower end of 5 dollars per cigar you're looking at around
$250 to $500 inside that box. That's allot of money down the drain if you can't
enjoy your cigars they way they were meant to be smoked;
well humidified, undamaged, free from mold, and beetles.
MOLD? BEETLES? Yes, these are two of a cigar enthusiasts
worst enemies, however I won't go into them right away. First, let me give
you an overview as to why you need to be prepared when owning a humidor.
[If you just
want to learn how to season your humidor, click here or the link below.]
You
must watch the Humidity:
As I said, humidors keep your cigars preserved. REAL
hand made cigars (unlike machine made cigars and cigarettes) are constructed of
pure aged tobacco leaves and have not been treated with anything that allows them to
artificially brave the elements. Because of this, they must be
stored in very specific conditions in order to maintain their flavor,
shape, and burn quality. For example, cigars are best kept between 65% and 70% RH (Relative Humidity). Where I
live, the RH in any given room is about 20% to 40%. So if my cigars were stored
unprotected, they would dry out, loose flavor, and fall apart in my
hand when I tried cutting them.
Now because of the materials traditional humidors are made of (typically
Spanish Cedar and/or Honduran Mahogany), they have the ability to self regulate
the moisture levels internally as well as ward of beetles and help cigars in the aging process. However... Humidors are not totally self sustaining. The Spanish Cedar
inside will help stabilize the levels of humidity but without a source of moisture, the cigars would simply suck the wood dry and later
dry out themselves. To high of an RH and they become soggy, wont burn right, or
worse get moldy. So a humidor must be watched carefully and always have a
full humidifier that is checked and refilled regularly.
You
must watch the Temperature:
Now, some folks don't realize that temperature plays an important roll
in storing cigars, especially long term. You bet! However it's not as critical as humidity.
Proper temperature for cigar preservation is around 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Any higher and you could start a petri dish for mold or even incubate tobacco
beetles! Beetle growth tends to trigger in temps above 73 degrees Fahrenheit. The
truth is, I've never had an issue with beetles... even though I've had some
cigars in my car for a half hour or so at about 85 degrees Fahrenheit and they were fine even months later after sitting in my humidor. Use your own
judgement. The one thing you DO NOT want to do is leave your stogies in the
freezing cold then take them right to warm temperatures. The quick change in
temp can split the delicate wrappers and render your cigars un-smoke-able.
You
must Rotate every few weeks:
Rotating is simply the process of taking all your cigars out and putting
them back in an alternating fashion (what was on top goes on the
bottom, middle to top, bottom to middle) as well as locating your humidifier to
a different side of the humidor. This is due to wet and dry spots.
The corner your humidifier is located may be VERY humidified, while
the opposite corner is relatively dry. By moving the cigars
and the humidifier around, you allow all the different parts of the wood and
cigars to be evenly exposed to a somewhat balanced level of humidity.
So you can see, caring for a humidor is much like the
attention you must give a Tropical fish tank (give or take). If none of this bothers you and you are still eager to get started with
your very own humidor, then read on!
Where to buy and what to look for:
There are many different places to purchase your Humidor. Visit your
local cigar shop and ask the owner what a good beginners humidor would be. He
may recommend one of his in-stock models, but be weary of a lemon.
And another tip. Cost does not always reflect the level of quality by which a
humidor is made. Ask the shop owner what the humidor is made of. A good humidor should
only be lined with Spanish Cedar, NOT American Red or White Cedar. The outer structure
can be made of anything else, but the inner lining must be Spanish Cedar.
Honduran Mahogany will work but I suggest you hold out for the former.
Next, test the quality of the humidors seal. You can do two quick tests
right there in the shop.
First is the dollar bill test. Take a One
Dollar Bill and place it in between the bottom portion of the humidor and the
lid so that half of the Bill is inside and the other is out. Close the lid on
the Dollar Bill until it's fully shut. Now try to slide the Dollar out. If it's
a good seal, the dollar should be VERY difficult to pull out, if not
impossible. If the Bill slides right out, it's a bad seal. Do this to all four
sides.
Second is the lid drop test. Not as many shop owners appreciate seeing you do this but it will tell you if the seal is good or bad
in less than a second. Pull the lid of the humidor open (NOTE: If it's a good
seal you should feel slight resistance when you open the humidor, as the
lid is creating a suction. You should not hear wood scraping). Next, hold the
lid about two inches from the bottom half and LET GO! A well sealed humidor
should make a very muffled (thud like) sound. If however the lid slams shut
with a loud SMACK, it's no good.
Just to give you an example, below is a link for a humidor that has fantastic ratings and is only $35. It is similar to the one I own which as passed every test I've thrown at it. Compared to a
$1200 Davidoff humidor I saw at a cigar shop that sealed about as well as an
old barn door.
Glass Top Myth:
I've seen many posts about avoiding Glass top humidors. The two main
fears are that the seal between the glass and the wood
will inevitably leak and the glass will allow external (Sun) light in
and cause the temperature to fluctuate. As for sun light issue,
just keep your humidor well away from direct sunlight. Preferably on
the opposite side of the room from where the window is located. Now
as for the leaking issue, the humidor I show below is a glass top and has just recently showed signs of leaking. If you are suspicious of yours, below is a test and fix for your troublesome glass top.
[ Here is a link of a fantastic beginner
humidor. It's a highly rated Glass Top and holds 40 to 50 cigars. http://www.cubancrafters.com/products.php/item_id/4885]
Recommended
tools and supplies:
When you get a humidor you must have the right supplies and tools to
care for it, much like owning a Tropical Aquarium. Here are a few things
I recommend every cigar owner keeps handy...
1.
Digital Hygrometer + Thermometer.
2.
Bottle of Propylene Glycol - 50/50 mix.
3.
One or two Bead Humidifiers (or a 1/2lb bag).
http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=70%25+Rh+Humidity+Beads
4.
A clean terry cloth.
5.
A clean soda bottle cap and Eye Dropper.
6.
Floral foam or clean dish sponge.
7.
Small double seal Ziploc bag.
8.
One or two large One Gallon double seal Freezer Ziploc bags.
9.
One Gallon jug of Distilled water.
10.
Cheap in house Cigar shop cigars, found at your local cigar shop. (at lest 30 to 40 cigars)
11.
A small dish and toothpicks (for seasoning)
12.
Strips of Spanish Cedar (often found in cigar boxes)
Now that you have your tools, you are ready to begin using them! Below you will fined three links (for seasoning, hygrometer maintenance, and mold/beetles) to put these tools to use.
Further Care:
Congratulations! You've gotten
your humidor up and running with a good batch of stogies in it. But you
notice that your hygrometer never quite sits at the right RH. You may need to calibrate or test it. The hygrometer I've given the link for is the one I purchased
and it's the best one I've used so far. You can't calibrate it but it's
accurate with in 1% RH. Below is a link to test or calibrate your hygrometer.
Cleaning and Re-Seasoning:
If for some reason
you need to remove your cigars from the humidor, weather it be to season
it again or do some cleaning after you've detected mold or beetles,
keep reading! To safely remove and store your cigars out of the humidor, remove
your humidifier and cigars placing them in the large One Gallon Ziploc
Freezer Bag (8.). Before hand, test the bag for leaks. After your cigars
are in the bag with the humidifier, seal it and get to seasoning/cleaning. Now
to re-season, just follow the steps for seasoning your humidor above excluding the wipe down.
Now I said I'd touch on the tobacco beetle and mold topic. So I will. Click on the link below to learn how tho prevent and rid your humidor of those two pests.
Now I said I'd touch on the tobacco beetle and mold topic. So I will. Click on the link below to learn how tho prevent and rid your humidor of those two pests.
My next entry will begin my Cigar Grads series, covering more advanced cigar topics. Box pressed vs round. Do you know the difference? I bet you've seen a lot of cigars molded this way and didn't realize it. Have a great weekend!
 |
| Click for CigarTimes on Instagram |
As a lover of quality tobacco I really enjoy smoking a a cigar on my terrace during peaceful nights. The problem for me was that I found it really hard to find good quality products near where I was living, but that was until I discovered http://www.cigars4lessclub.com/ , there I found all kinds of different offers and really fast delivery.
ReplyDelete