If you could start over with your humidor.

[Kbb]

A 50-100 count desktop with 60-65% beads.

A Coleman 33qt Party Stacker cooler with 65-68% beads.

A digital temp/humidity monitor (hygrometer) with remote sensor.

Use the desktop to store singles and soon to smoke sticks.  Use cooler to store boxes.  As you fill the 33qt, buy another. They stack and lock together.  Can be had for $20-$30 each.  Can use different colors for different marcas, diff ages, or however you want to organize.  Use digital sensor or sensors to monitor without having to open.

I thought this thread was a guide for beginners.  A $1300 Yeti seems overkill unless you plan to store in harsh environments or constantly move it around.  Aristocrat may be nice, but is a beginner going to shell out the coin to fill it immediately?  More empty space is harder to maintain humidity.  Several small/medium coolers give more storage flexibility.  Just my 2 cents.

[perkinke]

I still love my desktop, but my advice would be to know what to buy for which kind of storage.  Like several others, I like my desk top for my random singles and sticks I'm more likely to smoke.  Boxes and sticks I intend to age go into my wineador.  For a long time I used a simple coleman cooler for my long-term, rarely accessed storage.  But now that I store everything in my living space (when I was single it was in the laundry room in the center of my house) I prefer the way my desktop and wineador looks.  All about personal taste and budget, but first decide your storage strategy THEN worry about set up.

[HarveyBoulevard]

Yeti...Coleman...they all work. 

Yeti's are just freaking awesome. 

[Bolismoker]

Living in the dessert south west l, I require temp control. As such I would have gone straight to wineador. A big wineador! My current set up is a 52bottle for box storage and an 18ct with drawers for singles and smoke now cigars. That said, I'm looking into a 300-400 bottle size wineador. Moral of the story as others have said is go big.

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[demer]

Go buy a small tupperware bin for 6 dollars for your desktop humidor if all you care about is the cigars.

[eswary]

If I could start all over...

I would have bought the largest temp controlled cabinet. If your in it for the long haul, buy big invest the coin and do it right.

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[semifan1]

3 hours ago, MrGTO said:

Just get a monster Aristocrat and be done with it!

Yup, that's what I did, but if you live in a warm climate or your house doesn't stay cool get the temperature control unit with it. I live in Florida and wish I would have, now I have an AC unit in the window to cool it down.

[rickthecabbie]

4 hours ago, Kbb said:

Aristocrat may be nice, but is a beginner going to shell out the coin to fill it immediately?

As a beginner, the hardest part for me will be finding time at home to empty it.

Seriously though, I have already filled up one desktop, and I have another for dry boxing
I only have so much counter space available.

The Aristocrat really looks like the best next option if I want to pick up another couple dozen boxes in the near future.

That End Table should be well full by the end of the year.

[planetary]

I went from 1 desktop to 2 desktops to 1 wineador to 2 wineadors to 1 spillover cooler to 2 spillover coolers to 1 monster Aristocrat, which now houses everything.

I should have started with a cooler until I knew I wanted to commit serious budget to this, and then gone straight to the Aristocrat. 

[Stogieninja]

Skip the Chinese import humidors.

-Start with a small Tupperware and a Boveda pack.

-Move to a 28qt cooler

-when that's full, move to a Wineador or larger cooler.

[PigFish]

I give a lot of humidor advice all day long, several days a week depending on the number of newer members we have.

There is no magic humidor. They all have their own flaws. Some work, some don't, some do depending on ambients, some never will. Working is not objective; as long as you think your humidor works for you, then it works! People pull moldy cigars from their humidors all the time and claim they work. A 'working humidor' therefore defines relative ambiguity!!!

Don't ask me what works unless you have a lot of time on your hands!!! Your opinion, your budget, your thoughts on the matter make no difference to a data logger. For the record I am a bit like a data logger when it comes to my opinions about storage.

What you settle on is not up me, or the audience. It is about you, your home, your wife, your cigars, kids... bills etcetera.

Bigger is not always better. Yes, it is for those of us who have major commitments to cigar smoking and cigar husbandry. Is that you? I don't know. Are you a guy that crashes hobbies or are you in it for the long haul?

I say start smaller and simpler. Yet I am not a fan of desktop humidors. Coolers work well for many people. They are inexpensive, simple to operate and flexible. If you quit smoking you can take it on a picnic...

Be vigilant but be careful in looking for humidor problems. Not that I suggest a head in the sand approach, but if you look for problems, perceived or real you will find them. If you don't find them, you have a prefect ambient or you have not looked very hard.

Beware of the extremes. I can speak of this candidly because I consider myself one of them. There are extremists on both sides of the spectrum. There are those that over build and those that neglect. I think that overbuilding is better than neglect but pathway is a wide one. As in all things cigar, blindly following anyone can be a mistake.

Cigars are pretty robust. Starting simple allows you to learn at a minimum expenses. Don't jump right into an expensive, complex solutions nor more than jumping into the biggest, rarest cigars. You might learn to hate smoking cigars as quickly as you learned to love it... People stray in and out of the interest all the time.

Just because you have a modest collection of cigars does not make your opinion less important or your contribution less meaningful. The guy that dies with the most cigars is still dead. Yes, I do believe in owning thousands of cigars, but I drive a Ford F-350 to my backyard to feed my horses, so overkill is something I relate too!!!

Like I said, no one has all the answers for everyone and every situation. We are all different. Vigilance and oversight will find the flaws in your storage (if you have them). Stay big on the oversight and catch any small problems before they become big problems. Grow and learn first-hand. Don't ignore advice, but question all of it and don't be afraid to ask the questions.

All for now! -Piggy

[PointFivePast]

Like most of the others, I would have gone straight to a Tupperware/Cooler setup. Don't get me wrong, I love my desktop. Bought when I was just 18 and it still looks amazing as a decorative piece as well as keeping a nice selection of cigars in good condition. However, I took a break for a few years and upon returning to the hobby I got in to CCs as well as my old NC favorites. Within three months I had outgrown my old 150ct desktop and quickly switched to a 100qt cooler. I would say to anyone coming in to the hobby: buy a decent size airtight plastic container. Something that will hold 5-10 cigar boxes. This will give you room to expand and some idea of if you really need to go bigger. If you never outgrow that, buy a nice desktop for display. If you quickly fill the plastic container, jump to a cooler or wineador if you are in a hot climate.

 

[joeruby]

I don't think you can actually make a mistake starting out with cigars and humidors.

Looking back at my experience I first bought a 50 count desktop humidor that looked nice and which I quickly outgrew that after 3 boxes of cigars. Upgraded to a 75-100 count desktop which i also quickly outgrew. I learned about coolers and now keep the excess in one. Did not give up on humidors however, I like the look of them, the incredible smell when you open them and bought another two. I now have 4 desktop humidors displayed at various points around the house and a cooler for aging /storing boxes etc tucked away.

Looking back, I love all my humidors (which were selected quality purchases at bargain prices) and would not change anything on my journey thus far. That's what makes it fun. I could have taken the mass storage route from the beginning, however I wouldn't have the pleasure and feast for the eyes, nose and other senses, every time I open that closed box of goodies.

Cigars were made for humidors and humidors were made for cigars. Both are part of the total experience and pleasure, in my opinion.

[anacostiakat]

What Piggy said!

I started off with a desktop.  Then another desktop.  Realized that for me they were poor choices.  So I gave them away and bought a endtable unit which I thought would last me. 

It was not long before I realized that just would not cut it.  So I did as much resource as I could and bought a cooled humidor which I am happy with along with the endtable unit.

Together they seem to be working out just fine.  If I were to move I might revisit.  Might not.

[Blazer]

I think the challenge with this question is that one never knows if cigars will become a hobby or just a passing fad for the entry level puffer. I looked at huge humidors when I first started smoking, but settled on a 75-count desk top. I smoked for  a few months, quit for a year, started smoking again, quit again thinking this hobby just wasn't for me and then got really into it. From there I bought a larger desk top, had a couple tupperdors and then just recently, 5-years after I started, purchased a wineador. If someone had told me to buy a cooler or wineador when I first started I would have said they were crazy. I am actually quite happy with the slow route I took until I knew this was something i was going to do long term.

[bigfunkyg]

14 hours ago, MrGTO said:

Just get a monster Aristocrat and be done with it!

Exactly.

[Puros Y Vino]

Coolidors perform far better than traditional wood humidors. They dont look pretty but can't be beat for the way they retain RH levels.  Best for storing full boxes or loads of 5 finger bags.  They are a PITA in that the more cigars you buy, the more coolers you need to maintain.

Ideally, a cooler the size of an Aristocrat is needed.  But there's no such thing.  Yet.    A 20 count desktop humidor is good for "dry boxing" what you're going to smoke over the next while or so. Otherwise, coolers for medium/long term storage.

[Orion21]

Since I gave a smart arse comment about buying a new house I'll answer now . . .

I started smoking cigars when I was about 19-20 years old, mostly on the golf course.  My Grandpa and Dad both smoked cigars while I was growing up, so I had an affinity for them.  I always just bought singles because neither of them actually had a collection or even a desktop humidor, they just bought as they needed them.  I smoked cigars this way for about 6-7 years before I met my cigar mentor who had a house with a cellar filled with wine and boxes and boxes of cigars.  I was floored. I didn't know anyone collected cigars, but from that day on I wanted more. 

I started with a 25 count $30 desktop humidor that was a gift . . . because I was in my 20's and had no money!  I freaking LOVED that thing for about 2 weeks until I filled it!  My next step was to buy a cooler that allowed me to hold about 5 boxes, until I filled that in about 2 months!!  My next step was to invest in 2 thermo electric wine coolers I converted into humidor that served me well for a few years.  That was until one failed and almost destroyed half of my collection.  Maybe destroyed is a bit dramatic, but you get the point.  

Fast forward over 6.5 years from when I ordered my first box of Cuban cigars (16-17 since buying my first cigar for myself) and I have found no silver bullet for my storage needs.  So to answer the post:

1) Assuming temperatures can be kept at 75F or less I would buy a cooler.  Maybe not the $1,200 one PapaD linked to, but a good marine cooler.

2) I would buy a battery powered humidification device to put in said cooler.

3) I would install fans inside the cooler to keep the air moving.

I would also suggest a 25-50 count desktop with good seals to hold the cigars to be smoked over the next 4-8 weeks period.  This would allow the cooler to stay closed over long periods of time to allow the boxes of cigars to settle and remain in a hypothetical state of constant temperature and rh.  

What do I do now for myself?  I have my long term boxes are in my  EuroCave wine fridge I bought when I was REALLY into wine.  I have since replaced half the wine with boxes  of cigars.  I find this storage basically ideal because it's a compressor based cooling system with built in humidity and temp control.  These units are godawful expensive, but the best plug-in play solution I could possibly recommend.  My other boxes and singles are in a cooler with active humidification and two fans.

 

[Lasabar]

I would PAY ATTENTION!  I found FoH years ago and I even signed up for the forum and the Czar emails, but all i ever did was wonder why this guy was sending semi-personal sounding emails and calling out some Di person.  So I just would delete those emails and ordered from gray market vendors.  Then when I finally realized that the Czar/FoH was the real deal it said I already had a username and password but I forgot I had signed up!  So many wasted years!

 

As for the humidor, if I had paid attention I would have used OLH a TON more since I lived in a 2nd floor duplex with no A/C and had a few beetle outbreaks while trying to keep my NCs cool.

Now that I have a stable environment I would have forgone all the smaller humidors, even the ones I have now and just bought a stand up freezer.  Big as they come.  I found that my old mini-fridge from college, once cleaned and prepped, has an almost air-tight seal and holds humidity to a "T" in my basement.  I have a 150qt cooler as well that needs to be shut in just the right way to hold humidity at all.

I've always bought beads and will never stop that, but need just ONE BIG stand up freezer that will remain unplugged in my nice cool basement.

[Eric E]

I'm an Aristocrat guy. I'm on my second, and it's a big arse cabinet that I'm not even close to filling up. I don't store any cigars outside their boxes, but if I run out of space for boxes, I do have a drawer in it. I don't have temp problems, but I do wish I had gone that route, just for piece of mind. 

My advice is to get something that is easy to maintain. Yeah, at first, dealing with humidity swings is interesting and fun, but in the end it gets old. 

[earthson]

Coolerdor! Reaches and holds target RH like a champ and all of the money you save can be spent on boxes. Plus, Aristocrats are nowhere near as stackable!

[Colt45]

I agree with members who mentioned the aspect of starting out - will you stick with it or not. A good quality desktop lasts, and at the very least can be re-purposed, etc.

The Humidor Tutorial Forum started as a way to show the progress of a member built (fine craftsman) desktop humidor. If anyone is interested, check out the Roll Your Own / Hang Ten Humidor posts in the tutorial forum. Personally, I miss Alain - wanker 

 

[stogieluver]

El Prez asked what I would do different.  Not sure I would change a thing.  The whole process was a journey, starting with about ten years of smoking Non Cubans, almost exclusively singles because I never found a NC that I liked enough to buy a box.  Next, about four years ago, I discovered Cubans and realized I loved them so much that all I wanted to buy was boxes.  At  that point, I owned three desk top humidors and that was sufficient to house some single NC's and all my "accessories", old lighters, travel accessories, etc.  After my introduction to Cubans, I bought a tupperdor that held about 25 boxes.  At that point in my journey, I realized I would obtain many more boxes than it would hold, so I bought an Aristocrat that holds about 60-70 boxes.  As of now, it's nearly full.  Don't discount the advice of many here to buy a larger unit than you think you'll ever need if you plan on buying and aging Cuban cigars. 

[Akela3rd]

I started a couple of years ago with a small desktop, then got a larger desktop, both of which I still use - one for quick grabs and C&Cs and the other for various special singles. The boxes are in an airtight 200ltr tuppador neatly fitted and disguised in a presentable storage box. Works for me,and my 200ct or so collection with scope for enough expansion over the next couple of years. I reckon there's room for a couple of dozen boxes in there.

[MaxG]

Honestly, my advice would be get an airtight plastic container, one or two 65% Bovedas, the cheapest cutter and disposable lighter you can find, and an assortment of different cigars.  There is no need to bury yourself under the avalanche of information, expense, questions, and debate on humidors, wineadors, calibrating hygrometers, soft or single- double- triple- flame lighters, punch, straight, v-cut cutters, etc...   Enjoy the tobacco.  All the rest will follow.  But it's too big a pill to swallow at once, and often leads to needless fretting and burnout. 

 

- MG