New Humidors

[kanuna]

I am looking at purchasing a new humidor, at this time I have a small Thompson desk top at work with no measuring devices and actually empty. So I am looking at a purchase and being a big time newbie to this game I am looking torward all of you for guiding me. I have enjoyed everthing on the forum that I have read but finally fell I need to ask before its to late and waist money. I have never aged before and I am looking torward that area. At this time I figure I have about 8 days before I really need a good one..

J.L.

[yossie]

SmokingAl makes ordermade humidor for you. For my position, I have to say it. You should go to the websites of Avallo and Arstcrats.

[kanuna]

Thank you Yossie, I am hoping to have a order in the near future and i am kind of worried about screwing these cig's up, I have never actually stored before and have always smoked everything I got. But now is different, so I thought I would swallow my pride and ask. Thank you for your help and I will take your advice and look at the web site.

[jwm8592]

Really all depends all HOW MUCH $$$ you want to spend! And I'm sure everyone on this forum will tell you how ever big you decide to go, double that size and that's the one to buy. I for example had a desktop model approx. 75 count, then went big, or so I thought and bought a 300 count, well even before I started looking into CC's (Cuban Cigars), I had filled that to capacity. I then selected an end table type humidor; approx. 700 - 800 count (I would have loved to get an Aristocrat by Staebell & Assoc. tall humidor, just couldn't afford). I purchased from Tampa Humidor, and selected their Trivoli Humidor, in Mahogany, it was around $300 or so, pretty inexpensive for what you get. It has worked out well, but as you'll find out if you want to do some major aging of quality cigars eventually you'll need something that holds over 1000, no kidding. As Yossie suggested SmokingAl makes some pretty nice stuff. In the short term you can look at the Humidor posts on FOH and get some ideas, even turning a cooler into a very inexpensive humidor for the short term, or long. Guys have had success w/the wine coolers also. Just do a little research and you'll do fine. Good luck.

[Colt45]

First, I'd suggest going bigger than you think you'll need. For your immediate needs, A good sized tupperware or similar airtight

container works nicely. If you need more immediate space, a fifty or hundred quart cooler will fit the bill. For either, a supply of

65% rh beads or crystal kitty litter, and a calibrated digital hygrometer will get you started.

These type of containers work really well maintaining a stable climate. I use both as well as wooden humidors. As you grow into this,

you can determine your needs and decide if you want to upgrade to a large cabinet, home walk in, or simply more / bigger coolers

There's plenty of info here, and don't hesitate to ask any questions - have fun!

[sepp]

First, I'd suggest going bigger than you think you'll need.

That statement cannot be said enough.

[kanuna]

Thank you jwm8592 & colt45, I think this goes well with bikes and rods which I love and the cigar craze in me will most likley end up be part of my life like the bikes and cars. I think I will lean torward a system for now as advised up above by colt45 and evaluate the long term desires. I do not go small when it comes to my bike so why would I on this???? other than the intial purchase its a long term deal. I will also continue to search the FOH forum dealing with all the devices to keep the temp & humidity at a 61-65 to 65f. Thank you all for your time and trouble, I am really starting to love this forum and catch my self at work on it......................gotta love it!

[PigFish]

Rule 1: no device for storing cigars is ever large enough. The larger the storage the more you can afford to buy and therefore the more you need to store!

Rule 2: rule 1 is not levity... you may wish to refinance your home now before you really get into this hobby!

Where I will disagree with some is if you are really serous don't waste your money on interim humidors. Soon they will spring up all around your home in various forms. Nothing pisses off spouses more than a humidor in every room. What is more they are a pain in the ass to keep up with. Considering the part of the world that you live in you should consider a refrigerated unit (one with cooling). Once you get started here it is really easy to spend money on cigars and even harder to spend your "cigar" money on a damn box to hold them. I think many of my peers could attest to this as a truism. It is short sighted but a truism none the less.

What you may want to consider is using Rob's storage locker for a while if you are hell bent on collecting before obtaining adequate storage. Rob stores boxes for me and I am perfectly happy knowing that they are in capable caring hands. -Piggy.

[jwm8592]

I'd have to agree w/Piggy on the wife gett'in pissed off w/the humidors. I have them all (well I did give the old desktop away), but the two I do have are in the same room, and we don't use that particular room much so its a somewhat muted pissed, I guess. But he's right. If your not careful, that'll be you on the couch.

[kanuna]

Thanks piggy, I love it when someone gets right down to the point, I do attend to jump a head of myself by going swimming in the ocean before a pond................lol. I am taking all this in and setting back and saying to myself "self you have to by the damn bike frame before you can enjoy the rumble of the engine". Sorry I am kind of a gear head. I do have to agree about one thing and that is my spouse, she has already given me one lecture. But on a serious note, i thank each and everyone of you for your words, I am taking them to heart. this is a lot to take in so I think I will smoke on it for a while and think before I spend.

PS I do not need to refinance the house, I already have one to many....lol, any one want to move to oklahoma.....

thank all

[Tampa1257]

Get a BIGGER Humidor than you EVER thought youmight need.

[Guest rob]

I agree with all the replies that advise you to get a bigger humidor than you think you may need.

My only addition to that advice is - get another large humidor as a back up for when the first one gets filled.

[kanuna]

I am going straight down to Sears and buying the cheapest ice box thet have today...lol. Just woke couldn't sleep so I think I will browse the net for such a creature. Any advice on dealing with a ice box, do their settings allow for 65 degrees inside or is there a special type of fridge? Looks to me this could be a cheaper set up route than a wooden humidor and I can utilize ceder boxes from cigarmony. Okay maybe i'm not awake yet...pinch, pinch....I'm awake alright.

[stargazer14]

Unless you live where it gets way too hot, it doesnt matter if the fridge works or not. You dont want it run anyway.

I keep mine in the basement which stays a rather constant 65 -70 degrees.

I would suggest that for now you just follow Colts suggestion and get yourself a big plastic cooler, or plastic storage tub (coolers work great).

Then in a year when you have decided you are really into this cigar thing and at the same time notice you have too many boxes, then spend some money on something nice if you wish to keep some smokes upstairs and the rest in the cooler!

Spend the money on smokes, not storage.

Unless of course money is not a problem for you...

My old mini fridge works great, holds 10-15 boxes and with a small container of beads the humidity has never been a problem.

Cost me no more than a bag of beads and a half pint of WonTon soup ( to put the beads in!).

[Van55]

I am going straight down to Sears and buying the cheapest ice box thet have today...lol. Just woke couldn't sleep so I think I will browse the net for such a creature. Any advice on dealing with a ice box, do their settings allow for 65 degrees inside or is there a special type of fridge? Looks to me this could be a cheaper set up route than a wooden humidor and I can utilize ceder boxes from cigarmony. Okay maybe i'm not awake yet...pinch, pinch....I'm awake alright.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Do not get a refrigerator, if that is what you mean by "ice box."

A wine cooler will work, but a refrigerator stays too dry inside and you'll never get the humidity high enough.

I invested in a Haier wine cooler, but eventually had to unplug it to keep my cigars in it, as moisture condensed on the back of the box and some of my cigars started to mold. I now keep wine in the wine cooler!

If I were to go the cooler route for cigar again, I would invest in an Avanti or other thermoelectric one.

[PigFish]

I am going straight down to Sears and buying the cheapest ice box thet have today...lol. Just woke couldn't sleep so I think I will browse the net for such a creature. Any advice on dealing with a ice box, do their settings allow for 65 degrees inside or is there a special type of fridge? Looks to me this could be a cheaper set up route than a wooden humidor and I can utilize ceder boxes from cigarmony. Okay maybe i'm not awake yet...pinch, pinch....I'm awake alright.

I have actually written a "science project" course on converting your own wine fridge to a humidor. I have a couple like Tampa's and other storage all over the place so I speak with some experience here. If you set one of these up right and make it for yourself they are the best bang for the buck. My build your own course is a pain to post so what I will likely do is send it to Rob and let him decide if he wants to post it ( shame on me I wrote it in 2007!). Since you are a gear head you will easily be able to build one of these yourself if you have the desire.

I use mine for long term storage only and I don't keep singles or open boxes in them that is why it is crammed tight and looks inconvenient. I keep my smoking stock elsewhere.

[PigFish]

Maybe a "MOD type" can rotate my picture! I don't know how to do it! -P

[DocRKS]

COOLERDOR !!!!!!

For under $30 USD and about 5 minutes of set-up work - best bang for the buck as far as effective and LOW COST cigar storage and protection.

Plenty of time to get the Avallo or Aristocrat - spend the bucks on cigars now - the Coolerdor will do the job just fine starting out

[PigFish]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Do not get a refrigerator, if that is what you mean by "ice box."

A wine cooler will work, but a refrigerator stays too dry inside and you'll never get the humidity high enough.

I invested in a Haier wine cooler, but eventually had to unplug it to keep my cigars in it, as moisture condensed on the back of the box and some of my cigars started to mold. I now keep wine in the wine cooler!

If I were to go the cooler route for cigar again, I would invest in an Avanti or other thermoelectric one.

You may wish to heed this advice! Refrigerators are not humidors. Certain wine coolers work very well if set up correctly. I believe I have set mine up correctly!!!

The back of my wine cooler is separated from my cigars via a nice neutral wood, African Mahogany. The fans support circulation and work independent of each other; 1 with the humidifier the other with the cooler. The key is circulation and not allowing the cooler to run for protracted periods. There is some science to building one of these... I would not use an out of the box wine cooler, not for my cigars! -Piggy

[sinnyc]

This has all been said before but I'll add my two bits.

I started out with one 200 count desktop humidor that was filled as soon as I got it home so I promptly added two more 300 count desktop humidors. As soon as I had those 3 up and running it occurred to me that I had no place to store boxes. So, I bought two 60-quart coolers. It got to the point that the constant shuffling became irritating so I bought two 28-bottle Vinotemp wine refrigerators and consolidated most of my smokes. That lasted until I had filled the Vinos and the coolers again and I finally did what I should have done years before and bought a 5' x 3' x 2' Avallo Triple D cabinet humidor.

At this point, the Avallo is about 80% full and my one remaining Vino (which I keep in my office where I smoke at home) is about 50% full - and there are still scores of boxes I hope to acquire so at some point I'll need to add space yet again.

The points here are as follows:

- bypass desktop humidors altogether as they are basically useless. Start off with a cooler or a Vinotemp.

- bigger is always better so plan far ahead and far beyond what you think you need today.

- appreciating, collecting, aging, and smoking good cigars is an evil, filthy addiction on par with crack or meth that will come to take over your life. Embrace that fact and you'll be much happier

Good luck!

- Tim

[stargazer14]

Fridge is fine - if you dont turn it on!

Couldn't be happier with mine.

Find someone dumping one that doesn't work or check CraigsList for a used one -

for $30 you can have perfect storage for many cigars.

[kanuna]

Man I love this and after getting back to sleep last night and having to dang busy of a day to even think about things until I got home and now reading the rest of the advice and pure wisdom, I think that a cooler is the way to go for now and as stated above many times, see where I will be going with this and when the time comes I will invest in something long term and not have the spouse all over me for having to many boxes. I do like the ideal of spending on the cig's first then as time goes by and i grow more mature in this crazy journey I will turn back to all this and look at what is best for what I have at that time and what I will need for the future. So on that note all of you brothers are awesome for caring enough to even respond, so I take to heart everything that has been mentioned above and now I believe I will set and smoke and ponder on it all. I went out today and got a cooler instead of using the camping one and I am looking a cigarmoney to get some 65% beads and a measuring device that reads both humi and temp. Again to all, thank you for the wisdom, God knows I need it when it comes to this right now but from what everyone has said, I beleive I will turn out just fine and the cig's aso.

God speed all.

J. L.

[demiurgic]

appreciating, collecting, aging, and smoking good cigars is an evil, filthy addiction on par with crack or meth that will come to take over your life. Embrace that fact and you'll be much happier

Damn that is well put.

[Guest rob]

Please find a way to post your "how to" Piggy.

I'd love to read it.

I have 4 fridges (thermoelectric) running at the moment and for 48 weeks of the year they work great. Perfect control and consistency in temp and RH.

However, I do have to deal with about 4 weeks of relatively hot basement conditions that results in the fridges needing to work a bit harder to maintain temp - and as a result the RH drops (to about 58%) as the moisture in the airspace converts to condensation on the back wall.

I understand the science of what is going on.... though I'm currently at a loss to combat it.

[PigFish]

Please find a way to post your "how to" Piggy.

I'd love to read it.

I have 4 fridges (thermoelectric) running at the moment and for 48 weeks of the year they work great. Perfect control and consistency in temp and RH.

However, I do have to deal with about 4 weeks of relatively hot basement conditions that results in the fridges needing to work a bit harder to maintain temp - and as a result the RH drops (to about 58%) as the moisture in the airspace converts to condensation on the back wall.

I understand the science of what is going on.... though I'm currently at a loss to combat it.

The computer I wrote it on melted down in the middle of a rather intensive period when I was redlining some project blueprints. Right after that project I had a heart attack!!! I need to reformat the data scavenged from other places and see if I can put the pictures together with it again and write it to a pdf file. As soon as I do that I will ship it off to Rob and Lisa and let them post it or present it as they see fit. It is pretty comprehensive and the coolers work really well; I don't have a reputation for half-assed ****!!. Since they are sealed and they recirculate any condensed water back to the humidifier they are almost maintenance free; not perfect but I am very happy with them.