humidor

A humidor is being prepared for use

An Elie Bleu Medaille in blue

A humidor is, quite simply, a storage container designed to allow controlled air flow and equipped with a device that maintains the internal humidity in the range of 70 to 75 percent; its internal temperature should be maintained in a narrow range of about 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (Without something to maintain the internal humidity, it's not a humidor; it's just a box.) Humidors come in all sizes. Travel-sized humidors hold just a few cigars; room-sized humidors hold thousands of boxes of cigars.

Note that a humidor is not a sealed environment. Inside an airtight moisturized container, cigars are likely to become moldy. For that reason, it's better to have air circulating between the cigars in your humidor than it is to squish them in too tightly.

While a humidor needs a device that maintains moisture levels, it does not necessarily need a gauge. Some humidors, however, come with hygrometers, which indicate the interior humidity. While the analog models (the round gauges with a needle inside) often have the appealing style of a dial on a sports car's dashboard, they are frequently inaccurate. Digital hygrometers, on the other hand, are usually reliable to a level of plus or minus 2 percent.

No matter what a thermometer or hygrometer says, the true measure of a humidor's performance will be the condition of the cigars inside. If the cigars are exuding a little oil, the conditions are perfect. If they seem too dry, one needs to add more water. There's even a species of beetle, called a tobacco beetle, which can quickly bore holes through the contents of humidors. This will sometimes occur when the humidor maintains a temperature above 75 degrees for more than 24 hours. If the humidor becomes afflicted with these insects, the contaminated cigars should be freezed for 48 hours, then transferred to the refrigerator for an additional 24 hours before returning them to the humidor. The beetles and their larvae will not survive. .^[1]

For private use, small wooden or acrylic glass humidor boxes for a few dozen cigars are used, while cigar shops may have walk-in humidors, sometimes covering a whole floor. Humidors of all sizes use hygrometers to keep track of the humidity levels.

Classification of Humidor

Table Humidor

Usually quite heavy and though in theory, is usually kept static in one location. Usually can hold 300 to few thousands of cigars. Usually comes in polished wood exterior or marble or leather or combination of exotic elements.

Room Humidor

This is usually common in cigar bars or stores. One room is usually converted to a Humidor where all the cigars are stored.

Travel Humidor

Usually portable and ideal for carrying cigars enough for the outing or event. Usual counts supported are 10 to 40 cigars.

Maintenance

The ideal humidity in a humidor is around 65-75%. The more empty space, the more readily the humidity will drop.

Humidor cases are typically made nowadays of woodboard with an interior veneer of Spanish-cedar wood or mahogany.

Spanish-cedar is the most frequently used wood for the interior veneer of humidors. It possesses the following desirable characteristics for cigar storage:

1. It holds more moisture than most woods, so it helps maintain humidity.
2. It imparts its aroma to cigars if they are stored in it for long enough. For the same reason, some cigars are wrapped in Spanish-cedar sheets before they are sold.
3. Spanish-cedar wood can repel tobacco beetles. These pinhead-sized beetles can ruin entire stocks of cigars. They eat the tobacco and lay eggs, causing further infestation. They can also be discouraged by ensuring the humidor does not get hotter than 20 °C.^[2] The beetle eggs usually only hatch at around 25 °C, although there are also instances where they will hatch at cooler temperatures if the humidity is too high.

Each humidor has to be seasoned after being bought or having been dry for a while. This is done by taking a moist cloth and wiping down the interior to remove any dust. A small container of water is then placed inside the humidor and left for around 12 hours with the lid closed. If the water is gone or mostly gone, then this is repeated for another 24 hours. When the liquid in the container stops evaporating, cigars can be placed in it. The humidifying element or "sponge" keeps the wood moist, which in turn keeps the cigars moist. As well, the use of distilled water is recommended for its lack of minerals, additives, or bacteria.

Notable humidor brands

• Adorini
• Andre Garcia
• Alfred Dunhill
• Elie Bleu
• Griffin's
• Manning
• Zino Davidoff
• Michel Perrenoud

References

1. ^ Cigar Aficionado - Storing Cigars.
2. ^ Beetle pest control information in Wikipedia

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