First humidor how to pick

JohnWJ

Hi there to everyone

I am pretty new to cigars have smoke several before but have not had to use a humidor. How do I go about pick one I have looked at getting Gurkha Churchill cigars. Now I am thinking of getting a travel humidor to start is this a good idea 

Thanks in advance
John

Captain_Call

I used a 40 count xicar travel humi for a few years with great success. It may seem tacky to some people but regular Tupperware will work too or the large storage totes with the foam seal in the lid work awesome as giant humidors. 

Bob_Luken

Using a travel humidor instead of buying a wooden desktop humidor is a great idea John. I'm gonna give it to ya straight. A wooden humidor is not a necessity. It's a pain in the ass. It's as if nobody warns you about the quicksand, they say "walk down this path, heh heh". You don't know. You aren't aware anything could possibly go wrong but you start sinking and then have to figure out how not to drown. I don't care for them, those damn cheap Chinese made pieces of crap. I haven't actually used one in years and I have **** loads of cigars. If you want one because they look nice and you need to impress somebody by handing them a cigar straight outta your impressive humidor, go ahead. But you don't NEED it.

Bob_Luken

@JohnWJ John, here's a link to a thread from a few years ago that contains lots of discussion on storage options. Click on it. 
 
https://forum.cigar.com/discussion/896591/veterans-advice-to-newbie-first-humidor/p1

And before I forget, Welcome to the forum. You can learn more here on this forum in a year than you can in five years of hanging around your local cigar lounge. That's a fact Jack,,... Uh, John.

ForMud

My desk top now is used only for the sticks I'll be smoking during the week ahead. It saves opening one of the other coolers everyday.
Other than looking nice, it was kinda a waste of money.....Should have went with a Tupperware container or a travel humidor.    

webmost

Bob_Luken said:

Using a travel humidor instead of buying a wooden desktop humidor is a great idea John. I'm gonna give it to ya straight. A wooden humidor is not a necessity. It's a pain in the ass. It's as if nobody warns you about the quicksand, they say "walk down this path, heh heh". You don't know. You aren't aware anything could possibly go wrong but you start sinking and then have to figure out how not to drown. I don't care for them, those damn cheap Chinese made pieces of crap. I haven't actually used one in years and I have **** loads of cigars. If you want one because they look nice and you need to impress somebody by handing them a cigar straight outta your impressive humidor, go ahead. But you don't NEED it.

That's awful harsh, Bob. You know, all's you have to do is, if you just keep your wooden humidor inside of a Coleman ice chest it will keep your sticks just fine...*






*remember to carefully season your wooden box first!

Bob_Luken

webmost said:

Bob_Luken said:

Using a travel humidor instead of buying a wooden desktop humidor is a great idea John. I'm gonna give it to ya straight. A wooden humidor is not a necessity. It's a pain in the ass. It's as if nobody warns you about the quicksand, they say "walk down this path, heh heh". You don't know. You aren't aware anything could possibly go wrong but you start sinking and then have to figure out how not to drown. I don't care for them, those damn cheap Chinese made pieces of crap. I haven't actually used one in years and I have **** loads of cigars. If you want one because they look nice and you need to impress somebody by handing them a cigar straight outta your impressive humidor, go ahead. But you don't NEED it.

That's awful harsh, Bob. You know, all's you have to do is, if you just keep your wooden humidor inside of a Coleman ice chest it will keep your sticks just fine...*






*remember to carefully season your wooden box first!

If I was harsh to @JohnWJ Sorry about that. I thought I was being funny harsh. I didn't intend to be truly harsh to John. 

If I was harsh to cheap POS Chinese humidors? Good. That was intentional. 

 

jd50ae

Bob_Luken said:

Using a travel humidor instead of buying a wooden desktop humidor is a great idea John. I'm gonna give it to ya straight. A wooden humidor is not a necessity. It's a pain in the ass. It's as if nobody warns you about the quicksand, they say "walk down this path, heh heh". You don't know. You aren't aware anything could possibly go wrong but you start sinking and then have to figure out how not to drown. I don't care for them, those damn cheap Chinese made pieces of crap. I haven't actually used one in years and I have **** loads of cigars. If you want one because they look nice and you need to impress somebody by handing them a cigar straight outta your impressive humidor, go ahead. But you don't NEED it.

Well golly gee wiz Bob,(with 2 Bs)
When I pass what are you going to do with the wood humidors I was going to leave you?

JohnWJ

Bob_Luken said:

webmost said:

Bob_Luken said:

Using a travel humidor instead of buying a wooden desktop humidor is a great idea John. I'm gonna give it to ya straight. A wooden humidor is not a necessity. It's a pain in the ass. It's as if nobody warns you about the quicksand, they say "walk down this path, heh heh". You don't know. You aren't aware anything could possibly go wrong but you start sinking and then have to figure out how not to drown. I don't care for them, those damn cheap Chinese made pieces of crap. I haven't actually used one in years and I have **** loads of cigars. If you want one because they look nice and you need to impress somebody by handing them a cigar straight outta your impressive humidor, go ahead. But you don't NEED it.

That's awful harsh, Bob. You know, all's you have to do is, if you just keep your wooden humidor inside of a Coleman ice chest it will keep your sticks just fine...*






*remember to carefully season your wooden box first!

If I was harsh to @JohnWJ Sorry about that. I thought I was being funny harsh. I didn't intend to be truly harsh to John. 

If I was harsh to cheap POS Chinese humidors? Good. That was intentional. 

 No mate you was not harsh I just want to learn and if people if they have to be harsh to get there point across i say go for it

JohnWJ

Bob_Luken said:

@JohnWJ John, here's a link to a thread from a few years ago that contains lots of discussion on storage options. Click on it. 
 
https://forum.cigar.com/discussion/896591/veterans-advice-to-newbie-first-humidor/p1

And before I forget, Welcome to the forum. You can learn more here on this forum in a year than you can in five years of hanging around your local cigar lounge. That's a fact Jack,,... Uh, John.

Thanks for the link it help a lot

JohnWJ

OK now for part two 
I think I'll go for the plastic Humidor now what brands would you recommend ? 

Bob_Luken

Well, I assume you mean either a plastic storage container (Tupperware/Sterlite/Rubbermaid) or a cooler (Coleman/ Igloo). So now you need to decide how big you need it and that's almost all there is to it. Get yourself a cheap hygrometer from some place like walmart and buy some 65% RH Bovedas for humidity control (cheaper by the dozen. 42 bucks on amazon if I recall.) Also if you use Bovedas the hygrometer is not really necessary. 

JohnWJ

Bob_Luken said:

Well, I assume you mean either a plastic storage container (Tupperware/Sterlite/Rubbermaid) or a cooler (Coleman/ Igloo). So now you need to decide how big you need it and that's almost all there is to it. Get yourself a cheap hygrometer from some place like walmart and buy some 65% RH Bovedas for humidity control (cheaper by the dozen. 42 bucks on amazon if I recall.) Also if you use Bovedas the hygrometer is not really necessary. 

Sorry meant a plastic travel humidor. But I will look at what you suggested thanks

Bob_Luken

OK. To me the travel humidors are all the same in most respects. Just gotta pick a size. Humicare, Herf-a-dor, are the two names that come to my mind first. They sometimes smell heavily of plastic when they're new. Let it air out a few days with a fan on it and maybe even close it up with a box of baking soda for use with refrigerator odors. You could use a food/storage container and save a few bucks if you don't particularly need a travel case. 

YankeeMan

Figure the size you think you will need and multiply it by 5.  That will be for your first one,  The next one will be bigger!

Captain_Call

In addition to the above named brands, I've seen pelican cases repurposed. I think that's what my xikar 40 is. I hardly ever use it just because it's too big to be convenient for moving around and too small to use as a home base storage. Most recently I took it on a 3 day herf and still ended up only smoking enough to justify the 15 count. Of course by the time all the trading and bombing was done, i had to give stuff away to get the lid to close. That's why there was a suggestion to quintuple the size you think you need.

webmost

JohnWJ said:

OK now for part two 
I think I'll go for the plastic Humidor now what brands would you recommend ? 

Whatever Coleman cooler you have kicking round the shed will do. The price is right.

I've got three Coleman stackers full of leaves, one one 128 qt fisherman style Coleman full of home rolls, one 40 qt Coleman, and a 48 qt Igloo, as well as three six pack size coolers. Plus there's a tub full of leaves and a no name thing from the container store full of leaves. Oops ... almost forgot the big square Igloo Ice Cube here under the desk, holding FX Smith's and Topper samples. The six-packs travel well.

Long as they are hard sided and seal tight, any cooler is head and shoulder above a wooden box. I've got one of those hygros that reads three wireless remotes, and I can tell you that all three remotes inside coolers read dead steady month after month. That's my aging stash. I've got two wooden humis. One is empty; the other half empty -- that half empty is my only store bought cigars.

But then, I'm obviously obsessed.

jd50ae

Whichever one you buy it will only be the "starter" in a long and treacherous sojourn into the wonderful world of humidors and variants. Everyone has a favorite. I eventually got it down to a desktop, daily use and opened frequently. And a large Havana Foot Locker for aging with an electronic humidifier, seldom opened and it works great. 
I will not use an analog RH gauge. Too many problems and I do not trust them. I can take either electric gauge, switch them around and they read the same. 
Both humidors are nice pieces of furniture and do not stick out at all.
Anyway good luck. How ever way you go it will be educational and most likely fun.

And I agree with @webmost, he is obsessed.

Yakster

You'll hear a lot of folks throwing out the idea of a 72 quart cooler for storing cigars.  This works well and seals so well that you hardly have to change your Bovedas, but it may not have quite the visual appeal that you or your partner are looking for.  If this is a problem, as it was for me with my Wife, you may want to check out something called an IRIS Weathertight Storage Box.  People commonly buy the 19 quart box, but I opted for a 62 quart box, so far so good; > 85% of the storage space without the high pitched squeal of feedback coming from my Wife about when I'm going to put that $#@$#@ cooler back in the garage.

JohnWJ

Thank you one and all now all I have to do is work out what I'm going to buy Again Thank you all

Cigar-20104455

So I'm getting BACK into cigars...had a cheap humi (gone now) as a wedding gift but now wanting something better.  I like the idea of using plastic containers and Boveda; simple, easy, not flashy, smart and more $$ to spend on sticks.  That said, what are the down sides and are they're downsides to using containers; is "TupperWare" better because it may breath some? I was thinking of using the latch top containers with the seal you can find at Costco.  I figured that would do well.  It also gives you the option to store like profile cigars together instead of mingling.  Good idea or am I just being a dumbass? lol  TIA.

Spencer

Cigar-20104455

What about the Whynter cigar cooler/humidors? I assume you still have to add Boveda or some humidification and of course a dig hygro but overall they’re pretty affordable and seem to get good reviews (if we assume reviewers aren’t shilling for the house). 

Bob_Luken

@Cigar-20104455 Welcome to the forum Spencer. Sounds like latch top containers would work. More money for sticks, and with less time fine tuning a wooden humidor, you'll have less frustration and more time available for smoking. Personally, I think the only downside to plastic storage is you might miss the aroma that comes from a well stocked and well maintained traditional spanish cedar humidor. It really IS a great aroma, but in my opinion does not enhance the cigar's flavor as much as traditionalists might say it does. To overcome this disadvantage, spanish cedar can be added, and of course you can store cigars inside the spanish cedar boxes they come in, and keep the cigar boxes inside the plastic containers. But I've not experienced the same aroma as with a wooden humidor. As for Tupperware, and "breathing", I don't think Tupperware breathes significantly more than containers that are not made by Tupperware. The "breathing" related to small plastic storage containers is done manually. The idea is to have an exchange of air periodically. If you are opening them every day or at least once a week to grab a smoke, then you don't even need to think about it. If you don't open it that often you might want to set up a reminder. This practice is IMHO more important for new cigars or cigars that recently experienced extreme high temperature fluctuations during truck transport. These cigars in particular may be putting off gasses that need to be allowed to escape. If you notice an ammonia smell or any offensive type of odors, it would be best to let them breath more often than normal until this subsides. You mentioned separating different profiles. You can do this if it makes sense to you. I don't do this. Not a big deal to me. If I need room, I consolidate singles into whatever box they'll fit into. I don't consider if they'll get along with their box mates. It may well be Lord of the Flies inside the box but I don't care. LOL.     

Prep your boxes by washing them out with dawn dish soap to remove any oils remaining and hopefully odors as well. Then let them air out. Next seal them up for a day and check for odors. Repeat if necessary.  I've heard that a baking soda and distilled water solution/paste is good for removing plastic odors. And since your containers are not insulated like coolers, keep your containers out of direct airflow created by your AC/Heat unit to avoid temp swings. Also keep it out of direct sunlight. Hope this helps. 

P.S. Boveda for humidity control. I like the 65% Bovedas. 

Bob_Luken

Cigar-20104455 said:

What about the Whynter cigar cooler/humidors? I assume you still have to add Boveda or some humidification and of course a dig hygro but overall they’re pretty affordable and seem to get good reviews (if we assume reviewers aren’t shilling for the house). 

They do require Bovedas or some other RH control. I haven't used one before. If I had a warm house for some reason or large temp swings for some reason, I would use one myself. I keep my house temps steady and I use coolers. I just don't feel like I need one of those.   

0patience

So......
You went from "first" humidor to a wine cooler humidor.
That's quite a jump.
But not really a bad one. 

New cigar smokers go through a phase and often end up with many cigars they probably will not smoke again. 
Samplers, 5 packs and the lot.

So until you get to the phase where you have narrowed down your likes, my advice would be keep your storage inexpensive. 
Once you have a pretty good idea on what you want to store, then look at what you want to use to store your cigars.

Like @Bob_Luken said, desktops, while looking good are really just to show off a few cigars. I had dozens of desktop humidors at one time and that isn't an exaggeration. Eventually, I gave most of them away, save for a few limited editions that I kept.

Just my opinion

Cigar-20104455

Thanks guys! So I just built a nice house but...I don’t do flashy. I do simple done very well. I also phase in and out of things due to schedule and life so managing a desktop or even plastic may be a challenge. For the price of the desktop I was looking at I can get the small whynter plus some form of cigar oasis and I think that might be my best answer for lowest maintenance. Plus it adds the cedar aroma that Bob was talking about (yes I very much agree with Bob). I’m not really on a budget but I just don’t need to spend metric **** ton of $$. I guess, more precisely, I mean I’d rather invest more in quality than save $$.

I had a desktop back in the 90s but was cheap though it did pretty well but high maintenance. Now I’ve got 3 women in the house and I don’t need anymore of that. Lol. I’ll do some more research and probably do that. Is the whynter the best brand or am I missing something on these?

ForMud

The biggest problem I see with a Oasis is it only adds rh, which is great if you someplace that's dry. But if you live someplace humid you ( I see your from NC ) will need someway to bring down the rh too. This is where the two way systems come into play.....This where Bovedas or beads work best.  

Cigar-20104455

ForMud said:

The biggest problem I see with a Oasis is it only adds rh, which is great if you someplace that's dry. But if you live someplace humid you ( I see your from NC ) will need someway to bring down the rh too. This is where the two way systems come into play.....This where Bovedas or beads work best.  

Good point. The oasis that I looked at said it had a microprocessor and turned on and off to regulate the RH. It was the Excel. They. Claim it’s full auto so to speak. Lol. 

Are there any coolers that do both on their own? My searches are pretty much telling me that the Whynter is about the best brand. Is this the case?

ForMud

Not that I know of. I have a Whynter 2.5cf cooler and it does just that...Cool. ( Plus a small fan that moves some air around. I just went ahead puts some beads in the bottom of it and been holding at 64rh. I only open it once a week or so.

Cigar-20104455

Ok so I found a good deal on the Whynter CHC-172BD so I got that plus the Cigar Oasis Excel plus a 4R digital hydro. That should give me pretty decent control over things long term. The cooler was more space than I needed right now but...humidors, gun safes and houses; buy bigger right? Lol

I’m interested in the Oasis Smart WiFi system too but I need to do more research.

I’ll season it correctly but I’m looking for a couple cedar trays. Where do y’all get good quality cedar accessories?

peter4jc

I just don't think you'll need the Oasis - don't know anyone that uses a wineador with one.  They'll add humidity, but won't draw it out when necessary.  Bovedas, or beads seems to suffice for people using coolers or wineadors.