Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Building My Own Humidor - Part 1 (Humidor Intro)

Storing your Cigars correctly and appropriately should be taken very seriously if you are a cigar aficinado. Cigars just don't mainly come out of their box ready to smoke unless they have been stored correctly. If you care about your cigars then you should care about where you keep them!

Finding the right humidor is not an easy task and require a good investment. Few things that you should look for when buying a Humidor are the following:

  • Inside of the humidor should be made or lined with either Spanish Cedar or Rose Wood. (how would you know? well every good humidor has a product certificate, if it does not then return the humidor and dont risk it.
  • make sure the inside wood has no cracks, loose edges or discoloration.
  • make sure the metal hinges are plated or stainless to avoid any rust.
  • Humidifier system & Hygrometer is the heart of your humidor, choose them wisely! (I personally stay away from those Green Oasis Foam that they use for plants as they tend to give an uneven humidity which can be hard to control.) Look for a system that has a wider meshed area to ensure even humidity distribution and an electronic gauge for accuracy. 
  • Humidor lids should have a good seal but not tight. When closing the humidor, if you can hear the wood on the lid touches the bottom wood, then that's a good seal.
  • Choose the correct size (depending on number of cigars to be stored and cigar gauges).
  • The outside design of the humidor has no impact on the Cigar so choose your fancy.

Once you have your new humidor DON'T rush and put your cigars just yet unless you 'Condition' it first. Conditioning a Humidor require you to keep a stable humidity inside the box for a few days before you can actually use it for your cigars. The reason is that most Humidors dry up during storage and building back the humidity will take a few days as the lined wood inside the humidor 'conditions' to a relatively stable humidity. (ask whoever you buy the humidor from if they can condition it for you). Please use distilled water for your humidification system or 50/50 solution only (available @ your cigar shop).

Your humidor is now ready for your cigars! But wait...

  • Always keep similar region cigars together. 
  • Always keep the internal humidity @ 69%-71% (dramatic fluctuation and changes might damage and break your cigar, so please keep it constant)
  • Avoid cramming cigars in a single Humidor. 
  • Have enough space inside for the Cigar to breath. remember you need to turn the cigars around every once in a while, the bottom ones move to the top and the top to the bottom.
  • Putting different cigars in a humidor might rub off their flavors on each other (sometimes a good thing if you are ready to blend).
  • attain to your humidor and check gauge at least once a week!
  • Admire it!

The basics about storing your cigars is now out of the way. I currently have 6 Humidors (3 of which are 50 cigar holders, one 25 cigar holder,  one 15 cigar holder and one 10 cigar holder. As my collection expands, my storage area is decreasing and in not looking forward to buying my 7th humidor as of yet, my house office space cannot accommodate another humidor. I have looked at a few large cabinet humidor but non really did it for me. So this is why I have this new task of building my own humidor! The way I want it!

Yes, in the upcoming weeks you will get to see my progress on Building My Own Humidor task and hopefully the steps I am talking in making it happen. I am currently making my initial plans and sketches and will share them with you soon! If anyone would like to start this type of project with me do let me know as I an willing to offer my support.


1 comment:

  1. The hardest part I think is in the construction of the actual wooden box. If you're good with dovetail and tenon joints, that's fine. But if you're not, the easier route would be to just work on a ready made box of a suitable material. These are usually quite readily available. I used one made of mahogany.

    I have outlined the steps to make a humidor using this method, with photos and description along the way at http://www.devonbuy.com/making-your-own-humidor/

    I have also provided links at the bottom of my page for sourcing most of the tools and components for successfully constructing the humidor, for the convenience of the hobbyist who wishes to attempt to build one. I have also included tips on maintaining it in good humidity and condition. And I have to say, it was really fun with a sense of accomplishment at the end.

    I wish anyone who embarks on this journey the best of luck and success!

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