Chances are, if you're a serious cigar lover, you already own a humidor- or two.
But maybe purchasing a humidor has been on your wish-list for a while and you're just trying to justify why you should have one.
Well here are some compelling reasons for you to consider as to why making that humidor purchase is the best idea you've been sitting on.
First, let's look at some common myths about humidors.
• Expensive
• A needless luxury
• It's just a box
• Too complicated - relative humidity?
Or maybe you are thinking that you don't have very many cigars or only smoke a cigar occasionally. Keep reading.
Let's break it down:
ExpensiveDid you know that you can buy an entry level humidor that will hold 25 cigars for under $200? Or you can jump up a notch and get into a 90 count humidor and the prices are still affordable and will still cost less than the 50 cigars you'll be putting into it. And yes, you can go all out for some very special luxury models like our Diamond Crown range, but like buying a computer, it depends on what you want it to do and how much you want to spend.
A Needless Luxury
Not so. If you want to have your premium cigars, no matter how many you have, to stay in prime condition, you will need a humidor to achieve that. This can be a Tupperware container with a chunk of Oasis soaked in 50/50 solution that sits in your drawer or you can spend a little bit of money and get a beautiful humidor you can sit proudly on your desk or counter-top. It's like storing food in your fridge. You need to wrap it up and make sure it's airtight so it doesn't spoil. Same with premium cigars- they need to be in an airtight box so the atmosphere they live in protects them from drying out or getting too moist. It's a necessity not a needless luxury. Go for it.
It's just a box
You know it's more than just a box. It's commonly a hand crafted Spanish Cedar-lined case designed to specifically keep cigars at 70% relative humidity (RH). It can also be a hard-shell travel humidor. There are even electronically controlled cabinets the size of a small refrigerator. It needs to be air tight when closed. It needs to have a humidification device like an easy to use Boveda pack to maintain a cigar-happy environment of 70% RH. Why? Premium cigars will dry out and lose their delicate balance of oils and flavours which will ruin your cigar smoking experience.
Too Complicated
No. It's easy. Get the Boveda system. There's a solution to meet every size of humidor. They are special paper pouches with just the right amount of 'moisture' creating magic to maintain your humidor. It takes the guess work out of refilling foam units. By having a hygrometer inside your humidor you can tell what your humidity level is and make adjustments. There's a tiny learning curve to getting to know this terminology but you're intelligent- and life is more rewarding if you are constantly learning new things. Check out our other articles on this site to dig deeper into RH and how temperature affects it. It's like a fine wine, cigars stored properly can age for years!
Even if you have only one or two cigars you need somewhere to keep them protected until the time you want to smoke them. Having 10-20 cigars on hand means you've entered the realm of cigardom. More than that and you probably have a bunch of friends who like coming over to your place to help you smoke your cigars. Live it up. Show them you take your cigars seriously.
I like to remind myself every time I take a cigar out of my humidor that I am partaking in a ritual or ceremony. The cigar I hold took at least 3 years to make, from seed to cigar, and took many hundreds of hours of hands of labour, skill and craftsmanship to produce. It's a privilege to smoke a fine cigar and I honour the art form of cigar making by respecting them enough to keep them in perfect condition. Anything less than that is a waste. Anything more than that is a pleasure.
As for the seven reasons to own a humidor... look at it this way- there are 3 types of people in the world. Those who can count, and those who can't.
You can find our wide-range of humidors here.
You can find the Boveda system packs here.
You can find the Boveda Humidor Starter-Kit's here (for seasoning a new humidor).
You can find the Xikar Digital Hygrometers here.
