Humidor Observations

P

PerpetualNoob

Young Ape
When you order a humidor that holds "150 cigars", are they using Macanudo Ascots to come up with that figure? Even by laying them in very carefully to minimize empty space, I seem to be doing real good to get 120-125 in there, if I want the lid to still close. And they're not all Churchills, either. This is with a mix of about 2-1 Robustos to Toros. I suppose I could take the tray out, and would gain enough to get close to the alleged 150, but I would never be able to find anything.

The other thing I've noticed recently is, almost all the ad copy for humidors touts their use of "Premium Kiln-Dried Spanish Cedar". Does anyone else find this funny, since the first thing you do with a new humidor is to go to great lengths to un-dry the cedar?

So, I've got two "150" humidors, both packed full, and two full bundles of cheapo-freebies still in the cello, nowhere to put them. I'm going to go out and buy a cooler tomorrow, and order some beads for it. Man, three months, and I'm barreling down the old slope like a freakin' bowling ball. I am so screwed. Fortunately, with the package that Barney the Postman (my new bestest friend in the whole world!) dropped off while I was at work yesterday, I now have a 5-6 month supply laid in, so I think I can control my impulses, at least for a few weeks.

Cooler. Beads. Fan. Timer. Shelves. Trays. Or... Just suck it up and buy a Vinotemp and get it over with? And beads. Trays, Shelves. I mean, I can't see there ever being a time when I'm not going to be buying, storing, and smoking cigars, at least voluntarily. Hmmm.... Decisions, decisions...

Sigh.... Yeah, I'm screwed.
 
Welcome to the club! We've got jackets.:D

I am now up to 4 humis and 2 coolers, although I am trying to consildate the smallest cooler into my new humi.

:hn
 
illinoishoosier said:
Welcome to the club! We've got jackets.:D

I am now up to 4 humis and 2 coolers, although I am trying to consildate the smallest cooler into my new humi.

:hn
Click to expand...

I never had anything to keep them in, so the vast majority of the 400 or so cigars I've smoked in my life were essentially mummified. That's no fun. Now that I know what they're supposed to be like, I find that I really, really like them. I like them A LOT! They make me happy for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and if that's not a good use for $3-$8, I don't know what is.

This may not be so much a "slippery slope", as it is "jumping off the cliff", but hey, the cigars are down there at the bottom! I mean, what else am I supposed to do?
 
Get a VINO!! I went the whole multiple humi plus cooler route and ended up with a vino anyways. Save yourself the time and trouble if possible. Hook up with Scott Shilala and get yourself some beads.(His are the best IMO). There are a couple great gorillas who make drawers,trays,and shelves that fit right into the vinos.

I have a chest of drawers on the way as we speak from Shilala.

Shilala Drop-in Drawers

Chasden also makes a pull out drawer that is pretty sweet.

Chucks Vino Trays

Mtmouse makes some great trays and shelves as well.

Mtmouse shelves and trays

Check em out see what suits you and have fun on your way down the slope.:tu
 
I think coolers or a cabinet would be your best solution up in Alaska. Most of us use Vinotemps to keep things below 70 during the hot summer months. A cooler is also the most economical solution. Just use empty boxes to store your smokes. Shelves and trays are a nice luxury but why not save the bucks for more smokes. :2
 
If you ever bougtht any non-dried spanish cedar, you'd understand that one...it can be pretty sappy at times, and that sap will rip the wrapper of the cigars. I'm air-drying a plank right now.

The count is really off...I need to put cigars in sideways to come close to count on my 200-ct....close being about 130. My guess is it's 200 panatelas.
 
Just close your eyes and buy the Vino.

Since April of this year I went from a 20 ct. to a 50 ct. to a 100 ct. humi to a 120 qt. Igloo cooler to a $149.00 Vinotemp from Target 1 week ago. I'm on Chas's waiting list for his drawers.

BTW- I just got the news that my picture will be on the cover of October's "Slipping Down The Slope Monthly" magazine. :ss
 
Thanks for all the great replies. Makes a lot of sense.

It very rarely gets above 70 here, even on the hottest summer day, and that's outside, in the direct sunlight. Even then, the core part of my house is probably still 60-65 at most, so I probably don't really need the cooling function of the Vino.

I do have some major humidity concerns, though. It's brutally dry here for 5-6 months of the year. It could be 80% RH, but that's at 10-25 degrees. Pump that air into the house and heat it up to 65-68 degrees, and the RH is going to plummet. I didn't look up the figures for it, but I don't have to. By Thanksgiving, everyone around here will have serious alligator-sandpaper-shoe-leather skin. it just sucks all the moisture out of your skin, and everything else. I have to use industrial-strength moisturizer for my hands, just to keep them from cracking open. It's pretty disgusting, actually.

So, since I don't need the cooling, the Vino would be overkill besides which, our first Target store is still under construction for another couple of months. Since I don't have a huge inventory yet, maybe a good compromise would be a beer fridge (unplugged) with beads. I'm not willing to sacrifice the one I have, since it works, AND it's full of beer :)D), but I probably wouldn't have to try very hard to find someone who has one that doesn't work that I could have just for getting rid of it. The insulation would damp down what minor temp fluctuations there are, and the door seal would keep humidity leakage to zero, or damned close to it.

I'm obviously going to have to think about this some more. I really do appreciate all the input.
 
stfoley said:
If you ever bougtht any non-dried spanish cedar, you'd understand that one...it can be pretty sappy at times, and that sap will rip the wrapper of the cigars. I'm air-drying a plank right now.

The count is really off...I need to put cigars in sideways to come close to count on my 200-ct....close being about 130. My guess is it's 200 panatelas.
Click to expand...

Oh, I hadn't thought about sap. So, the drying is really more about removing the moisture out of the sap so it crystallizes inside the wood fibers, more than about removing moisture from the actual wood, or am I completely off base? Oddly, right after I read this, I discovered there are some small sap spots inside my humidor, but they're on the outside lip of the tray where they can't ever come in contact with the cigars. Now I'll know to keep an eye out in case any others develop, so thanks for the info.

So, next question: Why is Spanish cedar so goddam expensive? It's not really that rare or exotic, is it? I was under the impression that it is mostly grown on plantations, and grows pretty quickly. Is part of it that it's not a native species, and has to be imported? I was just wondering. I saw that Rocker (I think?) had some 1/4" random widths for $5+ a a SQUARE FOOT. That's not a typo, either. That's just absurd. Sounds like you pretty much have to be able to do your own resawing, jointing and planing, to keep from getting raped. Then again, I never needed much of an excuse to buy power tools, either. I've got some ideas, and hey, if they turn out crappy, I've also got a fireplace. I might build a few prototypes out of something cheap, just to hone the design and construction methods, make sure I"m not overlooking anything crucial.
 
Well first, it's a form of Mahogany actually, and not Cedar.

Being mahogany, just the act of cutting it is hazardous. Mahogany dust is a very potent carcinogen. Use a facemask, and have plenty of ventilation...and use a shop vac with a bag for cleaning up if possible.

Air-drying is not enough, the wood should be Kiln-dried (180 degrees until the sap stops bleeding out), then the board should be wiped with Isopropyl alcohol to remove any sap still on the wood's surface and then after the alcohol evaporates, it's ready for use.
 
I too started out with a desktop humidor 100-125 count. I couldn't get that many in it either. I now have a vino and love it.
 
I understand that the "count" is based on robusto's. I looked for an answer to the same question a couple weeks ago. :tu
Vino's just plain look nice. They make for more enjoyment of the hobby, imo.
You can dress them up to suit your own needs and personality like Gary was saying. There's lots of options.
Vinos control humidity rather well if you plug the drain up and use an active humidifier like a Hydra with beads. Coolers hold RH exceptionally well.
The only difference in the two is when you open a cooler, the air generally stays settled, just like in a chest freezer. When you open a vino, all the air just falls out, especially if it's cooler than the ambient, which it usually is.
So the vino has to recover all the air in the unit while a cooler just has to recover what's been stirred up.
There's far less exchange of ambient air with the cooler than the vino.
I just can't get beside the whole coolerdor idea, even though it works so well. My cigars are a luxurious thing to me. I enjoy pulling them out of a nice desktop or winador.
To me, pulling an Anejo out of a cooler is kinda like pulling a gold nugget out of a hog's ass. :r
 
While I agree with Bob's observation that you are in Alaska and will never use the vino as a cooling unit I would still recommend picking one up. Obviously if the price is a factor then a cooler will work just fine. I had a cooler and it worked great as far as humidity is concerned. I just never got into the whole digging around through a bunch of boxes to get to the cigar I was looking for scene. The reasons I would still suggest a vino are ..
1) The look of a vino is much more appealing than a big cooler on the floor.
2) As I mentioned in my first post you can get some bitchin drawers or shelves to make everything inside organized and dialed in to your liking.
3) (My favorite reason) You can check the humidity and keep an eye on your sticks without opening the door.

All of the above is just my opinion and should be taken as just one of your many options. I am not trying to force a vino on you I am simply trying to save you the headache I went through.:D

Between all the $$ I spent on desktops and coolers along with accesories I could have had 2 vinos.

Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best and enjoy filling up your new humi of choice. Say Hi to my girlfriend Sarah Palin next time you see her up there.:tu
 
gwc4sc said:
Between all the $$ I spent on desktops and coolers along with accesories I could have had 2 vinos.

Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best and enjoy filling up your new humi of choice. Say Hi to my girlfriend Sarah Palin next time you see her up there.:tu
Click to expand...

Compared to the value of all the cigars it would hold over its lifetime, even a fully tricked out Vino is a pretty minor investment, relatively speaking. From all the pics people have posted, I can definitely dig on the aesthetic appeal of them, and being an inherently disorganized person, I can use all the help I can get on that front. Very, very slick.

I think I've pretty much decided to go with a cooler, for the short term, and wait for someone to have the Vino on sale, and then use the cooler for its intended purpose. The moose and caribou seasons are just getting started, but the vastly more popular fishing/camping/outdoor season is pretty much over for the year, so a wide array of coolers should be plentiful and cheap right now.

We don't have sales taxes, so most retailers take that as a license to jab us on shipping charges for every goddam thing we buy, which infuriates me. I've dealt with a lot of mail order places that wanted to charge me $25-$35 to ship something by Priority Mail that only costs $5, and don't seem to grasp the absurdity of that. A lot of them won't even give me the option of what I call "donkey train" shipping. Sometimes when I really want or need something, I don't really care if it takes six months to get here, but they just won't work with you. Yes, I need it, I just don't necessarily need it tomorrow. Let me decide how urgent something is, you know?

P.S.- Sarah says Hi. This is actually the kind of city and state where you might run into the mayor, or even the governor, at the Safeway, if they aren't running for the Senate, or VP, which, as it turns out, they are.
 
stfoley said:
Well first, it's a form of Mahogany actually, and not Cedar.

Being mahogany, just the act of cutting it is hazardous. Mahogany dust is a very potent carcinogen. Use a facemask, and have plenty of ventilation...and use a shop vac with a bag for cleaning up if possible.

Air-drying is not enough, the wood should be Kiln-dried (180 degrees until the sap stops bleeding out), then the board should be wiped with Isopropyl alcohol to remove any sap still on the wood's surface and then after the alcohol evaporates, it's ready for use.
Click to expand...

Good points, all. Thanks.
 
I definitely suggest getting a Vinotemp. Your storage capacity will increase a lot, you'll be able to store boxes intact and age them. :tu

I started off with a 65 count humi, which maybe held 50 cigars at most, and then added a 125 count. After that filled up, I bit the bullet and purchased a temp controlled Aristocrat. It was one of the best investments I've made! Now I have some boxes with a decent amount of age on them. The only thing is I should have purchased a bigger cabinet. :r
 
PerpetualNoob said:
Thanks for all the great replies. Makes a lot of sense.

It very rarely gets above 70 here, even on the hottest summer day, and that's outside, in the direct sunlight. Even then, the core part of my house is probably still 60-65 at most, so I probably don't really need the cooling function of the Vino.

I do have some major humidity concerns, though. It's brutally dry here for 5-6 months of the year. It could be 80% RH, but that's at 10-25 degrees. Pump that air into the house and heat it up to 65-68 degrees, and the RH is going to plummet. I didn't look up the figures for it, but I don't have to. By Thanksgiving, everyone around here will have serious alligator-sandpaper-shoe-leather skin. it just sucks all the moisture out of your skin, and everything else. I have to use industrial-strength moisturizer for my hands, just to keep them from cracking open. It's pretty disgusting, actually.

So, since I don't need the cooling, the Vino would be overkill besides which, our first Target store is still under construction for another couple of months. Since I don't have a huge inventory yet, maybe a good compromise would be a beer fridge (unplugged) with beads. I'm not willing to sacrifice the one I have, since it works, AND it's full of beer :)D), but I probably wouldn't have to try very hard to find someone who has one that doesn't work that I could have just for getting rid of it. The insulation would damp down what minor temp fluctuations there are, and the door seal would keep humidity leakage to zero, or damned close to it.

I'm obviously going to have to think about this some more. I really do appreciate all the input.
Click to expand...


A recycled fridge is a niceway to go. I have a stand up freezer and a dorm type friidge. I ripped the refrig stuff out. The shelves are handy. Keeps wonderful control of humidity and temperature in my basement. I used to have a heat pad in the big fridgeador, it turned out to not be needed :)
Put that trash housings to work :)
Tom

IMG_4991.jpg


t
 
TOB9595 said:
A recycled fridge is a niceway to go. I have a stand up freezer and a dorm type friidge. I ripped the refrig stuff out. The shelves are handy. Keeps wonderful control of humidity and temperature in my basement. I used to have a heat pad in the big fridgeador, it turned out to not be needed :)
Put that trash housings to work :)
Tom



t
Click to expand...

Sweet. And a Hell of a stash, too.
 
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