• Hi Guest - Come check out all of the new CP Merch Shop! Now you can support CigarPass buy purchasing hats, apparel, and more...
    Click here to visit! here...

Importance and "when" of humidor?

S

sylvester36

New Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Messages
15
As a cigar "newb" , I'm finally getting around to thinking about the whole humidor thing. Went to another smoke shop yesterday that has a pretty good stock of them. Long story short, I wound up getting a few more cigars as usual :) and walking out with them in one of these humi-pack bags. Basically, it's just the ziplock bag with some kind of propylene glycol mix moisture pouch. Seems like nice stuff, and the smoke shop guy seemed to think it was OK for storage for awhile.

What I'm trying to figure out is how critical the whole moisture thing is for a new and very amateur cigar smoker like myself. I've been buying mostly sub $10 cigars and they aren't lasting much longer than a few days on a shelf in my liquor cabinet. Today, I have probably more cigars than I've ever had - about six on hand. So I just stuffed all of them into the zip lock with the humi-pack. Do you think I need to rush out and get one of those small humidors , or should I just start looking for deals and keep using the humi-packs or no humi at all? I know if you keep them longer than a week outside the humi, they can dry up but I don't know about how long or the short term effects? Does it make a difference if the cigar comes in one of those plastic wrap cases or no case at all? Thanks for any advice, and sorry if this has all already been answered as I didn't see it in the searches the same as I was looking for.
 
Just get a piece of tupperware for now and use the humi-packs or get some Heartfelt Beads until you decide if you like the hobby enough to warrant a humidor. A word of wisdom though, if you hang out here enough, you'll probably wind up making a coolidor of some sort.
 
If all you have at most times is 5 cigars or less and are only keeping the cigars for a week or two, you'd probably be fine with a ziploc bag and humipak or other similar humidifying device. If you want more protection than a bag offers, want longer term storage and you're on a tight budget, go with a tupperdor. My first cigar storage was a tupperdor with a broken down cigar box to line the bottom and sides, and a piece of wet floral oasis from a craft store in a travel soap dish. A year or so later I was given a small humidor which is still in good use today. I've now outgrown that one and have a second humidor.
 
Bag is ok, Tupperware would be better. Coolidor would be good if your short on cash, but arent very effective unless they are filled. Personally, i would spend the 20 bucks on a capri or similiar sized humidor for now with some heartfelt beads. If you get a larger one, a backup humidor (that is cured) is nice to have around.
 
A humipack is good for at least three months, so the one they gave you is all you really need at this point, given your current smoking and buying habits. If you want a bit of extra protection, put it in a shoebox or a Tupperware container.

My first humidor was a 50-count, gift from a girlfriend. I passed it on to my nephew when a BOTL gifted me a 250-count that is still my primary humidor (I keep a small cooler handy for the overflow from buying splurges) and holds about 60-70 smokes in the top tray and as many as 4 boxes underneath.

Of course, now I'm eyeing the small walkin closet in my office . . . all it needs is an A/C duct, insulation, an electrical outlet, a humidification system, luaun paneling and shelves . . . and about 50 more boxes than I usually have around at one time! :laugh:

It IS nice to have an attractive, classy-looking humidor. But you'd have a lot of trouble keeping it stable with only a half dozen sticks or so rattling around inside it.

~Boar
 
Thanks for the replies again! I guess what I'm curious about are these cigars like Padrons that come in the plastic wrappers. Doesn't it take a long time for those to dry out just sitting in average room temp and humidity? I can understand that in a hot car or other tough environment they would deteriorate quickly, but I'm not understanding how even much of the humidity in a humidor gets through the plastic wrappers the cigars come in? Maybe the "in the know" cigar commonsewers" unwrap them before putting into their fancy humidors? :)
 
The cellophane that cigars come wrapped in is porous I believe. It will breathe and allow the cigars to absorb or release moisture.
 
b.dawson said:
The cellophane that cigars come wrapped in is porous I believe. It will breathe and allow the cigars to absorb or release moisture.
Click to expand...

Slightly breathable, and open on the bottom! ;)

A cigar's really only good for a few hours out of the humidor before it starts to show at least slight signs of drying---but it's good for close to a week inside a ziploc baggie with NO humidification added, and for much longer than that with a Boveda or water pillow thrown in. I have friends that refuse to humidify their travel humis, claiming that for any trip under a week, the humidity of the cigars themselves, in an airtight container, is all that's required.

I'm too OCD not to throw a Boveda in myself, but a lot of the time I take it out because the cigars start smoking like they're a little wet.

~Boar
 
I use to have a 50 count that dryed out in storage and was ruined. As of now I got a couple of storage jars that are sealing with the flip lid. (9.00 dollars at target) I can get about 25 churchills inthere and I use a Drimystat tube in mine. Works great and easier than a green wet thing in there! (6.00 dollars on amazon). Talk about cheapness. Good ole Jar of Gars! :)
 
ramjet said:
I use to have a 50 count that dryed out in storage and was ruined. As of now I got a couple of storage jars that are sealing with the flip lid. (9.00 dollars at target) I can get about 25 churchills inthere and I use a Drimystat tube in mine. Works great and easier than a green wet thing in there! (6.00 dollars on amazon). Talk about cheapness. Good ole Jar of Gars! :)
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with a jar and a Drimystat. I have a few Drimystats in some tupperware and they work great. When you do go back to a larger humi, I would go with beads.
 
Tupperdor is a great call until you decide whether or not cigars is going to be something that you pursue for the long term. The size of the humidor you buy will also be dependent on the number of cigars you ultimately plan to have on hand. We always say the bigger the better, but humidors work best when thay are about 75% full. Good luck.
 
sylvester36 said:
What I'm trying to figure out is how critical the whole moisture thing is for a new and very amateur cigar smoker like myself.
Click to expand...
The moisture thing isn't critical for the newbie but vital for the cigars themselves.
You've gotten great advice here.
Your baggie and humidipak will be just fine for a few days...tupperware and humidipak (or better yet, beads) would be even better for longer term.
Be mindful of temps too. Try not to let them get above mid 70's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top