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Coolerdor Questions

Sportsdls

Sportsdls

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Messages
439
So I've been searching and reading about the best way to store my cigars. I was planning on just getting a small humidor but after the cries to go bigger I decided to start off with a small coolerdor. (My girlfriend thanks you guys :sign: )
So I picked up one similar to this: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5623411
and a half pound of heartfelt beads.

I have a few questions though before I head to the newbie sampler thread to help fill this thing up:

I want to add some shelves. I have read about the metal shelves covered in plastic and was wondering if anyone has had these for a while and know how they hold up to the humidity?

I also noticed it isn't a good idea to have loose sticks just sitting on anything. Since I'm a newb I don't have any boxes and was wondering should I just make my shelves out of spanish cedar and save the trouble? Or we only talking about naked sticks needing to be stored in boxes/cedar? Will my sticks still in cellophane be ok on a normal shelf?

Should I space out my beads or will they be fine in the bottom? (I plan to stand this on one end)

Finally what are some good options to fill up the empty space to get it half full until I acquire enough sticks? I know tupperwear works good but are there some more attractive (looks wise) options?

Sorry if these have been covered previously but my searches came up short. Some were answered only halfway and I am hoping for further clarification. I will post some pics once I get everything looking how I want it. I also want to thank Rob and all the posters for the wealth of knowledge here, I truly appreciate it!
 
I would not bother with shelves, they'll just cut down your storage capacity. I would fill it with empty cigar boxes, many cigar shops will give em away or sell for a buck or two. I keep a bag of beads at the bottom and one near the top, not sure if necessary though.
 
Some guys go to great lengths with cedar linings, shelves, etc. If that's your thing, that's cool, but frankly all I can see is that it takes up precious storage space and restricts the options you have for box placement.

Get a cooler, and get some boxes from your local B&M. I have a pile here but the shipping would likely cost more than they would at your local cigar store. Expect to pay a buck or two per box; no more. You want cedar boxes, not "paper" boxes.

Store boxes of cigars you buy intact; singles can go in one of the boxes you procured. This is what I did and it worked fantastically.

Get some humidity control beads and a hygrometer. Lots of sources but Viper at Heartfelt Industries is the guy I bought mine from. He's a super guy to do business with and will take good care of you. Get some beads, and a hygrometer. You can put your beads in a bowl but the little "socks" he sells for a couple of bucks are pretty nice; they are what I used. These beads will last your lifetime if cared for properly, which means use only distilled water on them.

Only other thing you need is a gallon of DISTILLED (not filtered) water from the grocery store. Pick up a little spray bottle while you are there. For those times you want to add some moisture to your beads spraying them with a fine mist is a great way to take care of that job.

I started with one cooler and was up to four before my cabinet showed up last year. Once the environment stabilized, my coolers ran almost exactly at 65% RH all the time. You just cannot beat a cooler for stable, inexpensive storage.

Good luck - B.B.S.
 
Not to threadjack but how often do you all go in and out of the coolidor? Is it bad to open it pretty regularly? I.E. Every day?
 
Dsav101 said:
Not to threadjack but how often do you all go in and out of the coolidor? Is it bad to open it pretty regularly? I.E. Every day?
Click to expand...
I'd usually pull a smoke every evening from my coolers. Never had a problem.

Regards - B.B.S.
 
B.B.S speaks the truth. :thumbs:

Jack Straw makes a point about size but it all depends on your overall arrangement. I'm a Coleman man and I have more than one cooler. Actually 4 x 48 qt, 2 x 50 qt, 2 x 28 qt, 1 x 16 qt, and one Igloo 48 qt. I stay to the 50 qt as the max size because once, loaded, it's heavy enough to be stable but not so heavy that it's a significant pain to move.

As to your questions, in coolers of this size, shelves are not useful. For 100 and 120 qt coolers stood on end, shelves are useful but in 50 qt and smaller, they just take up useful box space without adding much to your ability to organize or access boxes.

Get yourself some empty boxes from a local B&M for loose sticks storage. If they have bare cedar slide lid boxes or cabs or boxes with bare wood interiors, go for those first. If they don't, then store in a regular (paper-lined, also referred to as dressed box) until you can find some. I've noticed that the proportion of bare wood boxes in NC brands is much higher than for Cuban cigars.

As for filling up space, tupperware is fine, or empty boxes. If empty boxes, then they will also be conditioned by storage and ready for use for singles or for holding sticks in your second cooler. And there will be a second. ;) BTW, the attraction of a cooler is the utilitarian nature. You can store many $$$ worth of cigars in $20 cooler. Who cares what it looks like if it does the job, and coolers do do the job well. If you want a display case to impress, then save up for an Aristocrat or something of the sort.

As for opening and closing of the coolers, my deep storage coolers get opened maybe once or twice a month. The near term coolers, up to a couple of times a week. The ready-to-smoke coolers a couple of times a week to a half dozen times a day.

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I use a combination of propylene glycol/water and silica beads I conditioned myself. They are used as two different systems. The silica maintains stable humidity and I only add a container of PG/W when I need to make a big adjustment (e.g. adding a new box or a pile of singles that might be on the dry side.

Wilkey
 
The 16 qt is pretty small, maybe 3 flat packs of 25 or 2 or 3 cab type 25 counts.

Wilkey
 
Oh my Lord, Wilkey. Is that how bad I'm going to be in a few years?
 
Hey Wilkey - I've heard that if you stack your coolers in a pyramid shape, they'll never grow mold and if you keep your Xikar in them, it'll never go dull..... :laugh:

Dang, brother, that's some modular storage if I've ever seen it...!!

Cheers - B.B.S.
 
Do tell!

It's been years since I read Von Däniken but that sure sounds like Chariots of the Gods style, baby! :cool:

It looks like a pile, but I actually moved them all together so I could get it in one shot. Normally, they're scattered about the basement.

Wilkey
 
Damn it Wilkey! I don't wanna see coolers, I wanna see what's IN the coolers! :laugh:

Wow.
 
Kingantz said:
Damn it Wilkey! I don't wanna see coolers, I wanna see what's IN the coolers! :laugh:

Wow.
Click to expand...
I'm too embarrassed to reveal the inelegant packing inside these coolers. If you ever saw my desk, you'd understand. :rolleyes: :D

Wilkey
 
A clean desk is the sure sign of a sick mind. Methinks you're in good company there, my friend..... :cool:
 
Thanks for the input guys. The coolerdor is up and running with beads from Heartfelt. I'll make a trip to my B&M Monday and try to pick up a few boxes.
And as to your set up Wilkey... :love:
 
Wilkey - I see you keep your coolers in the basement. How cold does it get down there?

I set up a coolerdor over this past weekend. Bought a combo temp/humidity monitor from Wal-Mart and placed a dampened cloth in it while I wait for the shipment from Heartfelt.

This morning the inside of the cooler was 52 degrees with humidity at 71%. Is this too cold?

I have the cooler stored on a shelf in a corner I have set up as a shop. There is a blanket draped over the top of it. Its very covenient there but I wonder if it would be better set closer to the furnace?

Thanks.
 
My basement is half-finished. The coolers are kept in the finished area. I believe the coldest it's gotten is just under 60F. 56 or 59F IIRC. It doesn't get much warmer than maybe 65 or 66F I think. I don't think that 52 is going to be a problem for long term storage as long as you have an intermediate cooler to gently bring them up to ambient or smoking conditions. What you want to avoid are large, sudden changes in conditions.

Based on other similar phenomenon in chemistry, I think that there is a range of conditions where not much significant change in effect occurs. This is referred to as the region of indifference. So, say between 55-65F and 55-65% RH, cigar and tobacco quality should not go to hell. Outside this range too dry and volatile flavor components may be lost and physical damage may result from brittleness. Too humid and aging chemistry may result in undesirable products and byproducts. Too warm and again, aging may be suboptimal and of course one needs to worry about tobacco beetles.

Two things to keep in mind. Aging reactions are always ongoing. Some folks speak of aging in terms of decades but in reality the reactions are continuously happening and conditions may affect how cigars perform even over a period as short as 6-9 months. The second thing to keep in mind that is within any given range of conditions, the number and severity of condition changes may be a more powerful factor in altering the character of a cigar than the average conditions over that time span may suggest.

For example, storage in a location that sees weekly swings from cool to warm (55F to 75F) suggests a mean temperature of 65F. Not bad, except that the cigars would be experiencing rather dramatic and jarring changes to their chemistry and physical dimensions cyclically.

Wilkey
 
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