March of the Humidors

[calstogy]

Ultimately, I want to own just two humidors, one desk top and one end table. Since I like to dabble with wood, I'll probably make them myself. I have nothing against using a cooler and it does make me think of my wine making days - oak casks versus stainless steel tanks, they both have their place for different reasons.

What I'm finding is that wood definitely imparts a certain flavor into the cigars. First, a photo of my latest experiment in working with 3/4" Spanish Cedar (mahogany) - a work in progress. The sides are 3/4", the bottom is 1/2" and the top is 1/4" Span Ced. A secondary solid hardwood top will be added later. The outside is Zebra wood veer:

In the next photo, you can see three additional examples of humidors.
1) The one on the bottom, is my least favorite. To escape the smell of the particle board glues, I sealed the inside with shellac and added my own solid cedar aerator on the bottom. The construction is amazing as well as the price paid, $140. It keeps the humidity stable and holds a lot of cigars (Still, I'm running out of space fast).
2) The next one up is described above...
3) Third up from the bottom was an experiment with oak to help me settle on what type of joinery I wanted to use (locking miter joints). It is lined with solid Spanish Cedar and has a sweet smell of both cedar and oak. This oak on the inside is not lined and the high humidity brings out the smell of oak - I don't mind it, but I don't particularly care for my cigars having a hint of oak smell.
4) On top, is an old walnut box my Father built. I lined it with solid Span Ced. It has the best smell of all, and holds the humidity well. I keep my favorites cigars in it.

I'll probably do a little more experimenting before settling on the final woods for my desktop humidor. I may try Cocobolo as an outer shell, one of my favorite woods - it has an exotic spicy smell, an incredible stability, very hard and a lustrous beauty. Once that is settled, its on to the end table. I may need a cooler in the mean time to hold my growing collection.

A question, how much does a humidor need to "breath"?


- Rick

 

[SiriusBlack]

I really like the one on the bottom (chinese particle board) with the combination divider/pull out tray (or at least that's what it look like to me). Are you doing this for retail or just messing around?

 

[calstogy]

I don't have any commercial interest, but I would love to see one of the overseas factories offer a humidor with a better Spanish Cedar liners as an option - their factories are obviously able to turn-out quality designs and construction at a low cost.


- Rick

 

[grateful1]

A question, how much does a humidor need to "breath"?


- Rick

Nice stuff.

What do you mean by this?

It breaths when opened, otherwise any opening will allow humidity to escape. You don't want that. Remember, coolers are used for storage for a few reasons...one being the seal.

 

[calstogy]

A question, how much does a humidor need to "breath"?


- Rick

Nice stuff.

What do you mean by this?

It breaths when opened, otherwise any opening will allow humidity to escape. You don't want that. Remember, coolers are used for storage for a few reasons...one being the seal.

Wood is more porous than plastic. If you compare it to red wine in an oak barrel, after a year of storage there is quite a bit of air exchanged through the wood to the wine causing a slow oxidation. I suspect a similar process is at work with cigar tobacco as it is aged. I do know that with some white wines, less oxidation via storage in stainless steel is desirable and results in fresher wines that have a stronger fruit flavor. There is probably an art to aging tobacco that is passed down from families and results in some of the differences is cigar flavor. Just wondering since I will likely keep some of my cigars well over a year.

I may be trying to go somewhere that does not make sense - What happens with a "bale" of Tobacco as it ages is probably a lot different that what happens in our humidors that are opened and closed on a regular basis.


- Rick

 

[HenrysCigar]

The Zebra Wood finish is nice. Love seeing members here with this kind of talent. Makes it very interesting for us non gifted folks, that get to watch.
Thanks for sharing Rick.

 

[theroberthogan]

Are you going to make plans available to other CPers who might be interested in a weekend project?

 

[Gonnagal]

Those look really really nice, wish I had skills like that. I personally like your latest creation myself.

 

[grateful1]

A question, how much does a humidor need to "breath"?


- Rick

Nice stuff.

What do you mean by this?

It breaths when opened, otherwise any opening will allow humidity to escape. You don't want that. Remember, coolers are used for storage for a few reasons...one being the seal.

Wood is more porous than plastic. If you compare it to red wine in an oak barrel, after a year of storage there is quite a bit of air exchanged through the wood to the wine causing a slow oxidation. I suspect a similar process is at work with cigar tobacco as it is aged. I do know that with some white wines, less oxidation via storage in stainless steel is desirable and results in fresher wines that have a stronger fruit flavor. There is probably an art to aging tobacco that is passed down from families and results in some of the differences is cigar flavor. Just wondering since I will likely keep some of my cigars well over a year.

I may be trying to go somewhere that does not make sense - What happens with a "bale" of Tobacco as it ages is probably a lot different that what happens in our humidors that are opened and closed on a regular basis.


- Rick

Ahhh.

I could see this being a concern during a curring period for some things. However, for aging I would want a constant temp/humi...with a breath of fresh air every so often. But that's me.

 

[suprchunk]

Wood is more porous than plastic...


- Rick

Until you seal it with poly, or whatever else you are sealing it with. Not to mention the humidity you are subjecting it to, which further reduces its porosity by tightening the wood on a molecular level. The effect of oxygen on substances in wood is negligible unless it is to be stored for many years, and really dependent on what is to be stored in it. You want oxygen hitting your cigars every so often. If you are worried about the oxygen in wood though, use glass. You will, of course, have to open the glass vessel on a much more frequent basis to exchange the oxygen.

And let's not forget the natural antibiotic/fungal properties of wood versus plastic. Also making it a good choice for keeping foodstuffs in. But I digress.

 

[calstogy]

Are you going to make plans available to other CPers who might be interested in a weekend project?

I think some of my construction techniques would be hard to follow, but
I am happy to answer questions.

Here is a reference to a good set of plans for making a nice desktop humidor:

Popular Mechanics Article - Build Your Own Humidor


- Rick

I do use polyurethane glues for sealing & adhesion to high oil content woods...

 

[ironpeddler]

A question, how much does a humidor need to "breath"?


- Rick

Nice stuff.

What do you mean by this?

It breaths when opened, otherwise any opening will allow humidity to escape. You don't want that. Remember, coolers are used for storage for a few reasons...one being the seal.

Wood is more porous than plastic. If you compare it to red wine in an oak barrel, after a year of storage there is quite a bit of air exchanged through the wood to the wine causing a slow oxidation. I suspect a similar process is at work with cigar tobacco as it is aged. I do know that with some white wines, less oxidation via storage in stainless steel is desirable and results in fresher wines that have a stronger fruit flavor. There is probably an art to aging tobacco that is passed down from families and results in some of the differences is cigar flavor. Just wondering since I will likely keep some of my cigars well over a year.

I may be trying to go somewhere that does not make sense - What happens with a "bale" of Tobacco as it ages is probably a lot different that what happens in our humidors that are opened and closed on a regular basis.


- Rick

Nice work Rick...and it does make sense. I prefer SLB to dress boxes for this reason. The humidor doesn't breath but the boxes that hold the cigars do.

I guess the concept of the humi breathing is killed when a finish is put on it, sealing it up. The periodic opening of any humidor is enough to allow fresh air in to help preserve the cigars properly.

Now, an unfinished humidor, like I think you're talking about, is interesting....making it 'ONE' with the environment. How would you properly maintain humidity in them while sealed?

 

[calstogy]

I plan to seal the zebra wood sides and leave the top and bottom natural. I think the wood itself will maintain the inside humidity given its 3/4" thickness. This is an experiment for me and I'll probably make several more humidors before I settle on something I like.

This next photo shows how the Spanish cedar box was made as a single unit and then cut apart using a table saw. The lid will soon be attached using quadrant hinges and the cocobolo top will be glued to the lid.

- Rick

 

[jnknzz]

I plan to seal the zebra wood sides and leave the top and bottom natural. I think the wood itself will maintain the inside humidity given its 3/4" thickness. This is an experiment for me and I'll probably make several more humidors before I settle on something I like.

They look great, Rick!! You can send me any of your throwaways!!!

Derek