If there is one thing I wish not to know is how much I must have spent on humidors in my lifetime… large, small, elegant, ugly, vintage, modern, electronic, expensive, cheap… You name it, I probably bought it. I have tried miracle liquids, special sponges and electronic paraphernalia with no positive results and only yielding disasters by either over or under humidifying whole batches of cigars. Critters and parasites such as woodworms, moss, likens, asorted bugs, shrimps, chickens, cats… where at a certain point all part of a complex ecosystem in my cigar cabinets. A self-contained biosphere with a life of its own and probably even elections every four years. Cigar maintenance needed to be reevaluated.
So one day, after countless losses, I just said; “enough is enough…”
Through mani years of enduring this servitude I decided it was time to apply “Logic & Functionality” in detriment of “Style & Elegance”. My enjoyment of cigars was not being fulfilled and what is worse, the cost of the goods lost was starting to be very regretful. The cost of the losses alone warranted a change in my cigar maintenance philosophy.
An old friend
This is when I turned to one of my first changes years ago when I gave up on those very elegant yet moderately effective cigar cases in favour of a “Ziplock” bag. Excruciatingly inelegant and utterly devoid of finesse, yes… but immensely effective.
Considerably more airtight than any cigar case, you can see the cigar selection without opening it and the amount of cigars on the go is more thus giving you a larger choice when choosing your smoke at destination. Bonus, my wife hates it.
Applying the same logic and knowing that tobacco is “organic” in essence and susceptible to heat and humidity as most organics are, why not treat it as such? Just like vegetables or other perishables should they not find better protection in a simple tupper? Our mothers have been successfully using this system for years. I kid you not!
After realising the endless possibilities of such enlightening revelation my first stop is, of course, Amazon. There I find tuppers of all shapes and colours. I set my sights on the premium stuff (after years of spending on the specialised boxes this seemed cheap…) and order boxes than can accommodate Behikes 56, Partagas serie “E” and other XL vitolas. Some arithmetic to calculate what size I would need for 25 oversized cigars and we are set. At the same time I order several small temperature and humidity sensors. A large tupper and a sensor go for approximately 20$. A loooong way from where I was at.
Advantages over the classic humidor:
- Visibility without having to open the box and check what is inside
- Will not allow parasites to spread to other cigar batches thus limiting any further damage
- Ability to know the humidity and temperature inside without opening the box
- Put it in the dishwasher if it needs cleaning
- Allows to progressively humidify cigars to the desired point
- Air sealed. Keeps the aromas in and the outside odours out
- Separate cigars in separate boxes do not interchange aromas with each other over time
- Reduced size in comparison to classic humidors that can fit the equivalent amount of cigars
- Can just throw it in your suitcase for an extended trip
- VERY CHEAP
Cigar maintenance
One
Insert the cigars just as they are in their original cigar box and add the sensor. Make sure you get the smallest yet best possible sensor. Cheaper sensors are not well calibrated. Personally I but a dozen, set them in a cupboard and 24-hours later I check the results to discard the ones with the lowest and highest values.
Two
After 24-hours the sensor should display the current humidity level of your precious cigars. If the humidity is bellow 72% just open the tupper, take the top lid and spray water droplets with your hand on it. Close the tupper and you will see that the droplets won’t fall on the cigars as one might think. Instead these droplets will be absorbed slowly by the cigars. Even if one drop of water where to fall on a cigar, that is no problem at all.
Three
In less than 24-hours those droplets/humidity will have been absorbed by the cigars. Check if the humidity has reached the desired level. If not, repeat step one until you do.
Four
Personally, to avoid mould I recommend humidity values of 62% if you are going to stock for several years for adequate cigar maintenance. Especially if temperatures at some point exceed 28º celsius or 82º Fahrenheit. If you are a prolific smoker and want one box with cigars ready to enjoy I suggest 72% to 76% depending on how dry your ambient surroundings are. If they are dry I suggest a bit more humidity from the start to avoid the outer cape from cracking and the start of the smoke.
Five
Open the tupper once a month to renew the air inside and double check if they are all ok. Add some droplets of “tab water” to re-adjust humidity. I insist with “tab” water due to the small content of chlorine that helps control bacteria and mould to a certain point.
I don’t recommend going beyond 86% unless you are going to smoke it in the next 24-48 hours or else mould will not take too long to show. If that occurs (not the end of the world) just take the cigars out and one-by-one wipe with a wet soft cloth and put the back in the tupper while reducing the humidity back to the 72% range. Cigars are more resistant than one might thing if properly humidified. They only tend to break when dry.
Conclusion
In the end, this 20$ fix has helped me maintain a considerable collection of cigars that are 20-years and older in perfect smoking condition. My solution is a standard humidor in the office or living room with the few cigars ready to smoke while keeping the main stash in a cupboard away from light in the coolest place at home.
Granted, the solution is not the most elegant but it is effective cigar maintenance.
by Scaramanga
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