Types of Humidor: An Infographic
Humidor 101
-
- Humidor Kit
A box that provides relative humidity for cigars. The humidor is usually an elegant-looking box made of wood that is easily stored on a desktop or sideboard.
-
- Hygrometer
A device that measures the humidity inside of the humidor.
-
- Thermometer
Cigars should not be over 72 degrees Fahrenheit at any given time, lest they become susceptible to insects.
-
- Humidifier
A plastic container with holes that contains a sponge or foam. The foam is treated to kill bacteria and releases just enough moisture to keep a Rh of 70 %.
-
- Spanish Cedar Lining
The small piece of wood that separates the humidor into two compartments.
-
- Tray
Place where you lay your cigars.
-
- Divider
The small piece of wood that separates the humidor into two compartments.
Types of Humidor
-
- Travel Humidor
These humidors can go with you anywhere or be tucked away in your home. Travel humidors are often lightweight for easy transporting.
Capacity: 2 to 10 cigars.
-
- Desktop Humidor
The most popular humidors for home use. Desktop humidors sit on a cabinet, bar or dresser like a watch box or jewelry box. Desktop humidors are perfect for the new cigar collector.
Capacity: hundreds to several thousand cigars.
-
- Cabinet Humidor
These large humidors sit on the floor like a small armoire. Choose a cabinet humidor that will match your other furniture, as it will always be on display.
Capacity: up to 5,000 cigars.
-
- Room Humidor
Commonly found only in cigar bars or stores, this type of humidor uses an entire room. The environmentally controlled room maintains the all important levels of relative humidity and temperature.
Capacity: Thousands of cigars.
How to Season a Humidor
- Wipe down all the cedar wood inside of the humidor, including the inside lid and any dividers and/or trays with a clean, unscented, cloth that has been dampened with distilled water. Be sure NOT to soak the cedar.
- Place a shot glass filled with distilled water inside the humidor. Be careful not to spill any water onto the cedar.
- Fill the humidifier with either distilled water or a humidifying solution. Make sure it is not overly saturated, and place it inside the humidor.
- Close the humidor for 2 days and wait. The next day, repeat the wipe down procedure but do not leave the shot glass inside this time, and wait another day.
- If you cannot feel the dampness of the humidor, it is ready to be used. Otherwise wait for the next day and try again.
How to Calibrate a Hygrometer
- To calibrate your hygrometer you will need table salt, a see through container such as a Ziplock baggie, and a small shallow open container, like a bottle cap.
- Place a teaspoon of salt in the shallow container and add a few drops of water to get it wet. Get a good damp pile of salt in your container, place it in the baggie along with the hygrometer.
- Seal the baggie with some air trapped inside (so it is not tight against the hygrometer) and let it sit. Allow this to stabilize for at least 6 hours. Check the hygrometer reading without opening up the baggie afterwards. It should be exactly 75%.
- If your hygrometer doesn’t read 75% after calibration then you have 2 choices.
- First you can remember the deviation of your hygrometer. If it read 80% then you are 5% off and have to subtract 5% from whatever it reads.
- The second option is to adjust the hygrometer if your model allows for this. Some hygrometers have a dial on the back or side that can be turned to adjust the unit to 75%. If yours doesn’t have this, then go with option 1.
How to Charge a Humidifier
- Put the humidifier on a plate and moisten it with the propylene glycol solution (for sponge-based humidifier) or distilled water (for acryl polymers-based humidifier).
- Leave the humidifier in the liquid for about 5 minutes. Then shake the humidifier to remove the excess liquid.
- Dry the humidifier with a cloth and place it in the humidor.
How to Fix a Seal on Leaky Humidor
- Attach foam weather-stripping just above the lip of the lid. The weather-stripping needs to be relatively thin. Put pressure on the weather-stripping to make sure that it is secured properly after it is applied.
- Run a bead of clear caulk inside the lip of a humidor to improve the seal. Silicone caulk is the best bet because it will be less likely to affect the flavor of the cigars.
- Tighten screws and hinges in case they become loose with time.
Source: jrcigars.com en.wikipedia.org, cigar-info-guide.com, cigarsmag.com,
youtube.com/user/SmokeRingsPipeDreams, altadisusa.com, cigarchoiceguide.com,
neptunecigar.com, cigars.about.com, cigarjack.net, cigaraficionado.com, howtocutacigar.com
Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below):
