Quality Importers HUM-75BLK Milano 100 Count Cigar Humidor with Glass Top
Seasoning your humidor is as important as maintaining the proper temperature and humidity. You only need to do it once, and when it’s done, you cigars will have a happy home.
You’ll need the following:
- Brand new dry sponge
- Bottle of distilled water because there is no bacteria or harmful additives to cause mold to form
1. Open humidor and remove any shelving.
2. Wipe down the entire inside of the humidor.
3. Dampen all wood with a damp sponge including shelves, lid, and interior.
4. Don’t overly saturate the wood; it can cause it to warp. Just make sure the wood changes color.
5. After you’ve wet the wood, wet the sponge with more distilled water, place inside a plastic bag, and set inside the humidor.
6. Close the lid.
7. Prepare the humidification device according to manufacturer instructions, using distilled water only.
8. Once you’ve filled the humidification device, wipe it down, and remove all excess water.
9. Set the humidification device aside and let sit for 30 minutes.
10. After 30 minutes has passed, place the humidifying element inside the humidor and close the lid.
11. Leave the damp sponge inside.
12. Let the humidor sit for 24 hours.
13. The next day, refresh the humidification device if it needs more water and check the sponge. If the sponge is mostly dry, add more distilled water. If it’s damp, leave alone.
14. Let he humidor sit another night then remove the sponge and the plastic bag. By now, the walls of the humidor have absorbed all the water they need and you can safely add your cigars.
Tip: Make sure the humidor settles down and reaches an even humidification. Check humidification with a hygrometer. Don’t put cigars inside until humidity levels have stabilized. Raise humidity levels or lower them gradually. Extreme fluctuations can damage wood and cigars.
Quality Importers HUM-100BRM Blood Red Moon 100 Count Cigar Humidor
Tips on buying a cigar humidor
There are three humidor classifications
1. Room/walk-in humidors
2. Cabinet and table humidors
3. Personal or portable humidors
You only need a room humidor if you are a shop owner or a major collector. Similar to a wine cellar, a room humidor is a large room that holds nothing but cigars.
- Cabinets are high capacity humidors that hold thousands of cigars. They look like pieces of furniture.
- Tabletop humidors are a little more portable and can hold nearly 100 cigars depending on the model. They are great desktop units.
- Personal humidors can hold a few dozen cigars. This is ideal for beginners. They are small, relatively lightweight, and easy to transport.
- A portable humidor is great for the frequent traveler. These are miniature versions that allow you to store about a dozen cigars.
The exterior is typically wood. Wood cabinets are usually made of cherry, mahogany, walnut, pine, or oak. Some larger humidors are made of marble. Some even have leather exteriors.
The interior should be made of Spanish cedar. It’s beautiful but also functional as it can withstand the humidity and it won’t warp or lose shape over time. It is also effective at keeping tobacco beetles at bay.
Now it’s time to fill the humidor. Below is some information to get you started.
Cigar Shopping
The anatomy of a cigar:
- Head: The head is the end you draw from. It is sealed off and requires cutting. A guillotine is preferred to keep the cigar in tip-top shape.
- Foot: The foot is the side of the cigar you light.
- Filler: The filler contains a blend of dried and fermented tobacco.
- Wrapper: The wrapper is the outside of the cigar. It varies in color form light to dark. A lot of the flavor comes from the wrapper.
When buying a cigar consider the following:
1. Origin
2. Size
3. Strength
Where a cigar is made has a lot to do with how it will taste and the characteristics. World-class cigars are primarily made in Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, and the USA. What makes the cigar differ from region to region is the soil and how the tobacco is raised before it is harvested. The climate in these countries is ideal for growing and cultivating tobacco. Plus, expert rollers know exactly how to handle the tobacco once it’s harvested.
The size of a cigar determines how much tobacco was used when it was made, what kind of flavor it’ll give off, and how long it will take for you to smoke it. There are 10 different cigar sizes; we list below from largest to smallest.
- Double Corona
- Churchill
- Torpedo
- Toro
- Belicoso
- Robusto
- Lonsdale
- Corona
- Petit Corona
- Panatela
The strength of cigar is determined by color. The darker the cigar, the stronger the flavor. So if you’re looking for a strong option, steer clear of the lighter colored brands.
Similar to starting a wine collection, you should size you humidor knowing your collection will probably grow quickly. A small personal humidor will do in the beginning, but it will probably advance to a tabletop version before you know it.