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Old-school cigar shops feel like stepping into another time. Being surrounded by dark-stained hardwood and leather batwing chairs can make us all feel more like James Bond than our chain-smoking uncle. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that experience at home? Imagine ushering your guests into a walk-in humidor filled with exotic cigars from around the world. Sure, that would be great, but it’s pretty unrealistic. That doesn’t mean you can’t create a scaled-down version of that experience by popping the lid on your own personal humidor. If you enjoy a cigar every now and then, treat it right and keep it fresh. Otherwise, you might as well be puffing on a flavored smoke from the gas station.
Upgrade your special occasion stogies with a cigar humidor from our collection of favorites.
Audew electronic cigar humidor
Scotte leather and cedar cigar case
Fess Armour S Cigar Case
Case Elegance glass-topped humidor
Xifei humidor jar
Megacra cigar humidor
Types of cigar humidors
Cigar humidors can be categorized by their size and capabilities. On the small end of the spectrum are pocket-sized humidors that are basically a way to carry a few cigars during a night out. They lack any way to regulate humidity and temperature and, without a good seal, they can only delay deterioration for a short time. Midsize humidors have some combination of temperature and humidity control. These are what you see displayed on shelves and coffee tables. At the very top of the range are walk-in humidors, which you’re unlikely to find outside of a cigar shop due to their price and complexity.
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Key features of cigar humidors
- Size: Humidors can accommodate anywhere from a handful of cigars to a lifetime collection. Which one you choose will depend on how many cigars you want to keep on hand, and how much you want to spend.
- Price: You can get basic protection for your cigars for just $20. At that price, you’ll be getting a simple case that maintains humidity for a relatively short period of time. High-end humidors that don’t involve a carpenter will run you about $200. There are also plenty of options in between those two.
- Capability: Cigars basically need two things to be stored safely: proper temperature and humidity. Some humidors manage both, some focus solely on humidity, and they can use different methods of achieving the desired results.
- Portability: Are you looking for an at-home humidor or something that can travel? As you’d expect, going down in size means sacrificing some capability but that’s not a problem since it’s a temporary fix. If your collection isn’t going to leave the living room, you’re better off investing in something with long-term performance.
Benefits of cigar humidors
Cigars are a small taste of luxury, and they pair well with good friends and a nice glass of scotch. What isn’t luxurious is frantically running to the store before they close. Worse yet, you could open your cigars to find them dry as leaves or stale as yesterday’s coffee grounds. A good humidor will manage humidity to keep cigars in their sweet spot, roughly between 65 and 70 percent humidity. The temperature should be held steady at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidors go about accomplishing this in different ways and with varying levels of sophistication, so you’ll want to make sure you know how to properly use whichever one you pick.
Cigar humidor pricing
Since you’ve presumably ruled out remodeling your closet into a walk-in humidor, you have a few options. Small, entry-level humidors can be found for as little as $20. These have predictably limited capabilities, but they’re perfect for keeping a batch of cigars fresh during a holiday weekend. At around $100, humidors will start to use better materials and more advanced features to extend the life of your collection. Beyond $200, you can expect more control over temperature and humidity to keep cigars fresh for longer periods of time. It’s fine if you can’t justify the high-end options, that just means you have to smoke your cigars more frequently. That’s what they’re for, isn’t it?