Ready to invest in a wood cigar humidor for yourself? Or are you looking to buy a humidor as a gift for a cigar smoker? Be a smart shopper. Learn how to tell fine craftsmanship from cheap construction when it comes to humidors. Master woodworker, Ed Sallee of Waxing Moon Humidors joins Host of Box Press Rob Gagner.
They cut open a wood humidor to show you:
- Where humidor makers cut corners—from the bottom to the lid to the thin walls in between
- What makes a good cigar humidor—construction, construction, construction
- Why Spanish Cedar is used with cigars
- How to compensate for a leaky wood humidor
- What happens to the wood when you season a wood humidor
See what makes a good humidor
After you buy a new wood humidor, the easy way to season and maintain relative humidity (RH) for months is with the new Boveda Humidor Starter Kit. You can use it to tune-up a current humidor, too.
How to Manage RH in a Cheaper Humidor
Ever see reviews for Boveda that claim cigar humidity packs don’t last or the RH doesn’t get above the 50s? The culprit is probably a leaky humidor if you blow through Boveda or struggle with RH.
How to tell if your humidor leaks moisture:
- What’s your humidor made of? Hardwood is better than MDF (Medium density fiber is a composite of recycled wood fibers and resin.)
- Is it a glass-top humidor? (If the glass in the lid slides around like the glass in a picture frame, your humidor will leak moisture.)
- Does your Boveda last less than two months?
Think of a humidor as a home. You can build a home out of brick with insulation or out of straw without any insulation. Now try to heat both homes. In the brick home, your furnace won’t have to kick on as often or as much. (That’s Boveda in a hardwood humidor—it doesn’t have to absorb or release as much water vapor as often, so the Boveda last longer.) Live in that straw home, and you’ll need to overcompensate for the heat loss by cranking up the thermostat and running the furnace more.
So, is this horrible? No. Now that you know what you’re working with, here’s how to control moisture in a drafty humidor with Boveda:
- Switch to Boveda 72% RH or 75% RH to accommodate for the higher moisture loss and help your humidor maintain proper RH
- Use at least the minimum number of recommended Boveda for your humidor’s capacity—or double up the packs—it’s like adding more horsepower, so the exchange of moisture won’t be as great to sustain that ideal RH
- Reseason every six months with Boveda 84%—especially if you live at a high altitude or in a desert-dry climate
A Hardwood Cigar Humidor is an Investment
As you shop for a cigar humidor, remember there are varying degrees of quality, just like cigars. You can buy bundle sticks or premium-premium smokes. Which one would you show off to impress your friends?
So instead of buying that $100 entry-level humidor (or while you’re using one), save up for a hardwood cigar humidor. Like your love of cigars, a quality humidor is something you can pass down to the next generation. And if you reach out to Ed at Waxing Moon Humidors, mention you saw him on Boveda’s humidor video and thank him for his military service.
