Complete beginner here- Humidor help

[StarWait]

Hello I'm brand new here and really to the world of Cigar smoking.

A bit about me- I'm a 37 year old TV writer/ director/producer living in LA.

I have smoked cigars before- mostly one or 2 a year- when I go to Vegas or something.

I recently was given a few nice Cohibas as a gift. Including a few 2004 special edition ones from Havana. (wait is that still illegal? ha)

Anyway, I want to be able to obviously keep these fresh and ready for the next special occasiion. So I need a humidor. I don't want to spend to much and I did see this one listed on another thread: http://www.cubancrafters.com/products.php/item_id/280

Is this good enough for my 5-10 cigars?

And once I buy this what do I need? I have also read about beads?

Bascically lets pretend I don't know anything. (and I really don't)

What do I need to buy and how do I store them? (Do I leave them in their own box that they came in? Do other cigars in the humidor affect the quality of these cigars?) All sorts of quesions like that.

Thanks for your help.

[bigpoppapuff]

welcome.....your choice of humidors is fine...yes,get the beads and a digital hygrometer....enjoy your cigar smoking experience...you may want to try a few more cigars each week...as long as you have time to really enjoy them.....then,start thinking about more humidors and coolerdor's.....

post often and don't pee in our sandbox.......let's see that writing talent and wit!!!....

[ashauler]

I'm a new cigar smoker, and obviously new to this forum as well. I have purchased a humidor and have had it stocked for about a month now and everything seems to be fine. I do have 2 questions:
1. How full should you "stuff" your humidor?
2. If cigars are bought in full box quantities, and the box is sealed with cellophane, do the full boxes need to be kept in a humidor?

I ask this because I got lucky and caught an auction of a local tobacconist that went bankrupt. I obtained 2 full boxes of Macanudo and 1 box of Cusano 18's as well as a huge quantity of partial boxes...some 300 cigars in total. My humidor is only a 125 count, so I have put the premiums in the humidor and am using tupperdores with crystals for the overflow but still don't have any room for the boxes.

Thanks for any advice.
Ashauler

[bigpoppapuff]

don't overflow your humidor...make sure the inside was seasoned properly...yes,sealed boxes need to be in a humidor...give the macanudo's to friends...they're shit!!!

[nhcigarfan]

for the short term, the boxes can go into large zip lock bags but a better solution would be a cooler with a tight fitting lid.

[ashauler]

Thanks for the replies!! I have an old cooler or two lying around so I will put the full boxes in them.

Bigpoppapuff, haven't tried the Macanudo's yet but from what I have read it surprises me that you have a low opinion of them. They sure ask a premium price for them at the local cigar store. I got these for 50 cents each so maybe I didn't get hurt. I spent overall 62 cents a cigar and got the following brands: Romeo y Julieta, Punch, Roly, Cohiba, Cuba Aliados, Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur, Cusano 18 and Corojo 97, Flor de Oliva gold/meduro/corojo, Victor Sinclair legacy, Gispert box pressed. Of these which do you recommend that I try first?

[stjohnroe]

Welcome to the both of you from the UK!

don't overflow your humidor...make sure the inside was seasoned properly...yes,sealed boxes need to be in a humidor...give the macanudo's to friends...they're shit!!!

Never tried a Macanudo, but there seems to be a consensus here.

for the short term, the boxes can go into large zip lock bags but a better solution would be a cooler with a tight fitting lid.

Completely agrre with the coolidor suggestion. It works for me anyway.

I have found that as long as no cigars get crushed it is fine to pack a humidor tightly, however when you want to find a certain cigar it can be a pain and when moving them around it might cause damage. A smaller humidor for the regular rotation is good when you can refresh it from the cooler (full of boxes) at need.

[StarWait]

welcome.....your choice of humidors is fine...yes,get the beads and a digital hygrometer....enjoy your cigar smoking experience...you may want to try a few more cigars each week...as long as you have time to really enjoy them.....then,start thinking about more humidors and coolerdor's.....

post often and don't pee in our sandbox.......let's see that writing talent and wit!!!....

Thanks- but what is a hygrometer? And how do these beads work? I just put them in the humidor? And therefor don't use whatever humidification system comes with this humidor?

Sorry, again I am totally new. :)


and I also saw this deal- same deal different cigars: Anyone have a pref over which cigars are a better deal? Since I am new- I try to stay at mild.

http://www.cubancrafters.com/products.php/item_id/2634

or

http://www.cubancrafters.com/products.php/item_id/280

[Empire23]

post often and don't pee in our sandbox.......let's see that writing talent and wit!!!....

I thought your advice to newbies was to read more and post less BPP?

[bigpoppapuff]

macanudo's are the most noticable name in the industry...they're too expensive for what you get....an incredibly well made cigar that tastes like you're smoking a #10 envelope....there are hundreds of cigars that are less expensive and are terrific to smoke and enjoy....start with your HdM,then try the cusano's and oliva's...the best part of cigar smoking is the hunt for enjoyable smokes.....

[stjohnroe]

Thanks- but what is a hygrometer? And how do these beads work? I just put them in the humidor? And therefor don't use whatever humidification system comes with this humidor?

Sorry, again I am totally new. :)

Not sure if this has ever been stated directly, but a hygrometer is a device for measuring humidity. The aim is to have a relative humidity somewhere between 62 and 70 %. Try searching on this site using "beads" or "heartfelt" for the bead information.

[bigpoppapuff]

Thanks- but what is a hygrometer? And how do these beads work? I just put them in the humidor? And therefor don't use whatever humidification system comes with this humidor?

Sorry, again I am totally new. :)

digital (not analog) hygrometer tells you what the rh is....for the info on how the beads work,you're invited to try the search function...all you need to know should be there....

[stjohnroe]

Check out http://www.cigarsmokers.com/showthread.php?t=3814 for a good guide to seeting up your humi

[cls515]

That is a good post for seasoning your humidor. I've made a few minor modifications though. I do things a little different after wiping down the wood, placing the wet sponge inside, and leaving it overnight so the wood can absorb water. The next day, I take out the sponge and place a shot glass inside about 3/4 of the way full. Then I put the beads in, where only a little bit of water has been added to the beads. The beads work to keep a constant humidity by absorbing or releasing water vapor. If you have 65% rh beads, then the humidity will stay at approximately 65%. It above 65, the beads absorb water. If below 65, the beads release water. This is why beads need to be activated prior to use, which means some of the beads are dry, while some of the beads are holding water. If all the beads are all dry, no water can be released into the humidor. If they are all wet, they won't be able to absorb any water from the humidor. The shot glass is put inside the humidor with the beads so that the humidor will have a high humidity and the beads will not absorb all the water from the wood. The wood also acts like a humidification device, because the wood can absorb and release water. Only a small percentage of the beads are activated initially with water, maybe 10%, so that the beads will absorb all the water they need from the shot glass. This prevents over or under activation. Leave the beads and shot glass full of water overnight. The next day, remove the shot glass but leave the beads inside. Your humidity will most likely be too high, or just right. If above 80% rh, the cigars should not be put inside. It is also important to note that the cigars will absorb water. If the humidity is around 75%, it is ok to put the cigars inside, and it will facilitate dropping the humidity to the level of the beads. In about a day or a matter of a few days, the humidity will drop down to where it needs to be, depending on the rh value of your beads.

[mauied1101]

welcome to the forum - when you get the beads, you can almost chuck the hygrometer.

as for stuffing the humidor - after you season it properly - put your sticks in gradually - if you stuff it all at once, you're going to notice a fluctuation in your humidity. your humi will be truly seasoned when you've kept it 75% full of sticks for a couple months - won't have any fluctuations after that, providing you keep the rh constant.

good luck

[StarWait]

Thanks everyone!

When I put in the cigars- if they are in individual boxes- so I leave them in the boxes or take them out to put in the humidor?

I'll go look at the beads posts as well to see how to put them in the humidor.

[bigpoppapuff]

leave them in their boxes...no big deal,either way..

[mauied1101]

leave them in their boxes...no big deal,either way..

same goes with cello, tubes, etc. so long as the box or the stick is in a controlled environment, you're all set.

[Evillepaintball]

Wow, everyones got pretty much has everything covered. As for which one would i recommned you try thr RyJ. That was my first one and I was very pleased. Which one(s) did you get btw?

[StarWait]

Wow, everyones got pretty much has everything covered. As for which one would i recommned you try thr RyJ. That was my first one and I was very pleased. Which one(s) did you get btw?

The RyJ?