Another "what do I do about a humidor" thread posted by a newbie.

[acaffey]

Sorry guys, I didn't want to contribute to the gratuitous volume of "what do I do about a humidor" posts but I'm looking for some direction if anyone has any insight.

I currently have one of the DM Ambiente humidors. It works well, but it is almost full and I have more cigars on the way. I would prefer to spend $500 or less for more storage space (more on that below). I am considering the following options:

- A nice, small humidor (50 ct) that could sit on my coffee table. Kind of like this one. I would have no problem finding a place to put it, but we'd be having this same conversation in a month or so.

- A larger desktop (100-150 ct). I would have to find a place for it, and I could spent more money here than I want to here because most of the larger ones around $500 or so aren't quite as nice as the "step up". As a matter of fact, I was looking at a DM treasure chest the other day...

- A wine cooler conversion. I could make this as complicated as I want (which I know I will) - cedar lining, shelves, fans, etc. It seems like an economical way to add a good bit of storage, but I would have a difficult time finding a place for it. Also, the asthetic quality (especially if I do it myself) certainly wouldn't rival a well crafted desktop or cabinet.

- A floor cabinet / side table model. Lots of room; the prices here seem to jump from the $200-$300 range to $1200 or so. Hard to find one that matches the furniture, etc. and I know I don't want to drop the serious change for a custom. I have to get $3500 worth of dental work done next month for chrissake.

My inclination is to go bigger than I think I need to, and I know everyone is going to laugh at me for saying this, but I'm not sure that a big, empty cabinet staring at me would be a good thing. I would want to make it happy and fill it up. My wallet (and head) feels lighter already... I probably need space to store at least a few boxes, though.

Any thoughts? Thanks again guys.

 

[Jwrussell]

OK, some questions:
Do you buy boxes or do most of your cigars tend to be singles (5 packs, samplers, etc.)? It makes a difference. If you are buying boxes you need more room, as much as you can handle. If you aren't buying boxes and don't see yourself doing so in the near future, then the desktops are probably the way to go. Plenty of nice "desk-tops" in the 100-150+ range for $500 and well under.

If you are buying boxes or some combination of boxes and singles then you should really be looking at the larger storage options to include the Wine Cooler and Floor Cabinet. This one's fairly easy. Is there a place in your house where the temp stays under 70 degrees F year round? If the answer is no, then in my VERY humble opinion, you need to look at the wine cooler. Anything above 70 degrees and you have to start worrying about beetles and that's just not something I'm willing to take a chance with.

If you DO have a place where the temps stay below 70 or you are close enough that you are willing to take the chance and don't want to go the wine cooler route or the Floor Cabinet, then I would suggest saving up that $500, buying a nice large cooler you can keep in a closet and spending thhe ~$425-50 you'll have left on plenty of cigars. :blob: (You can check out the tacked posts above for more information on that).

Hope this helps some.

 

[kirscovitch]

or theres an option you havent listed. just send your overflow to me and ill gladly "take care of them" for you....................

 

[tobby4]

Get a cooler, save money then buy a custom made table side humidor

 

[Wasch_24]

What ever you do DO NOT spend more then $100 on a desktop humidor...ever. That's just my opinion though. :wink:

Check out www.bargainhumidors.com they have some very inexpensive options and their humidors perform just fine.

If you are planning on buying and storing boxes anytime soon I would either get a cooler, like an Igloo or Coleman, or a wine cooler.

 

[Jwrussell]

Todd makes a great point. Unless you just have to have a gorgeous desktop of the highest quality as a conversation piece or you just can't live without the finest in craftmenship period, don't spend anywhere near $500 on a desktop, no matter how large. I'd say you could go up to $150, but no more. Beyond that you are just spending money that should be going to cigars!

 

[N2Advnture]

What ever you do DO NOT spend more then $100 on a desktop humidor...ever. That's just my opinion though. :wink:

Check out www.cigarmony.com they have some very inexpensive options and their humidors perform just fine.

If you are planning on buying and storing boxes anytime soon I would either get a cooler, like an Igloo or Coleman, or a wine cooler.

I agree with Todd (at least 1/2 of his statement - where's the love BTW?! :razz: ), no more than $100 on a desktop unless you are looking for fancy.

~Mark

 

[tubaman]

JW hooked you up with great answers. My opinion, go bigger, eventually you WILL need the space.

 

[Wasch_24]

I agree with Todd (at least 1/2 of his statement - where's the love BTW?! :razz: ), no more than $100 on a desktop unless you are looking for fancy.

~Mark

:rofl:


Sorry Mark...I guess I don't associate you with humidors as I've never bought one from you.

I promise to not make the same mistake again...lol. :thumbsup:

 

[cvm4]

Large, relatively cheap storage (for a desktop): http://www.bargainhumidors.com/bh/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=HUM-BH2IMP

 

[AZsteelman]

Look, since you are just starting out, don't bother buying a humidor, you don't know if you are going to like this hobby anyway...Here's what you do....












you guys see this one coming, don't ya!














Put all your smokes in a box, and ship them to me. When you need something, let me know, and I'll consider carefully your state of mind, what you just ate, how you feel, and then I'll recommend something for you to go purchase from your local B&M...Then I'll light one of yours up at my place and we can discuss flavors over the phone!...

See, I'm all about trying to help. Seriously, get a much larger than you ever dream you could use humi!

 

[cvm4]

:rofl: Gotta be one of the funniest "send me your cigars" posts I've seen yet :hysterica

 

[Boppa-Wasch]

or theres an option you havent listed. just send your overflow to me and ill gladly "take care of them" for you....................

You got all the overflows last year, I thought it was my turn this year.eace: :applause: :rofl: :thumbsup:

 

[acaffey]

Look, since you are just starting out, don't bother buying a humidor, you don't know if you are going to like this hobby anyway...Here's what you do....












you guys see this one coming, don't ya!














Put all your smokes in a box, and ship them to me. When you need something, let me know, and I'll consider carefully your state of mind, what you just ate, how you feel, and then I'll recommend something for you to go purchase from your local B&M...Then I'll light one of yours up at my place and we can discuss flavors over the phone!...

See, I'm all about trying to help. Seriously, get a much larger than you ever dream you could use humi!

Sounds too good to be true to me - what's in it for you??? Seriously guys - I appreciate all of the insight. If it is helpful to anyone looking for similar guidance, I got creative and took a "combo" approach:

Step 1: I bought a decent 50 count desktop for less than $150 - you're right, $ is better spent on cigars. It's at the local shop seasoning in their humidor. Sorry Mark - I looked at purchasing a similar one from you, but these guys have taken care of me for some time, and gave me 4 boxes to take home ranging from a smaller version of the one I bought to a couple in the $300-$400 range to see which one would be the best fit. I'll take a look at ordering a couple of other necessities from you for the wine cooler setup...

Step 2: I plan to go the wine cooler route for storing boxes. This way I have two desktops for singles (one for NCs and one for CC s) and I can also stock them out of boxes in the wine cooler.

All in, I should be spending less than $500 and it looks like I'm getting the form and function I was looking for. Thanks again.

 

[AZsteelman]

Aaron,
sounds like you gave some serious thought to it and made some good decisions. If you ever have any other questions, you at least know you can ask anything here and get good, solid, answers. The wine cooler is the way to go for larger storage, IMHO. I have one and have had it for a while now with NO problems.

 

[caudio51]

Let us know what you end up with. Looks like you are on the right track