Should a humidor be 100% air tight?

[Evan]

First let me say that I'm new to the cigar world. I just registered on this site and have been "studying" for just about the entire day.
I think you all have done a terrific job at answering common questions with very in-depth explanations. So much so, that it might prove difficult to get my post count high enough to be able to browse the members sale area... Anyway, back on topic.

Should a humidor be 100% airtight? In my reading, albeit not on this site, I read that a humidor should be able to exchange air so as not to accumulate mold.
Contrary to that point I've also read that they should be as airtight as possible, and the utilization of distilled water is what will keep the mold at bay.

Which is the correct thought here?

 

[Hoshneer]

I really think its up to you. I am guessing that some things are taken to seriously. I am good as long as it has a good rh%. I can't say much though my wineador has a spot on seal.

 

[javajunkie]

i think the MOST common view will be "mostly tight". do the dollar test: if you can pull a bill out freely through the seal, it is too tight, and if it will not release, it is too snug.

the most important thing is going to be maintaining the temp and humidity. if it leaks like a sieve, but you can keep up with filling the hydration, it will work. if you are using tupperware, let it breathe at least once a month (but hey, if you found us you WILL be in your stash more than once monthly!).

and this is just for short to midterm. i am just starting to play with aging, and defer to anyone who wants to chime in on the 5yr and up forecast.

 

[danthebugman]

Your seal should be as tight as possible. Otherwise it's going to be harder to regulate humidity levels. If you have a 100% air tight seal you should "burp" it every so often to exchange air. Most people open their humidors ever few days at least anyway. As for the mold concerns...unless you're humidity is too high or temperatures too warm, you shouldn't experience mold.

Dan

 

[veeref]

To answer your question, I think you want a good seal - doesn't have to be hermetically sealed or anything, but you don't want your higher humidity environment leaking excessively out. What's AS important as having a good seal and good humidification is either opening your door periodically to exchange the air, or better yet, install a fan on a timer so the air doesn't stagnate and result in either wet or dry spots.

I know from experience with my coolerdor that despite having good humidification and a good seal with foam tape, when I removed the fan, my sticks felt hard and crunchy. The only thing that changed in that environment was the lack of a fan and the fact I didn't open the door to exchange the air much anymore.

This is the main reason I love larger humidors like coolers,cabinets and wine coolers over desktops when it comes to storing anything over 75-100 cigars. There's enough space in these larger units to accomodate a fan.

 

[Cigary43]

Wood humidors allow a certain amount of air flow and that is probably the first choice. Moving on to tupperadors they can be sealed at 100% but as was said they need to have the top removed at least one a week. Burping the top only takes more air out of the inside which isn't exactly what you want. I use many tupperadors because they work well and are easy maintenance. Keep them in a dark place where sunlight isn't going to shine on it....70 degrees and 65% RH is a good goal for tupperadors. Tupperadors need cedar inside to help regulate RH...I usually either line the bottom of the unit or I just get a tupperware that will hold several boxes.

 

[Evan]

Hopefully the higher temps wont become a problem. I live in central Florida and utilize my programmable thermostat to keep my power bill from becoming absurd.
My house gets up to 80* during the day if no one is home.
I bought a very basic humidor from amazon for ~$25. "Capri glass top" I believe it's called. I figured it was better than nothing, plus I think it looks nice with a bottle of whiskey next to it.
It actually has a pretty good seal, so I guess we'll see what happens.

Beyond the mold at higher temperatures, I've read that tobacco beetles can become a problem too, right? Just how much of a reality is that?

 

[TravelingJ]

It's a sickening reality. You'll want to find a way to keep those cigars below 70*. Unless you don't care about your collection at all, then by all means-heat em up! People that run their home A/C like you do, tend to look into wine coolers to aid in keeping the cigars at an appropriate temperature. I've always kept a converted wine cooler in my house, and in my RV for my smokes.

 

[pbear1973]

Hopefully the higher temps wont become a problem. I live in central Florida and utilize my programmable thermostat to keep my power bill from becoming absurd.
My house gets up to 80* during the day if no one is home.
I bought a very basic humidor from amazon for ~$25. "Capri glass top" I believe it's called. I figured it was better than nothing, plus I think it looks nice with a bottle of whiskey next to it.
It actually has a pretty good seal, so I guess we'll see what happens.

Beyond the mold at higher temperatures, I've read that tobacco beetles can become a problem too, right? Just how much of a reality is that?

I have a capri glass top which is actually quite good. All sides pass the "dollar bill test", and I've been able to maintain 65-70% RH without much problem using the built-in humidifier + 50/50 PG solution, and one or two Drymistat tubes because the humidor is almost full.

The hygrometer on the front of the set I have is slightly wonky though so I don't rely on it. I have digital hygrometers in all my humidors, all previously tested to be within 1-2% of the actual RH.

BTW as what previous posters of said; you don't want a humidor to be 100% airtight. Cigars give off gases as they age and you want these to be able to vent. What you want is to maintain RH, not an airtight seal. Depending on the cigars, some of these gases can be pretty nasty - like ammonia from very young cigars. Definitely don't want these accumulating in an airtight humidor.

 

[fuente~fuente]

BTW as what previous posters of said; you don't want a humidor to be 100% airtight. Cigars give off gases as they age and you want these to be able to vent. What you want is to maintain RH, not an airtight seal. Depending on the cigars, some of these gases can be pretty nasty - like ammonia from very young cigars. Definitely don't want these accumulating in an airtight humidor.

:yes: :yes: :yes:

You want it to breath a little, at least...

 

[CasualStogie]

I've got to agree with pbear here- if you want to age your cigars at all, don't put them in a 100% air-tight container. The air-tight sealed humidors are meant for short term storage when you want to keep a few sticks in your budget humidor after you pick up a five pack from the local b&m. When I was a noob (I'm sure you'll take this with some salt, considering my post count) I did the ebay humidor thing and picked up a decent 40-50ct air-tight humidor that saved me some money and had sufficient features for my needs. It worked well...for a little while. After about 6 months when my cigars began to get a little age on them nearly every one of the smokes at the bottom had that bitter ammonia taste by the time they were smoked. For long term storage, go with a humidor that maintains RH and "breathes" just a little.

 

[glfgd82]

I love air exchange for cigars which I"m putting together to mellow for a few months or even years, let them breathe and age gracefully. I keep on my humidification well enough for the limited sticks I do have that "losing RH" really isn't a problem. I've put together tupperdors and coolerdors for many people and all I remind them is that they need to give it air if they are not into them every few days. I could be wrong, but the theory behind giving the cigars air exchange is to allow the gases produced from aging tobacco to be swept away from the cigar thus allowing the cigar to mellow in merry it's flavors.

 

[Jfire]

I've got to agree with pbear here- if you want to age your cigars at all, don't put them in a 100% air-tight container. The air-tight sealed humidors are meant for short term storage when you want to keep a few sticks in your budget humidor after you pick up a five pack from the local b&m. When I was a noob (I'm sure you'll take this with some salt, considering my post count) I did the ebay humidor thing and picked up a decent 40-50ct air-tight humidor that saved me some money and had sufficient features for my needs. It worked well...for a little while. After about 6 months when my cigars began to get a little age on them nearly every one of the smokes at the bottom had that bitter ammonia taste by the time they were smoked. For long term storage, go with a humidor that maintains RH and "breathes" just a little.

This had nothing to do with a air tight container imo but the fact that whatever cigars you had giving off that much ammonia were not fully fermented before being rolled. This isn't always a bad thing. Just know they were not fully ready to smoke. Imo I would also rather have a 100% air tight humi then one that leaks even the slightest bit. Reason being you can always vent a airtight humi once a week or so. You can't regulate a leaky (or one that vents) one nearly as easy. I have (had) ammonia coming off CCs all the time.(Or use to when I was buying many new boxes a month). I simply opened the vino once a week and problem solved. It was just my cigars letting me know they were doing "their thing". Some of those same boxes 4 years later have turned out to be phenomonal cigars. But when they were around that 1 year age..... "Ammonia factories". AS LONG AS YOU ARE VENTING YOUR HUMIES. Like Mr Marley said, "Everylittle thing gonna be alright!" Dont overthink this HOBBY!
Jfire

 

[Hoshneer]

Is that why they say to open your wineador once a week to breathe?

 

[pbear1973]

This had nothing to do with a air tight container imo but the fact that whatever cigars you had giving off that much ammonia were not fully fermented before being rolled. This isn't always a bad thing. Just know they were not fully ready to smoke. Imo I would also rather have a 100% air tight humi then one that leaks even the slightest bit. Reason being you can always vent a airtight humi once a week or so. You can't regulate a leaky (or one that vents) one nearly as easy. I have (had) ammonia coming off CCs all the time.(Or use to when I was buying many new boxes a month). I simply opened the vino once a week and problem solved. It was just my cigars letting me know they were doing "their thing". Some of those same boxes 4 years later have turned out to be phenomonal cigars. But when they were around that 1 year age..... "Ammonia factories". AS LONG AS YOU ARE VENTING YOUR HUMIES. Like Mr Marley said, "Everylittle thing gonna be alright!" Dont overthink this HOBBY!
Jfire

Should probably also rotate the cigars (i.e. swap their positions) once a month to ensure that they get even humidification. I intend to do that every time I refill my humidifier and drymistat tubes.

 

[Jfire]

Is that why they say to open your wineador once a week to breathe?

Pretty much yes

Should probably also rotate the cigars (i.e. swap their positions) once a month to ensure that they get even humidification. I intend to do that every time I refill my humidifier and drymistat tubes.

Ditch the drymisatat tubes and don't worry so much about rotation. Many here have cigars in sealed boxes for 10 plus years that smoke better then most can imagine.

 

[Nemo]

Pretty much yes

Ditch the drymisatat tubes and don't worry so much about rotation. Many here have cigars in sealed boxes for 10 plus years that smoke better then most can imagine.

I wish I had figured that out a while back! Those things gave me the worst problems in the beginning. A nice brother here sent me some bovedas and I've popped those in my tuppidor until the new humi arrives and they have been rock solid so far.

 

[pbear1973]

I wish I had figured that out a while back! Those things gave me the worst problems in the beginning. A nice brother here sent me some bovedas and I've popped those in my tuppidor until the new humi arrives and they have been rock solid so far.

What problems did the drymistats cause you? Mine seem to be working ok so far. The only problem I've had is dripping, which I solved by inverting the tubes 5-10 minutes after filling.

Cigars of Habanos puts Boveda sachets in their shipments and I must agree these are very good. I use them in my travel humis.

 

[fuente~fuente]

I've just about switched everything to Boveda now. Cost is higher to maintain, but the ease & effectiveness trump that for me.