What is a Humidor? The Full Guide to Cigar Humidors

If you’re new to cigars, you may be wondering, “what is a humidor?” There’s a lot to learn about cigars; the different types, the different types of accessories like humidors and cutters, and how to actually smoke them. In this post, we’ll cover everything there is to know about cigar storage and humidity.

Cigars and Humidity

The tobacco in cigars is very sensitive to humidity, so the humidity levels of the cigars’ environment can have a large impact on your smoking experience. 

If humidity levels are too low, then the cigar will burn at too high of a temperature and too quickly. Not only does the cigar burning faster shorten the length of your smoke, the higher temperature ruins the flavor of the cigar, giving more of an ashy taste, rather than bringing out the intended notes of the cigar.

If the humidity levels are too high, then you’ll struggle to keep it lit. The cigar will frequently go out, and it will burn unevenly. Additionally, having to constantly puff the cigar to keep it lit may cause you to intake too much nicotine, which could cause you to get sick, further ruining your smoking experience. 

Because of these factors, you should keep your cigars stored between 67% and 75% humidity, with 72% being the sweet spot. Humidity levels can be read by using a hygrometer, which is stored in the humidor with the cigars.

What is a Humidor?

A humidor is a box in which you store your cigars. These are usually going to be made from wood, but can be made from acrylic or plastic, both types having their own pros and cons.

Wooden Humidors

Let’s start with wood humidors. These are your traditional wooden boxes that you may have seen. Before storing your cigars in these, you need to “season” your humidor. Wood absorbs humidity, so if you place your cigars in these without seasoning it, the wood will absorb a large amount of the humidity. To prevent the wood from stealing humidity from your cigars, you need to take a damp rag, and rub the inside surfaces. The wood will absorb this moisture and become saturated so it doesn’t dry out your cigars.

Wood humidors also come in different types of wood, and these can actually have a small impact on the flavor of your cigar. If you have ever opened a fresh humidor, you’ll notice an aroma from the wood, and this will affect the cigars (usually in a good way).

With wood humidors, they don’t retain humidity forever, they require some maintenance. The amount of maintenance just depends on your climate and household. If you live in a dryer area, or your house itself is just dry, you’ll have to add humidity more frequently. If you live in a more humid area, you need to keep an eye on the humidity levels in your humidor being too high. 

Acrylic Humidors

Acrylic humidors are these plastic-like containers that hold your cigars. These do not require any seasoning, and rarely require you to add humidity. They’re extremely low maintenance, which is their biggest upside. As far as “cons” go, they just don’t look as nice as a wooden one will. Wooden ones are a great way to showcase your collection in a stylish way. They also don’t enhance the flavor of your cigars, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you like to enjoy the raw flavor of the cigar.

Cigar Humidifiers

Now that you understand humidors and cigar humidity, you need to learn the different types of humidifiers, which are what add humidity to your humidors.

Packets

Humidity packets, such as Boveda, are the easiest solution. They have a set humidity that they produce, which is on the label. If you know you want 72%, then you just get the ones that say 72% on them. These require the least amount of maintenance and are super convenient. They even have ones that come with an adhesive side so you can stick it to the roof of the humidor, like sponges and gel humidifiers do.

Gel Based

Gel based humidifiers are small tubes or containers that contain a gel-type of substance. With these, you add distilled water, wait a few hours for the gel crystals to absorb the water, and you’re good to go.

Sponge Humidifiers

Sponge cigar humidifiers are small sponge-like pieces in a plastic container. With these, you add distilled water to them, then put them in your humidor. These are meant to be refilled relatively frequently. In dryer climates, you may find yourself having to add more water every day, so these aren’t always ideal. However, if you live in the right area and need minimal humidity to be added, these get the job done.

Selecting the Right Humidor

Whether you’re looking for a low-maintenance acrylic option or the classic wood style, make sure you’re getting a quality humidor. Here at Cubano Central, we provide nothing short of exceptional in our humidors and other accessories. If you want something that’ll last you, check out our selection of cigar accessories.