Ned brought up the subject of cigars the other day and reminded me of when I was invested into and smoking premium cigars. I haven’t smoked a cigar in about 1½ to two years and that was only a few cigars at a July 4th party. A decade ago I was buying the cigars by the box every month or so and needed a place to store them properly under the correct temperature and humidity.
I had several 200 stick capacity quality Spanish cedar humidors that needed weekly maintenance for the humidity, then I started thinking of buying a cigar cabinet w/accessories of fans, humidifier etc. …expensive & still maintenance. I read an article similar to the one I posted at the end of this tail. The real trick is to find a cooler that is completely air tight, after that easy.
The pics below are boxes of cigars in storage for many years with no problems of cigar beetles, mold or dehydration.
In lieu of common humidifier devices as sponges and aerators, I use around 1 1/2 lbs of Heartfelt Humidity Beads for each cooler. Spray every month or so with distilled water and that's the maintenance. You can see the bag of "humidity beads" in the third & fourth pics.
Link: http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=14
Making a Cooler-dor
A Cooler-dor is an economical way to store a larger number of cigars in the perfect environment. Using materials that you may already have at home, you can create a "Cooler-Dor" very inexpensively. A Cooler-Dor allows you to add to your collection of fine cigars without worrying about running out of space. So, start that collection and turn all your friends green with envy.
Here's how you do it:
I had several 200 stick capacity quality Spanish cedar humidors that needed weekly maintenance for the humidity, then I started thinking of buying a cigar cabinet w/accessories of fans, humidifier etc. …expensive & still maintenance. I read an article similar to the one I posted at the end of this tail. The real trick is to find a cooler that is completely air tight, after that easy.
The pics below are boxes of cigars in storage for many years with no problems of cigar beetles, mold or dehydration.
In lieu of common humidifier devices as sponges and aerators, I use around 1 1/2 lbs of Heartfelt Humidity Beads for each cooler. Spray every month or so with distilled water and that's the maintenance. You can see the bag of "humidity beads" in the third & fourth pics.
Link: http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=14
Making a Cooler-dor
A Cooler-dor is an economical way to store a larger number of cigars in the perfect environment. Using materials that you may already have at home, you can create a "Cooler-Dor" very inexpensively. A Cooler-Dor allows you to add to your collection of fine cigars without worrying about running out of space. So, start that collection and turn all your friends green with envy.
Here's how you do it:
- Buy a cooler - search for a bargain. Overpaying is a sin! A 56-quart cooler is the most popular choice. If you really want to go nuts (and why not?) go with a 150 quart cooler.
- You'll need some Spanish cedar - you can buy it at some lumber stores that deal in hardwood or you can use strips from the inside of most cigar boxes. DO NOT BUY WHITE CEDAR. Only Spanish cedar will work! Or if you've been patiently saving those swatches of cedar that come inside boxes of cigars, now's your chance to finally use them.
- Wash out the cooler with a mild detergent and water. Let it dry out with the lid open for several days. This gets rid of the plastic smell.
- Get yourself either the foam that florists use (it MUST be the kind that holds water... there is another kind for dried flowers that repels water) or get a sponge (good idea to get one that has a microbial growth inhibitor in it). Put this in a Rubbermaid or Tupperware or other plastic container. Saturate it with a mixture of water and Propylene Glycol (PG) mixed 50/50. Place it in the 'dor and close the lid.
- If you lined the cooler with Spanish cedar, take a clean cloth, moisten it with distilled water and then lightly rub the cedar with it. The cedar then will act as a reservoir for moisture.
- At this point it would be wise, but not necessary, to add a hygrometer. This will display a read-out of the relative humidity inside your cooler-dor. A digital hygrometer will provide you with both the temperature and humidity.
- Close the lid and allow relative humidity to rise to around 70%. Add boxes and place any loose cigars in old empty cigar boxes.
- Don't worry when your new cooler-dor becomes too full for any more boxes, it's even easier to build your second one!
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