My first humidor [Archive] - Cigar Asylum Cigar Forum

Kreth

01-15-2009, 05:06 PM

Well, with the sale (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7691) going on at cheaphumidors.com, I think I'm going to pull the trigger on my first humidor. I'm thinking a 100-count should be a good starter humidor, so I'm looking at this model (http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HUM-75EL&Category_Code=MDHUMIDORS&Product_Count=33). I confirmed with Customer Service that the available hygrometer upgrade is a Hygroset. With that option, it'll come to $69 shipped.

Cigarcop

01-15-2009, 05:08 PM

Looks like a nice box, Congrats:dance:

Footbag

01-15-2009, 05:12 PM

Looks good... But it a bit small if you ask me.:ss

Blueface

01-15-2009, 05:14 PM

Ahhhh......

The old "I think a 100 will be good for me".

Hmmm.......

Nice humidor indeed.
However, lets do a pool on when you get your next bigger one.:r

Mr B

01-15-2009, 05:18 PM

Nice one.
I thought my 50 ct would be good. Then I thought my additional 100ct would do. Now the Tupperdors are fillin up:cb

Cigarcop

01-15-2009, 05:21 PM

You see where this is headed Kreth....your screwed buddy!!!

68TriShield

01-15-2009, 05:26 PM

That's a nice little humidor Jeff :tu

s15driftking

01-15-2009, 05:26 PM

Ahhhh......

The old "I think a 100 will be good for me".

Hmmm.......

Nice humidor indeed.
However, lets do a pool on when you get your next bigger one.:r

great point!

also, lets do that pool. Im saying 63 days AFTER he gets his 100 count.

SmoknTaz

01-15-2009, 05:27 PM

Good start :tu and yes as Cigarcop said, "You're screwed buddy! :r :r

Kreth

01-15-2009, 05:31 PM

Well, I started with the tupperdor, so I do have that for overflow. :r

feznuk

01-15-2009, 05:48 PM

Similar story here. I got my first humi as well this past Christmas. My wife bought it for me. She went on line, and picked it out all on her own (which I think is WAY cool!). It’s a 100ct.

Up until then I was just using a basic Tupperware container same as you. I’m a noob so I don’t require a lot of storage (I know, I know, not yet anyway.) I don’t buy in bulk because I don’t have my preferences nailed down yet. Everything comes from the B&M and I only buy 2 or 3 at a time.

Anyway, Christmas day I started seasoning her up and about a week later I was transferring the few sticks I have over and my wife comes into the room and drops a package on my lap….it was a 25 bundle she picked up from the site she bought the humi at. Again, way cool, but I was like WTF, between the new, the old, and a cup of beads the damn thing is full.:confused:

That's a nice looking one you got picked out. I think for us noobs a 100ct is a good place to start, as long as you’re not planning to buy in bulk. Or at least have additional storage plans for that bulk. I like you plan to fall back on the Tupperware.:)

Kreth

01-15-2009, 05:52 PM

I don’t buy in bulk because I don’t have my preferences nailed down yet. Everything comes from the B&M and I only buy 2 or 3 at a time.
Same here. I'm mainly at the sampler stage, but I buy online because the selection at my local B&M sucks (plus I'm close enough to CI that standard shipping is one day. :D).
I do really like RP Vintage 1990 and 1992, but I don't want to buy in bulk yet in case I find something I like better. :r

neoflex

01-15-2009, 08:02 PM

It's funny how common this story has become with all of us. I bought an end table cabinet last year thinking it would take me forever to fill it even after I emptied all my desktops. Now I have a desktop filled and when I open the cabinet I have cigars falling out of it most of the time. It's crazy how the vicious cycle works of having more room equals needing to fill it.
Nice first humidor. Kind of looks like a treasure chest which will probably be fitting in a year from now since you will probably have a bigger storage solution and you will probably use that one to store your most prized smokes.

Kreth

01-15-2009, 08:22 PM

It's crazy how the vicious cycle works of having more room equals needing to fill it.
It's kind of like computers. I remember when computers didn't even have hard drives, now a 100GB drive can seem small.

Nice first humidor. Kind of looks like a treasure chest which will probably be fitting in a year from now since you will probably have a bigger storage solution and you will probably use that one to store your most prized smokes.
I keep reading about the slope and thinking I'll never be that addicted. But when I first got into cigars a few weeks ago I figured a 20-count humidor would be plenty of space, maybe a 50-count if I really wanted to stock up. Funny how perceptions change, eh? :r

Starscream

01-15-2009, 08:31 PM

It's kind of like computers. I remember when computers didn't even have hard drives, now a 100GB drive can seem small.

I keep reading about the slope and thinking I'll never be that addicted. But when I first got into cigars a few weeks ago I figured a 20-count humidor would be plenty of space, maybe a 50-count if I really wanted to stock up. Funny how perceptions change, eh? :r

It's a sickness. Welcome to the club!

acruce

01-15-2009, 08:33 PM

If you are not planning on long term storage a 100cnt. should soot you just fine. Thats all I have if you get creative you fit quite a few cigars in there.

borndead1

01-15-2009, 08:35 PM

I still have my 100 count humidor.

It's sitting right on top of the 2 vinotemp 28s, which sit a few feet from the 48 qt cooler.

:D

Kreth

01-15-2009, 08:38 PM

The funny part is, I don't really have room for anything bigger than a desktop. But my wife and I are house-hunting. We're looking for something with a full basement to set up partially as a game room, which means I'd have a place for a cabinet or frigador or BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Chompers

01-15-2009, 08:47 PM

I bought a 100ct in Dec. and it's almost full already. I keep buying sticks and with this cold weather I can't smoke enough to cancel out how much I put in, lol.

Oh well, gotta find another humi.

Kreth

01-15-2009, 08:52 PM

I keep buying sticks and with this cold weather I can't smoke enough to cancel out how much I put in, lol.
Yeah, I know. I have a bunch of sticks I've been wanting to try but I don't want to spend an hour shivering each time to do it.

CigaSkills9

01-15-2009, 08:52 PM

Yep the same ol'story...Go big or Go home! I have a 300 ct. and 50 ct, plus two travel boxes..Oh did I mention a 48qt. coolerdor? Keep the humi's small to med, and make a coolerdor or like I saw tupperware for bundles or bulk, or an unexpected BOMB! Good Luck and Keep'em Lit!

Kreth

01-15-2009, 08:56 PM

I have a 6qt tupperdor, and I think I'll be picking up either a cigar case or travel humidor to keep my sticks in nice shape on the golf course.

Homebrewer

01-15-2009, 09:06 PM

Start with a Vinotemp if you can find one. If not, get a LARGE cooler from Walmart.

It's the same story every time. Learn from our mistakes.

RichardW

01-15-2009, 09:51 PM

Nice start on a slippery slope :ss yeah.... I'm sure the "100-cnt." will suffice for years to come :rolleyes:

Skywalker

01-15-2009, 11:43 PM

Nice humidor!!!

You're going down!!!:bx

Kreth

01-16-2009, 08:16 AM

Trigger pulled, along with a few sticks from CI to stock it.

kgoings

01-16-2009, 08:22 AM

Start with a Vinotemp if you can find one. If not, get a LARGE cooler from Walmart.

It's the same story every time. Learn from our mistakes.

You would think the noobs would listen...I know when I started I was like "no way am I going to do a cooler, a humi just looks nice" lol

Coz77

01-16-2009, 08:23 AM

Awww how cute a noob and his 1st humi....I cant resist.

Hit me with your addy Kreth....I'ma bout to blow chit up :D

Whos with me!

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:wBbVpqIG1K5iGM:http://pil.phys.uniroma1.it/%7Eemmcapp/kaboom.gif

Kreth

01-16-2009, 09:03 AM

PM sent. I appreciate the generosity.

GWags

01-16-2009, 10:40 AM

My 150ct has been full for a couple weeks - It doesnt take long to fill'er up and if the advertised capacity is 100 you'll find you may get 80-90 in there.

My answer - keeping the desktop as I like the look of it and heading out cooler shopping this afternoon.

Welcome and enjoy the ride!

Kreth

01-16-2009, 11:08 AM

I love CI! I placed an order at about 10:15AM EST, and it's already showing as completed on their site. Here's what I picked up:
Sancho Panza Dbl Mad LaMancha - BOX OF 20
CAO 'High Primings' Mega-Sampler - 20 CIGARS, 4 each of:

CAO Black Ltd. Storm
CAO Brazilia Gol!
CAO Italia Ciao
CAO Mx2 Robusto
CAO 'VR' Totem

CI Singles Promo, buy 4, get 1:

Oliva Serie 'G' Toro
Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Toro Maduro
CAO Black Bengal (toro)
Partagas Black Clasico
Slow-Aged No. 826 by Perdomo Glorioso Maduro (toro)

And a couple of free promos:
HUMI-CARE Jar 4-oz, for web orders > $50
5 Vegas All-Star 3-Cigar Sampler, for web order > $75

I forget which ones, and it's not showing on the site now

I've been putting together a list of stuff I'd like to try over the last few days, and it looks like they gave me both promos, even though the site says only 1 per order.

bvilchez

01-16-2009, 12:24 PM

Kreth

01-19-2009, 06:59 PM

Well the smokes came in, and I had to give one of the Sancho Panzas a try (see avatar). The humidor should be here on Wednesday, so I guess the smokes go in the tupperdor for now. My free Humi-care jar showed up frozen solid, will that cause any problems later on?

Kreth

01-20-2009, 10:44 AM

My free Humi-care jar showed up frozen solid, will that cause any problems later on?
Any opinions on this? As of this morning they seem to have thawed out and look okay, but I'm not familar with these PG crystals.

mojo65

01-20-2009, 01:24 PM

PM sent. I appreciate the generosity.

Sucker!:hn:r:r

The Humi-care jar will be Fine, The MXII's are one great smoke.

Kreth

01-20-2009, 02:18 PM

Sucker!:hn:r:r
Ruh-roh. :lv

The Humi-care jar will be Fine, The MXII's are one great smoke.
Thanks for the response on the Humi-care. Those MX2s smell fantastic. I may have to fire one up tonight. :ss

Oh, and according to FedEx tracking, my humidor was delivered this afternoon. Not bad for standard shipping from Tampa to NY.

Ubergopher

01-20-2009, 05:29 PM

Congrats on the purchase. Just out of curiosity from the more knowledgeable here, how necessary are the upgrades they offer?

Oh, and this (http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HUM-200IN&Category_Code=MDHUMIDORS&Product_Count=28) is the one I'm looking at getting...

Mr.Goodfella

01-20-2009, 05:40 PM

Nice pick on the humi. My first one was a 50ct and I thought I would never fill it. A couple months later my wife got me a 300ct and I thought that I was in heaven. 5 months after getting that I purchased a Wine Cooler and made it into a humidor. I have had it for 6 months now and I am thinking about purchasing another one because it is almost full. I would recommend buying at least 6X the size that you think you need. It is an addiction I tell ya!

Kreth

01-20-2009, 05:40 PM

Congrats on the purchase. Just out of curiosity from the more knowledgeable here, how necessary are the upgrades they offer?
Well the Hygroset hygrometer is digital and adjustable (the analogs usually aren't), so you can salt test it and recalibrate. I also grabbed a Puck from cigarmony.com because that seemed easier to me than playing around with floral foam.

Oh, and this (http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HUM-200IN&Category_Code=MDHUMIDORS&Product_Count=28) is the one I'm looking at getting...
That's a nice one, although you'll probably get a bunch of advice to "GO BIGGER!" :r

I've got my Prestige seasoning, and I'm salt testing my Hygroset. So with nothing better to do, I lit up a 5 Vegas Series A. I dunno if it was an OTT thing (just got it yesterday), but I was completely unimpressed with this stick. Loose draw, uneven burn, and the wrapper split about halfway in. I got done with it and Googled some reviews and everyone seems to love it.:hm

Thrak

01-20-2009, 06:28 PM

I've never had a problem with a Series A... mine have been in my humi for at least a month tho, some longer, multiple sizes too. Love em.

Chompers

01-20-2009, 06:38 PM

I've got my Prestige seasoning, and I'm salt testing my Hygroset. So with nothing better to do, I lit up a 5 Vegas Series A. I dunno if it was an OTT thing (just got it yesterday), but I was completely unimpressed with this stick. Loose draw, uneven burn, and the wrapper split about halfway in. I got done with it and Googled some reviews and everyone seems to love it.:hm
I agree. I lit one up the other day and it did not live up to all of the hype I was reading about.
I mean, yea it was good, but not as good as everyone was saying.

Mine burned good and the draw was decent, but the first half of the cigar was very bland. The second half was a TON better, but compared to all of the reviews I was ready it should have been better..and delicious throughout the cigar, not just the second half.

Kreth

01-20-2009, 06:40 PM

I've never had a problem with a Series A... mine have been in my humi for at least a month tho, some longer, multiple sizes too. Love em.
Thanks. Maybe I'll give it another try once I get my humidor properly seasoned and can let it rest for a bit.

Kreth

01-21-2009, 08:05 AM

mojo65

01-21-2009, 11:29 AM

So I'm salt testing my Hygroset. I figure I can get that dialed in and use that to calibrate the analog that came with my humidor. After 12 hours this morning it was sitting at 64%. I'll let it go another 12 and see where it ends up.
I put a dish of distilled water and a Puck in my humidor, with about 60-70% of the beads translucent. When I checked this morning it looked like most of the beads were translucent. Should I take the Puck out until I get my humi at the target RH?

Ceder will absorb a large amount of water. Get a brand new sponge, and wipe the interior with distilled water. leave the wet sponge in the Humi on a foil sheet. you may need to repeat this several times to fully season the humi.

Recharge the puck too.

As too the salt test dont get in a hurry.....

Kreth

01-21-2009, 11:40 AM

Ceder will absorb a large amount of water. Get a brand new sponge, and wipe the interior with distilled water. leave the wet sponge in the Humi on a foil sheet. you may need to repeat this several times to fully season the humi.
I read few seasoning FAQS that said to do this, and then others that said not to as it can raise the grain of the wood. Those recommended just using a dish filled with distilled water.

Recharge the puck too.
As of this morning, the beads were pretty much all translucent, which I understood meant that they were holding water. I need to charge them when they turn chalky, right?

As too the salt test dont get in a hurry.....
Is 24 hrs enough, or should I go even longer? I've seen everything from 6 hrs to 24.

68TriShield

01-21-2009, 11:44 AM

Leave the beads alone,they're still wet.
And don't stress too much.Cigars are for enjoyment :)

Chompers

01-21-2009, 11:46 AM

As for the whole seasoning thing-
1- Some people like to wipe the inside down with a sponge and then leave the sponge inside
2- Some wipe the inside down with a sponge and then put a shot glass inside
3- Some like to wipe the inside down and then put some hot water in there(so that the hot water vapor can be soaked in the entire humidor)
4- Some just like to put some hot water inside without wiping the inside
And there are many different ways to season a humidor, it just all comes down to what you wanna do. I really don't think there is a incorrect way of doing so.

And yes, you will need to recharge the beads when they start to become chalky(which will be a while)

For the salt test I would wait around 3 days to get a more accurate rating

Kreth

01-21-2009, 11:58 AM

Leave the beads alone,they're still wet.
OK, that's what I thought.
And don't stress too much.Cigars are for enjoyment :)
Not really stressing. I just want to do this properly so I can start aging my smokes and enjoy them. Besides, until I get this humi broken in, I don't have a lot of room for more cigars... :r

As for the whole seasoning thing-
1- Some people like to wipe the inside down with a sponge and then leave the sponge inside
2- Some wipe the inside down with a sponge and then put a shot glass inside
3- Some like to wipe the inside down and then put some hot water in there(so that the hot water vapor can be soaked in the entire humidor)
4- Some just like to put some hot water inside without wiping the inside
And there are many different ways to season a humidor, it just all comes down to what you wanna do. I really don't think there is a incorrect way of doing so.
Good to hear. I guess I was just wondering if I should pull the Puck out until the cedar has absorbed a bit more water, as it looks like the beads in the buck have become more saturated since I put them in.

For the salt test I would wait around 3 days to get a more accurate rating
I can do that. The various how-tos and FAQS I read were all over the map.

Kreth

01-22-2009, 07:45 AM

After about 38 hrs, the Hygroset is at 66%, and the humi has crept up to 61% (no idea how far off the analog hygro is, though). The beads in the Puck still appear to be fully saturated.

Kreth

01-24-2009, 05:15 PM

I have the Prestige seasoned and loaded up, threw some pics in the Show Us Your Humidors (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showpost.php?p=188906&postcount=343) thread.

Kreth

01-25-2009, 12:39 PM

Hey guys, I'm looking for some tips from the experts here. I had to take my Puck from cigarmony.com out of my humi, as the RH kept creeping up over 70%. Right now my humi is holding rock steady at 68% with no humidifier. My Puck got saturated when I was seasoning the humi, so I think that might be the issue. I figured I could take the Puck out, and let the beads dry out a little, so they can soak up some moisture and drop my humi down to 65%. But after a bit over a day sitting outside, the Puck doesn't appear to be drying out. I know the RH in my apartment is pretty low, when I open my humi, I can see the RH on my Hygroset start dropping almost immediately. Any suggestions?

KazzTheMurse

01-26-2009, 08:50 PM

not a bad looking box kreth! Just make sure she seals real well (if you let the lid go and drop on its own weight, the air pressure should catch it so that it doesn't go BANG) and she'll do the job.

Also, make sure because its glass top you dont put it near a window or else the sun will destroy your cigars, basically causing a green house effect.

Kreth

01-27-2009, 07:18 AM

not a bad looking box kreth! Just make sure she seals real well (if you let the lid go and drop on its own weight, the air pressure should catch it so that it doesn't go BANG) and she'll do the job.
Yeah, it's got a pretty good seal. See my post above about holding RH even without a humidifier inside.

Also, make sure because its glass top you dont put it near a window or else the sun will destroy your cigars, basically causing a green house effect.
Thanks for the tip.

Kreth

03-03-2009, 08:53 PM

So, just for fun:
Before (pics dated 1/24)
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/8901/humidor002na9.th.jpg (http://img105.imageshack.us/my.php?image=humidor002na9.jpg)
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/3723/humidor003cf3.th.jpg (http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=humidor003cf3.jpg)
After (took these tonight)
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7743/packed001kb7.th.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=packed001kb7.jpg)
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2728/packed002rm5.th.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=packed002rm5.jpg)

What slope? :r