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10-14-2009, 10:06 AM

Hello fellow smokers,
Just wanted to weigh in on the Vino vs. Humidor discussion. I have been smoking cigars for about 15 years and have only recently turned this into a hobby/pursuit. I have used the standard Spanish cedar lined humidors for years and the humidity does stay accurate once you got the RH to the level it needed to be at for aging/storing. However, as someone else has pointed out, temperature is a HUGE concern in warmer climates. I know that I cannot afford to keep my house in Florida at 68-70 degrees all day and night to accomodate my cigars. My electric bill would be well over $400.00 a month in the summer! So as an alternative i picked up two Vinotemp 12-bottle beverage coolers. Paid $89.99 each (bestbuy). Since I am a bachelor I have them nicely displayed on my matching glass covered wood end tables in the living room! I have a four stage programable thermostat for the house that I have set to raise the temp up to 80 degrees during the day and an hour before I am due back home I have it set to go down to 75 degrees. I have had the vinotemps running for about 4 months now and haven't experienced one moisture problem inside this unit. I use beads in a glass BALL jar and add distilled water as necessary(maybe once every 10-15 days) I keep it set on the maximum temperature of 66 degrees. I have also purchased an Oregon Scientific 500 weather station with remote sensor to put inside to monitor RH and temp 24/7. It records the highest and lowest temps and RH humidity since midnight and resets again each midnight. This really helps so that you can see what the temp and RH is doing while you are away from the house or sleeping and can help you diagnose and possibly wart off any potential problems with RH or temp. I store some of the cigars I have in their original boxes after removing their cellophane wrappers. But I have most of them sitting in Cedar trays that have plenty of openings for ventilation. The cigars seem to be aging well and are tasting REAL good. I am even seeing some plume on my Padron 7000s. So far I LOVE my Vinotemps! Thanks Mackhaus

10-14-2009, 10:06 AM	#12
mackhaus Guest Posts: n/a	Re: My Winefridge/Humidor Rant Hello fellow smokers, Just wanted to weigh in on the Vino vs. Humidor discussion. I have been smoking cigars for about 15 years and have only recently turned this into a hobby/pursuit. I have used the standard Spanish cedar lined humidors for years and the humidity does stay accurate once you got the RH to the level it needed to be at for aging/storing. However, as someone else has pointed out, temperature is a HUGE concern in warmer climates. I know that I cannot afford to keep my house in Florida at 68-70 degrees all day and night to accomodate my cigars. My electric bill would be well over $400.00 a month in the summer! So as an alternative i picked up two Vinotemp 12-bottle beverage coolers. Paid $89.99 each (bestbuy). Since I am a bachelor I have them nicely displayed on my matching glass covered wood end tables in the living room! I have a four stage programable thermostat for the house that I have set to raise the temp up to 80 degrees during the day and an hour before I am due back home I have it set to go down to 75 degrees. I have had the vinotemps running for about 4 months now and haven't experienced one moisture problem inside this unit. I use beads in a glass BALL jar and add distilled water as necessary(maybe once every 10-15 days) I keep it set on the maximum temperature of 66 degrees. I have also purchased an Oregon Scientific 500 weather station with remote sensor to put inside to monitor RH and temp 24/7. It records the highest and lowest temps and RH humidity since midnight and resets again each midnight. This really helps so that you can see what the temp and RH is doing while you are away from the house or sleeping and can help you diagnose and possibly wart off any potential problems with RH or temp. I store some of the cigars I have in their original boxes after removing their cellophane wrappers. But I have most of them sitting in Cedar trays that have plenty of openings for ventilation. The cigars seem to be aging well and are tasting REAL good. I am even seeing some plume on my Padron 7000s. So far I LOVE my Vinotemps! Thanks Mackhaus