Premium Cigar Humidors and the Pursuit of the Good Life

Like fine wine, premium cigars do get better with age. This is why cigar connoisseurs and collectors end up holding onto so many of them. A premium cigar requires a suitable storage environment if it is expected to maintain its flavor and integrity. A dried-out cigar is a perfect nightmare for a gentleman and this is why the humidor was invented.

Humidification Matters

When storing cigars it is important to keep them in an environment that matches the conditions they underwent while aging in the factory. Above all else, this means high relative humidity. The absence of humidity will shorten the life-span of a good hand-rolled cigar. For this reason, man created the humidor. A humidor is any kind of box, container or room in which constant humidity and temperature are maintained. Most humidors are equipped with hygrometers that help cigar owners monitor humidity levels.

Simple humidors generally consist of wooden boxes outfitted with passive humidifying elements that release stored humidity through evaporation and diffusion. Personal humidors ("desktop") will commonly hold 20-75 cigars and are most often found at home or in the office for personal use and special events. The biggest and most sophisticated humidors will fill entire rooms (walk-ins) and are engineered to emulate the conditions of the original factory floor.

The very best humidors -- the premium boxes, cabinets and containers will regardless of style and capacity share a few common characteristics. Most humidors in this class will feature interiors lined with kiln-dried Spanish cedar wood. Spanish cedar is able to hold more moisture than most other woods. This is critical for maintaining proper humidity. Cedar also lends a very pleasant aroma to cigars stored long enough. Indeed, very good cigars are often wrapped in Spanish cedar sheets before leaving the factory. Spanish cedar wood is famous for being repellent to insects. The pinhead-sized tobacco beetle is a natural enemy to cigar tobacco and can ruin an entire stock of smokes. Finally, Cedar wood is not prone to warping as are other woods one might use to craft such boxes. Cigar humidification being the most important aspect of preserving cigars, Spanish cedar wood linings are found in most premium humidors.

An emerging trend in the production of premium humidors is the inclusion of humidification beads or crystals as a replacement for sponges and water. The humidor owner need only fill the container holding the beads or crystals with distilled water and they quickly expand to form a gel-like material that also includes a chemical to suppress mold and spores. Other new developments incorporate electronic humidifiers linked to sensors that can automatically blow humid air into the humidor as needed. Some of these units feature alarms to notify the user when the unit is low on water.

A finely crafted humidor is truly a necessity for every cigar smoker and collector. The humidor enables them to enjoy their inventory of fine cigars as they were meant to be enjoyed - fragrant and fresh.

For more information visit: http://www.artisanhumidor.com/

John Trinh has been writing for 10+ years. He first delved into the world of writing when he wrote his first article for his university's paper.