Ideal Humidor
JMartinez10
Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 296
Hey everyone, new to this forum and fairly new to the cigar world. It's been a hobby I've been wanting to get into and finally have started. I have a traveling case for my cigars as I'm just building my collection. One thing I do know is that I need a humidor that is right for me. Wanted to get your thoughts on your first humidor. Do you still have it? How expensive was it? What were determining factors in choosing your humidor? Where did you get it from?
Thanks for the help, I look forward to getting to know you all better and establishing a bond in the cigar world.
Comments
I think starting at 20-50 is too small. But you can definitely start 150-300 and be fine for quite a while. Just keep in mind that a large source of humidification for your cigars is your cigars. So you don't want a 200 ct with 5-10 sticks in it, it'll be hard to keep the humidity up. That said...stick around...make friends...humidors tend to fill up magically around here.
Then I got in the habit of buying the humi combo sales that different sites had and giving away humis.
I'm finally down to 3 small humis I use occasionally and my tower humi.
Well, until the next humi combo sale comes out. LOL!
A lot of sites come out with 8-10 cigars and a humi for a ridiculous low price and I have a hard time resisting that.
Check your PM
the 25 ct. that was my first now houses a few infused cigars I mean to get around to trying.
My 50ct., the second, now houses my few ISOMs and a couple other special ones I am resting/aging.
My 300 ct is kind of my primary to keep the smokes I'll get too sooner and share with the Coolidor being overflow/boxes.
Of course the rest of us stated small and kept buying larger. But large now....don't even think about, just do it.
But the points on going too big too quick and ending up with stuff that your tastes will change are right on.
Which is why buying tons of certain cigars isn't a good idea when first starting out.
It will take a while before you get into a certain cycle of what you like. Even then, be careful, cause you can still run into a slump where even your favorites may fall into a category where you get bored with them.
No question that I have a bunch of my "stand by" cigars, but I also keep a large variety of cigars.
And then there are the ones where you buy a bundle and smoke half over time, then the other half of the bundle may find itself buried in the bottom of the humi for a year or so. And when you go back, you decide that it's just taking up space.
Personally, I think that the 50-100 ct humis are the best for starting out.
They hold a fair amount of cigars. If it gets full, you can go to a tupperdor or coolerdor for a time.
Then a while down the road, you can decide if you want to make a large investment.
I had been smoking cigars for over 10 years before I bought my tower and to be honest, I only bought the tower, cause I got a killer deal. Otherwise, I'd probably still be in coolerdors and desktop humis.
Wow, I really ramble on, didn't I?
I agree with several of the BOTL who have posted here. A 50-100 or 100-150 is a good starting point. My first 40ct was overflowing within weeks of joining the forum. A humi that size will give you plenty of room until you truly decide which blends/brands/vitola that you enjoy. Currently, I have a 100ct Savoy for aging and a cooler for everything else.
Something else to remember is the method you choose for humidification is going to take up some of the space in your humidor. Bags for beads will take up more space than gel jars which in turn take up more space than Boveda packs or water pillows. When you find a humi you like, please don't use the foam humidifier that comes with it but that's a whole different thread.
Best of luck in picking out a humidor that suits your needs.
It was advertised as a "100 count" - black finish, glass top, initials engraved .... (it holds probably closer to 75-80 though, depending on RG)
It was a birthday gift from my wife (girlfriend at the time) - I'll have had it 4 years, this month.
I think it was in the $75 range but honestly I don't remember. I do know it was under $100 dollars though - including shipping, humidifier, hygrometer, and engraving.
Size
I planned on ordering about 40 cigars to start with and thought that a "100-count" would be more than enough. It was plenty of room as I got into the hobby and worked my way through samplers and singles to get an idea of what I liked and disliked. But after I had that (mostly) figured out and I started doing box purchases, I upgraded and needed more space.
Also, as I became more active here and got into more trades/bombs/passes, I needed more space for that too. I now have the OG glass top above, a small 50-count for infused, and a large wood-coolidor. Look
I liked the glass top because I could look at my cigars without having to open the lid.
Price
Didn't want to spend all my $$ on a humi and not have anything left for cigars! And since this was a gift, it ended up being even better because then I had that extra $$ for cigars! Nice! A competitor's website that was recommended to me by a friend.
it was too small for me but it is a nice little desktop.
i htink i paid about $25 or so for it not including humidification or hygrometer.