Cigar Smokers - This is pretty cool!

[tangman99]

My wife bought me this 100 cigar humidor for Christmas and I've been busy buying different cigars to sample. The hygormeter in front was not very accurate and I had to recalibrate several times. A replacement they sent was not much better. They recommended buying a digital hygrometer which is about $20.00. I found this wireless digital thermometer/hygrometer at radio shack for $39.99. The remote sensor inside is about the same size as the digital hygrometer and weather proof. It also displays the temp and humidity on the sensor.
The cool part is the base station that I can put anywhere in the house. It tracks max and min humidity and temperature and you can set alarms if it varies from a range.
Overkill I know, but it's pretty neat to know what's going on inside my humidor from another room without having to open it.
Here are some pictures:
The humidor:

 

[tangman99]

The goodie drawer

 

[tangman99]

The sensor in the lid. Not mounted yet so it is just sitting up there for the picture.

 

[tangman99]

A few smokes waiting to be enjoyed

 

[tangman99]

The Base Unit:

 

[lovethesea]

That is beautiful. Now the dumb question. Does the humidor extend the life of a cigar indefinately? or just help perserve for a certain amount of time. My husband enjoys an occasional cigar if some friends are over. (and its nice outside.....

)
BUT, if he goes out and buys some and then they aren't smoked, he feels like he is wasting them. I have seen the smaller humidors that are pretty, but don't know a lot about them.

 

[lovethesea]

Oh! You should see the cigar he got for xmas. Its shaped like a baseball bat. (Obviously he won't smoke it, but its cool looking)

 

[tangman99]

Originally posted by lovethesea
That is beautiful. Now the dumb question. Does the humidor extend the life of a cigar indefinately? or just help perserve for a certain amount of time. My husband enjoys an occasional cigar if some friends are over. (and its nice outside.....

)
BUT, if he goes out and buys some and then they aren't smoked, he feels like he is wasting them. I have seen the smaller humidors that are pretty, but don't know a lot about them.
That is the purpose of a humidor. From my understanding, if you maintain the proper humidity and temperature you can age the cigar indefinitely and they are suppose to get better with age like wine.

 

[lovethesea]

Originally posted by TangMan99
and they are suppose to get better with age like wine.

OHhhhhhhh!! Now your talkin' my language. thanks for the help.
Bday coming up and I don't know if I should get him the small one I saw.
(I really want to get him an ipod, he's a music fanatic and is always taking cd's to work for his personal cd player BUT I know nothing about them either....thats another thread )

 

[moraym]

It really depends how much you open the humidor, and how easy it is to maintain perfect temperature and humidity (which is pretty hard in most areas). I've found my humidor keeps cigars well for a year or so, but after that there is a dropoff, but it isn't like they're unsmokable. I forgot what Cigar Afficionado stated, it was 12 to 18 months for most humidors, they did a big special on newer humidors a few months back. With an extremely good humidor you could keep cigars for several years, almost indefinitely, and keep them smokable, but there is a drop-off. I have found w/ my humidor the best "aging stage" is at about 8 months (and coupled with the right drink of course)
Lovethesea, it really depends on the humidor you purchase. Do some research, and ask a local tobacconist, theyre usually extremely helpful. My first several humidors did not keep humidity very well at all, and i had to upgrade my hygrometer, as well as the actual humidifier unit too, and that got more expensive as I found different units didnt work. It's like SW fish, do the research and buy the best, it's easier than buying the cheaper and having to upgrade later. I found this out the hard way, as some of my cigs went bad in a few months in my first humidor.
TangMan: looks pretty sweet.

 

[tangman99]

Originally posted by MorayM
With an extremely good humidor you could keep cigars for several years, almost indefinitely, and keep them smokable, but there is a drop-off. I have found w/ my humidor the best "aging stage" is at about 8 months (and coupled with the right drink of course)
TangMan: looks pretty sweet.
Thanks for the info MorayM! I was not sure and that is good to know. I hope mine work out well. My wife researched everything that a good humidor should have so she bought one of pretty good quality. I guess time will tell but I think it will be fine.
Oh, and the perfect drink with a fine cigar is a crown and coke. Smooooooth! :yes:

 

[pwnag3!!]

i have a favorite cigar
hoyo de monterrey xcalibur 1600
i love cigars.. dont smoke em as often but i like em none the less

 

[moraym]

TangMan, actually it's mainly the opening/closing of the humidor that leads to some dropoff. As silly as it sounds, I have one humidor w/ some favorites that I cannot purchase anymore, and I dont open it except a few times a year. And my GF always laughs as i whip it open, grab one, and slam it again, she compares it to Indiana Jones snagging the gold head.
Then I move them to my common humidor that's never calibrated since my idiot friends always open it up to see what I have (like they know what theyre smoking ).
So as ironic as it is, how long the cigs last depends on how much you smoke, as frequently opening and closing the lid will impact it. But like I said, even if your humidor isnt perfect, the cigars will still be smokable after a year or so, maybe just not pristine (although mixed w/ a crown and coke, you probably wouldnt notice the slight dropoff in taste and draw).

 

[marvida]

I keep several humidors. Only one gets opened & closed much. I have quite a few cigars that are around 4-5 years old. I have not noticed any real problems. I have a couple dozen contraband 'gars that are at least a couple of years old. You guys in FL have it made! I used to make trips from the left coast to Tampa a few times per year & would stock up. I love that area of the country.

 

[moraym]

MarVida, it may have something to do w/ central oregon's favorable temperature and natural humidity. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods, esp in my apartment, the ambient humidity and temperature in the area around my humidors give it hell, especially over a one or two-year period.
But like i said, the dropoff is slight, but nothing that caused real problems, I'm just a perfectionist when it comes to my smokes.

 

[marvida]

You are no doubt correct. Quite often I don't think there's enough emphisis placed on ambient conditions occuring outside the humidor.
Here's a question for you cigar afficianados, how far out of your way have you gone to purchase cigars?
My record is a bit over 2500 miles to visit my favorite store, Shopsy's, in Toronto.

 

[wbilton]

my wife got me a humidor for christmas a few years ago, I don't even smoke! I think she was trying to kill me.

 

[jokerswild]

my x mas humidor

 

[jokerswild]

another shot

 

[tangman99]

Originally posted by jokerswild
my x mas humidor
Nice! I see you have the variety of smokes like myself. I'm still looking for the right one. My favorite so far for ones that are legal to buy is a Cohiba Red Dot. I want to try a CAO Brazilia. I hear they are very good.