Where should I store my humidor?
Perhaps the most frequently asked questions revolving around cigars and humidors right now is simply: where should I store my humidor?
It’s a great question! For those who are beginning cigar smokers and have never purchased or set up their humidor before, this can be a daunting thought. You worried that if you put it in the wrong place, you’ll ruin the great cigar collection you’ve begun and have to start all over.
But guess what? The answer is really simple, and one that you aren’t sure to forget: avoid sunlight and electronics.
Sunlight beaming directly onto your humidor can cause the internal temperature to heat up, adding extra humidity to your cigars and ruining them. The same can go for electronics- when you place your humidor on top of a TV or next to your sound system, the heat that omits from the large electronics being used can heat up the wood and also raise the humidity.
What’s great about a humidor, though, is that so long as you’re avoiding those two situations, the controlled environment you’ve set up inside of the humidor does all the work for you! All you have to do is keep the lid closed until you’re ready to enjoy a cigar and periodically add distilled water to your humidifier.
Just remember- no matter what your hygrometer’s temperature may read, the true measure of your humidor’s ability to keep your cigars fresh are the condition of the actual cigars inside. If your cigars look like they’re exuding a bit of oil on the outside, then your conditions are perfect. You have just the right amount of humidity. If you go take a cigar out and find that they’ve dried out, you need to add more water to your humidifier, and you’ll have to write off your dried out cigars as a learning experience.
Even more so, if your cigars turn moldy, you should especially throw your cigars out. If you find that your cigars have not yet molded, be careful to check for a species of beetle called the Tobacco Beetle, which can hatch when the humidor maintains a temperature of 75 degrees or more for longer than 24 hours. To get rid of these beetles, freeze your contaminated cigars as quickly as possible for 48 hours, then transfer the cigars to the refrigerator for another 24 hours. This will kill both the beetles as well as its larvae. You then should wipe down your humidor with a damp cloth and distilled water before returning your cigars to the humidor.
Other than those few pointers, you’re pretty safe to store your humidor in most all rooms in the house. Spend the time to select the right humidor for you, as there are more variables than you might expect based on what you smoke and how large you anticipate your collection being. A fine cigar case can be a great purchase, if taken care of properly.
Looking for a humidor? Checkout our selection here: https://www.kustomproductsinc.com/collections/humidors-2