The 10 Best Humidors
Special Honors
Davidoff Ambassador In the cigar world, the name Davidoff exudes an air of quality and sophistication. This timeless classic carries a hefty price tag, but for those who truly appreciate its handcrafted elegance and long-term performance, it’s well worth the investment. davidoffgeneva.com
Vigilant Wall Humidors If you own a smoke lounge or have a dedicated setup in your basement or garage, why not install something permanent? These wall humidors allow you to maximize your available space, and they feature an integrated LED lighting system to brightly illuminate your collection. vigilantinc.com
Koolatron Touch This thermoelectric model will accommodate up to 250 cigars, with a variety of drawers and shelves for organizing your sticks by brand or style. A tempered glass door helps block potentially harmful ultraviolet rays, and a digital display allows you to easily monitor the interior temperature. koolatron.com
Editor's Notes
January 17, 2020:
We chose to drop a couple items from the list, including the US Gifts La Cubana, which suffers from shoddy craftsmanship and poor construction. The accessories that come with it (cutter, hygrometer) are low quality as well. We also removed the Quality Capri Glasstop due to numerous complaints regarding an ineffective seal, which prevents it from retaining humidity properly.
An interesting note: the producer of the Case Elegance Cherry has partnered with Trees for the Future (an environmental non-profit organization) to offset its wood manufacturing by dedicating a portion of all sales toward helping communities plant trees.
In adding to the list, we focused on providing options that differ from the traditional wooden case style of humidor. The Xifei Jar resembles a large, locking canning jar, and the Lagute Groucho is made with stylish bull leather and a convenient zippered closure. The Prestige Import Charleston has seven pull-out drawers, allowing users to organize vast collections.
A Primer On Choosing The Right Cigars
A tan or light brown cigar, called claro in color, will be mild in character.
Whether you enjoy several cigars a week or you want to know how to choose the right cigar to help celebrate a wedding, a birth, a graduation, or just getting through the day without going insane, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way. When it comes to choosing a great cigar, you don't have to rely on its price tag as the standard of excellence; as with wines, whiskeys, and fine foods, whatever cigar best suits your preference is the best stogie for you.
Before you go about selecting a cigar (or a box of them) there is a bit of vocabulary you should acquire, and there are a few helpful facts to internalize. Let's start with the language that relates to a cigar's physical size, as a cigar's size has much to do with its smoking characteristics.
A narrower cigar, often approximating the width of a man's finger, is referred to as a panatela. A cigar of moderate diameter is called a corona (this is the most common width, for your reference). Thicker cigars can be called robusto, presidente, or Churchill. A cigar's length can also be described in various words specific to the lexicon, but many people settle for short, medium, or long. A panatela of moderate length will smoke for a little more than twenty minutes. A corona may last you as long as forty five minutes. And the largest, thick, long cigars can be smoked for as long as an hour and a half, in some circumstances.
Next let's talk about color, as the coloring of a cigar's outer wrapper is one of the most telling aspects of the cigar. A tan or light brown cigar, called claro in color, will be mild in character. Colorado cigars are medium brown and often have a reddish tint; they are rich but smooth. A maduro cigar is dark brown and has a robust, hearty flavor profile. And finally oscuro cigars are almost black, and are the boldest cigars available, and often "flavored" with liqueurs or other substances.
Knowing the right cigar for your own preferences, for the pleasure of your guests, gift recipient, or colleagues, and for the situation in which the smoking will be enjoyed does much to help you select the right cigar. While a long maduro corona could be perfect for enjoying during the back nine holes on a golf course, it might be a poor choice for a short smoke session outside the wedding reception, for example. It's also a gentlemanly decision to offer the novice cigar smoker a claro panatela instead of an oscuro Churchill.
Once you know which cigars you're going to buy, be it a trusty Dominican or a newly available Cuban, next you must consider how to best take care of them. Unless you're going to be smoking a cigar within a day or two of its purchase, you'll need a good humidor.
How To Select A Humidor
Any good humidor will take good care of your cigars as long as you take the time to keep its humidifier filled with water, and remember to check its thermometer and hygrometer intermittently. As long as you're willing to spend a few dollars to get a decent unit, choosing a humidor comes down more to capacity and style than to performance.
At the very least look for these attributes: any decent humidor will be lined with cedar and will close snugly.
If you smoke large cigars and you like to have lots of them on hand, many humidors are not going to be the right choice for you. Many humidors measure fewer than ten inches across -- with an interior even smaller than that -- and cannot accommodate some larger cigars, or at least can't hold many. Smaller humidors with divider trays further limit the number of cigars they can accommodate.
On the other hand, if you only keep a few cigars in the home (or in the office) or if you enjoy smaller cigars, a smaller humidor can provide ideal interior moisture control. Just choose a humidor that's large enough for your needs and that you'll be proud to show off.
At the very least look for these attributes: any decent humidor will be lined with cedar and will close snugly. A built in humidifier helps keep the cigars moist without them touching any water. And built in hygrometers and thermometers both look great and help you monitor and maintain ideal conditions for those precious cigars of yours.
Preparing Your New Humidor For Proper Use
Before you ever place a cigar in a new humidor, you need to prepare it properly. The process is also called "seasoning" in some circles. Get a clean cloth, ideally cotton, and soak it in distilled water. Wipe down the cedar interior of your humidor until it is uniformly damp. (The cedar will darken when properly wetted.)
Before you ever place a cigar in a new humidor, you need to prepare it properly.
Now fill your humidor humidifier with water and then close the lid. Leave the humidor alone for at least 24 hours, and then inspect it. The cedar should appear and feel dry, and the hygrometer should read around 70 percent humidity. If it reads higher than that, leave the unit's lid open for a while. If it is lower, check to see if the humidifier needs more water, and consider lightly wetting down the cedar once more.
And once it's time to put the cigars into your humidor, it's advisable to remove their plastic wrappers, if present. The wrapping can prevent that fine cigar from being fully exposed to the properly humid environment you have established.