Tuesday, May 17, 2011

All You Need to Know About a Custom Humidor

Did you know that the Native Americans were the first to cultivate and smoke tobacco? In fact, even the Mayan civilization had a history of smoking tobacco leaves. It was only after the destruction of this ancient civilization in the fifteenth century did explorers spread the habit of smoking tobacco to the North and South Americas. By the 16th century, tobacco smoking had become very popular throughout Europe and in 1887, Terence Manning, a furniture maker from Ireland, created the first cigar humidors. Nowadays, an ornate, custom humidor is probably the best gift you can give to a smoker.

There are different types of humidors available in the market – walk-in, cabinet, desk-top  and travel varieties. This article will explore the way humidors function and the precautions to be observed while buying them.

How a Custom Humidor Functions

Custom humidors are specially designed to keep the humidity level around 68 to 75 percent since dry air and high temperatures are not good for cigars.  Because humidity is so critical to cigar storage, it’s important to make sure you include a hygrometer to monitor your humidity levels.   Besides humidifying elements, there are also gel humidifying agents you can add to your humidor to add extra humidity.  Larger walk-in humidors require more sophisticated equipment to keep your room’s humidity at its optimum.

What to Avoid While Selecting a Custom Humidor

There are many types of custom humidor and people tend to get lured by the external looks.  It is suggested that you avoid humidors with glass tops.  Besides the heating aspect, cigars store better in dark areas similar to wine.

Also when humidor shopping, the interior of your humidor should be unfinished Spanish Cedar or Honduran Mahogany.  Some woods are aromatic but can impart extra flavors into your cigars, altering their intended taste.  Another thing to consider is how many cigars you intend to keep, and choose a properly-sized humidor.  Humidors are as varied as the people that use them, so find a humidor that’s as personalized as you.

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