Tomtom Cigars & Coffee

Choosing a Humidor

Does it always have to be Spanish cedar?

Primarily three types of wood are used for the humidor's interior lining: Spanish cedar (by far the most popular), American (or Canadian) red cedar, Honduran mahogany.

Spanish cedar offers the following advantages:
- Protection from tobacco worms - through the cedar's special odoriferous quality
- High humidity absorption capacity - this ensures that a stable climate will be maintained inside the humidor and mould is prevented
- Supports the cigar aging process
- Positive effect on the flavour of the cigars

Spanish cedar is generally imported from Brazil and other countries of South and Central America. In some individual cases resin may form on the surface of the wood. The risk of resin formation can be substantially reduced by previously drying the wood carefully.

Protection from tobacco worms - through the cedar’s special odoriferous quality - High humidity absorption capacity - this ensures that a stable climate will be maintained inside the humidor and mould is prevented - Supports the cigar aging process - Positive effect on the flavour of the cigars Spanish cedar is generally imported from Brazil and other countries of South and Central America. In some individual cases resin may form on the surface of the wood. The risk of resin formation can be substantially reduced by previously drying the wood carefully.

American red cedar is inferior to Spanish cedar in humidity absorption and it exudes a more intense aroma. Some humidor manufacturers use American cedar because it is less expensive and with this wood there is danger of resin formation. Particularly when storing cigars for longer periods the cigars will adopt a strong woody flavour that is generally not desired.

Honduran mahogany has a humidity absorption rate comparable to that of Spanish cedar and at the same time has a less intense odour. Thus, unfortunately, the deterrent effect on worms and the desired flavouring of cigars is also not as good as with Spanish cedar.

The veneer of the interior wood should be untreated.

For long-term cigar storage those humidors should be preferred, which are lined with Spanish cedar. For cabinet humidors other woods with high humidity absorption capacity can also be used because in cabinet humidors the cigars are generally stored in their original Spanish cedar boxes. A tray made of Spanish cedar is recommendable for storing individual cigars in cabinet humidors.

Veneer or solid wood construction

There are two different options for constructing humidors:
Based on MDF (medium density fibreboard), the interior is lined with a veneer of Spanish cedar and the exterior consists of a veneer of some type of hardwood (often cherry)
or
The entire humidor case is manufactured of solid wood and is lined inside with Spanish cedar (sometimes the entire humidor is made of solid Spanish cedar without interior lining) 

Contrary to popular belief, solid wood humidors are not necessarily superior to veneer humidors. The higher price of the material of solid wood humidors will usually be far outweighed by the substantially more complicated construction of veneer humidors. Since the humidity inside the humidor is much higher than the external humidity, the internal wood expands and it leads to tensions in the walls of the humidor.
Veneer humidors have the advantage that the internal MDF will expand less with an increase humidity. Thus, fewer tensions in the inside of the humidor will develop - tensions which might otherwise lead to cracks and deformations in the humidor's lid. A further advantage of the veneer construction is that high gloss lacquer finishes can be better applied on hardwood veneers.
Solid wood humidors of Spanish cedar are more susceptible to dents and damages since the wood is very soft. As previously mentioned, the softness of the Spanish cedar limits the gloss and durability of the exterior lacquer.
For these reasons, the construction of humidors based on MDF instead of solid wood has become the standard in humidor production.

Does the humidor have to have an airtight seal? 
Cigar tobacco "breathes". Cigars consume oxygen and emit gases into the surrounding air. For this reason, it is important that humidors are regularly aerated in order to provide the cigars with fresh oxygen. Humidors should close so well that a constant level of internal humidity can be maintained. However, a hermetic seal is neither necessary nor desirable.

Glass or wooden lid 
For the storage of cigars that are to be consumed within a few months, humidors with glass or wooden lids are equally suitable. However, if cigars are to age over several years in a humidor then humidors with wooden lids are definitely preferable. When using humidors with glass lids avoid exposing the humidor to direct sunlight. Longer storage times may cause discoloration in the first few rows of cigars. On the other hand, glass-lid humidors have an advantage over wooden lid humidors in that they have to be opened less frequently and that they will be opened for shorter periods. Therefore a more constant interior humidity can be maintained.

Glass doors on cabinet humidors do not have any negative impact on cigar storage, as long as cigars are stored in their original boxes. With respect to the placement of cabinet humidors, the glass door should never be exposed to direct sunlight.


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