Storage
Types of humidors
There are seven common humidor types: desktop boxes, cabinets, travel cases, jars, coolerdors, wineadors and walk-in rooms. They differ in capacity, seal and how they hold humidity.
A humidor is a seal plus a water source
A humidor is any closed container that holds cigars at a steady relative humidity, usually around 65 to 72%, and keeps them out of light and heat. The box is half the system. The humidity source is the other half.
Wood, glass, plastic, a fridge, a room. It doesn't matter much, as long as the seal is tight and something is putting water back into the air as fast as it leaks out. Wikipedia's humidor entry puts the target at about 68 to 72% and warns against going over 75%, where tobacco beetles become a risk.
Humidor types at a glance
Humidor types range from travel cases that hold a handful of cigars to walk-in rooms that hold a shop's stock.
| Type | Typical capacity | Body | Seal | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | About 2 to 20 | Hard plastic, cedar-lined case | Gasket or tight lid | A trip, a golf bag |
| Jar | A handful to a few dozen | Glass or acrylic | Gasket lid | A small rotation on a shelf |
| Desktop | About 25 to 500 | Wood, Spanish cedar inside | Wood-on-wood lip or gasket | Most home collections |
| Coolerdor | Set by cooler size | Insulated plastic cooler | Rubber gasket | Boxes stored long term |
| Wineador | Set by shelf space | Wine cooler, often with cedar drawers | Door gasket | Hot rooms, big collections |
| Cabinet | About 1,000 to 5,000 | Furniture-grade wood, cedar lined | Door gasket or lip | Deep storage at home |
| Walk-in | A shop's stock | A room, cedar-paneled | Sealed door, vapor barrier | Lounges and retailers |
Capacity ranges for travel, desktop and cabinet models follow Wikipedia's humidor entry. Real counts depend on cigar size: a box rated for 100 small cigars holds far fewer toros. The humidor capacity calculator turns inside dimensions into an honest number.
Desktop and cabinet humidors are furniture first
Desktop and cabinet humidors are wooden boxes or cabinets lined with Spanish cedar, and they are the classic image of a humidor. Desktops are the most common type. Cabinets stand on the floor and take whole boxes.
Both lean on the wood. Raw cedar soaks up water before it gives any back, so a new one needs a slow start. The seasoning guide covers that. Glass-top models give up a little of that buffering, since glass holds no water and doesn't swell to close gaps the way wood does.
Travel cases and jars hold a few cigars well
Travel humidors and humidor jars are small sealed containers built for a handful of cigars, either on the move or on a shelf. Small air volume makes them easy to keep steady.
Travel cases are made to survive a bag and frequent opening. Hard shells, foam or cedar inserts, a latch. Jars are glass or acrylic with a gasket lid. No cedar to season, so they work the day you buy them. Drop in a small two-way pack and they hold.
What is a coolerdor?
A coolerdor is an ordinary picnic cooler used as a humidor: insulated, gasket-sealed and big enough for whole boxes. It's the same idea as a tupperdor, scaled up.
The insulation slows temperature swings, which slows humidity swings. The gasket keeps water in. There's no cooling. A coolerdor in a hot garage gets hot. Many people stack cedar trays or keep cigars in their boxes inside, which adds some of cedar's buffering.
Electric and unplugged wineadors
A wineador is a wine cooler converted to hold cigars, and it runs one of two ways: plugged in, as a cooled cabinet, or unplugged, as a sealed insulated box.
Plugged in, it solves heat. That matters in warm climates, since Wikipedia's humidor entry advises keeping cigars under 77°F to discourage beetles. The tradeoff: cooling pulls water out of the air. Cold surfaces condense moisture, and the unit dumps it. A running wineador needs a lot of humidification, and the wineador beads calculator sizes it.
Unplugged, it's a big coolerdor with glass. It holds humidity well but does nothing about room temperature. Fully electronic humidors are a third, separate category: they manage both temperature and humidity with sensors, and they cost the most.
Walk-in humidors are rooms
A walk-in humidor is a climate-controlled room, usually paneled in Spanish cedar, where a shop or lounge keeps its stock. Few homes have one. When they do, it's a sealed closet or cellar with a vapor barrier, a door gasket and an electronic humidifier.
Why Spanish cedar lines the box
Spanish cedar is the wood of Cedrela odorata, a tropical tree in the mahogany family, and it's the standard humidor lining because it holds moisture, resists warping and smells good. It isn't a true cedar. The scent just resembles one.
The heartwood carries a resin that repels insects, and the wood resists rot. Inside a humidor, it acts as a buffer: it absorbs water when the air is wet and gives it back when the air dries. The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable.
Cedar is a plus, not a requirement. Plastic and glass don't buffer, but they don't steal water either.
How do you test a humidor seal?
The quickest seal test is the paper test: close the lid on a dollar bill and pull it out. Steady drag means a good seal. If it slides free, air is leaking at that spot.
Try it at several points along the lid. On a wooden box, also lift the lid an inch and let it drop. A tight box lands softly on a cushion of air. A box that slams shut lets air out somewhere. Small gaps in a new box often close once the wood is seasoned and swells.
Choosing a humidor type: questions
What is the difference between a coolerdor and a wineador?
A coolerdor is a picnic cooler used as a sealed box, with no temperature control. A wineador is a wine cooler, and when it runs it cools the cigars as well as holding them.
Does a wineador need to be plugged in?
Only if you want it to cool. Unplugged, it is an insulated sealed cabinet; plugged in, its cooling unit holds the temperature down but also pulls moisture out, so it needs a strong humidity source.
Why does my 100-count humidor hold fewer cigars?
Count ratings usually assume small cigars packed tight. Toros, Churchills and fat ring gauges fill the same box much faster, so measure the inside and calculate.
Does a humidor need Spanish cedar?
No. Cedar adds aroma and buffers humidity, but a well-sealed plastic, glass or acrylic box with a reliable humidity source keeps cigars just as steady.
Where the humidor figures come from
- Humidor: types, capacity and target conditions, Wikipedia
- Cedrela odorata (Spanish cedar), Wikipedia