Cigar Geeks

Okay I bought and Igloo (marine) 48 quarts cooler.  I have approximetley 150 sticks.  Right now they are all in tupperware containers with a humi pack in each one.  Anyways my question is should I go with heartfelt beads or boveda packs?  I also have heard about kitty litter?  Not sure which brand.  I bought and analog hygrometer but that thing is a complete joke and I threw it away.  It did not work at all and I calibrated it and did everything perfect.  Anyways I am thinking of going to walmart and buying a digital hygrometer or ordering one offline.   Any suggestions or recommendations of a specific brand?  

I know my coolidor will be fairly empty with only 150 sticks but my collection is growing very fast.  I know this is a lot of information scattered out but if anyone has any recommendations for where I am at now in this process I really would appreciate it.  I have heard many great things about heartfelt but seen some video by boveda on youtube showing heartfelt going way over 100 percent humidity and boveda staying where it was supposed to.  The people who made the video were from boveda so who knows how fair that test was.

I am trying to go inexpensive but effective.  I want to stay around 65 degrees of relative humidity.  From what I have read on this site and tasted myself it seems I like my cigars a little more dry than moist if I had to choose.  I have read some posts on here but I am just looking for any help with my circumstances and recommendations.  

I could probably get everything from Walmart I need but I want to know if anyone swears by a certain product, etc

PS cello on or off?  What is your guy's recomendation

I really appreciate the time and help fellow geeks!

Thank you.

I'm a Boveda fan for my desktops, but I'd go with kitty litter in a cooler.  Read here:  http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=46

And leave the cellos on!

Yep,kitty litter is the WTG for your coolidor.

The "cello on or off" thing has been beaten to death here on Cigar Geeks.  CELLO ON is the consensus, with CELLO ON,BUT SNIP THE CELLO ON ONE END also a popular choice by some puffers.

Thanks for the advice.  I am going to search for what type of kitty litter but I am wondering if it regulated humidity like the heartfelt beads that specifically say 65 degrees humidity?

I find Bovedas pretty foolproof this far
Over the winter I put a piece of wet foam in a small Tupperware container with holes drilled in the lid for added humidification during the dry months along with a couple 65 Bovedas and it worked perfect. Now that the humidity in the air is coming up I will most likely pull the container with foam.

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/18/2014  2:47 PM

Thanks for the advice.  I am going to search for what type of kitty litter but I am wondering if it regulated humidity like the heartfelt beads that specifically say 65 degrees humidity?

I used a cheap WalMart brand (Mamie ?) for a while.  As long it is unscented and silica, you should be okay.  It was as stable in my humis as the HF beads.  It kept the RH around 65%.  My problem with beads/KL is that they both shed a powdery dust if the humidifier was in the lid of my humidors.  I popped open the disc/puck humidifiers and replaced the foam with HF beads or KL. Both the beads and KL shed dust.  

So many options hmmmm.  What about hygrometer/temp unit?  Any specific brand you guys like?

I followed Bryan Glynn's instructions and have nad terrific results.   Cigarobsession.com

Only other suggestion I would have it to get more beads.   Enough to make a 2nd cooler.  Then if you win a contest, go to a cigar festival, inherit some, or just cant pass up a deal on a bunch, you can make cooler #2 in a hurry.

As for a hygrometer: digital and able to calibrate.

I prefer the Xikar digital hygrometer.  I have one in every humidor and you can find them on the monster for around $15.

I say Boveda for the cooler, it closes tighter then a wood humidor and can build RH faster then a wooden box. The boveda is a good regulator of RH and throw some wood in too for good measure. I think the KL will work too but prefer the boveda. Just my .02.

My Xikar Hygrometer pooped the sheets soon after I got it.  I need to send it back ... I hear Xikar now offers a much better product.

Thanks for the tips and advice.

Quotebmac7754 - 5/18/2014  11:48 PM

I prefer the Xikar digital hygrometer.  I have one in every humidor and you can find them on the monster for around $15.

x2 on Xikar

I also have five of these, cheap and very accurate: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151003056432?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I LOVE the Xikar hygrometers. They're what we use to measure humidity in our warehouse. Nice big readouts. Now they are self-calibrating and for the cost of less than 2-3 quality sticks you can ensure that your cigars are being stored properly.

I'm also a firm believer of using products as they are designed. Kitty litter was designed for cat boxes not my humidor. Boveda packs are cheap enough and certainly reliable enough for my humidor storage needs. I'll also use the Xikar Crystal bricks or jars or a even better a Cigar Oasis unit to make sure my cigars are happy. I'm not risking my investment on kitty litter.

How many boveda packs for a 48qt. cooler?   It should hold 10-15 boxes.

Try here, they can tell you. Notice the difference between wood and plastic?
http://www.bovedainc.com/store/tobacco/

Quotentanner - 5/19/2014  6:37 PM  Try here, they can tell you. Notice the difference between wood and plastic? http://www.bovedainc.com/store/tobacco/

   

This link from Tanner is great. I defer to Boveda in this regard. I can say that I haven't had to change the Boveda pack in my travel humidor in over a year and it is well traveled. 

Also, CELLO-ON!!! Or if you are storing boxes of cigars in their boxes... however the manufacturer packaged them to begin with. Personally, I'm going to be changing from multiple small humidors to one larger coolidor and it is my preference in those coolers, to pack my cigars as 5 packs with water pillows in each ziploc bag. However, I have an "in" for water pillows and ziploc bags in bulk but even if I had to pay retail, I'd probably do it this way too. It's a lot less box tetris.

 

QuoteCigarPlace - 5/19/2014  6:08 PM

Quotentanner - 5/19/2014  6:37 PM  Try here, they can tell you. Notice the difference between wood and plastic? http://www.bovedainc.com/store/tobacco/

   

This link from Tanner is great. I defer to Boveda in this regard. I can say that I haven't had to change the Boveda pack in my travel humidor in over a year and it is well traveled. 

Also, CELLO-ON!!! Or if you are storing boxes of cigars in their boxes... however the manufacturer packaged them to begin with. Personally, I'm going to be changing from multiple small humidors to one larger coolidor and it is my preference in those coolers, to pack my cigars as 5 packs with water pillows in each ziploc bag. However, I have an "in" for water pillows and ziploc bags in bulk but even if I had to pay retail, I'd probably do it this way too. It's a lot less box tetris.

 

Be cautious with those water pillows. They serve their purpose well with short term storage but when you crowd them up they tend to grow mold. I had a large ziplock bag with a cedar drawer inside, which I used to store already wet water pillows for later use. I went into it around 2 weeks after non use and smelled something funny.... MOLD everywhere, white and green mostly, so I quickly shut it and tossed the lot. Now I'm very cautious.

I have several 100 count humidors. I use beads as the main humidification device but manage the ups and downs with either Boveda or even a small amount of distilled water. Been thinking of KL for as much as it is recommended here

For travel it is Boveda 100%.

I have narrowed down my choices to boveda or heartfelt.  The boveda page says I only need 2 packs for 150 cigars.  So it is as simple as sticking two large packs in the coolidor?  Sounds very easy and cheap for only 4 bucks a piece.   The heartfelt beads I was leaning towards but I think both are great products from all the reviews and will try boveda first.  I am going to go with the 65 percent ones since I like my cigars a little dryer if anything than moist.

Good choice, let us know how it work's out.

Okay so I cleaned and washed my coolidor.  Its dry and ready to go.  Bought nylon stockings put approximately 1 pound of mimi kitty litter in stocking and tied off.  Got my hygrometer ready so for the first night should I just put everything in there and see where the temp and humidity is with nothing in there except nylon full of dry litter and hygrometer?  Or do i need to spritz it with a little water first.  Also I want to use some cheap boxes for storage.  Cant tell if some of them are spanish cedar or not.  Wonder if those should go in at first as well?  I do have some spanish cedar boxes for sure though.  I guess there is no right or wrong way to do this.  I just dont want to add cigars untill I have everything perfect.  Then I will add cigars.  As far as the dust from the kitty litter i noticed it when i poured it in the stockings.  Thinking of keeping nylon w/ litter in tupperware container with holes in the top to avoid any dust.  As long as I am not shaking the darn thing it should be fine.  Can anyone give me any help or tips at this point.  Is there anything that should not go in there?  One of my boxes I just bought of CAO Criollio has leather as part of the box that should be fine in there right?  I am just very OCD about everything, want to not make any mistakes.  

Thanks in advance fellas.

Personally I would check it "dry" but I'm in a humid area. I have been using beads in my bigger storage for a while and haven't done anything to them since I put them in. It's pretty humid in my area so you may be different.  I useboveda in my small humidors and it is foolproof.  Kitty litter got too messy for me but it could've been operator error. Get your rh to mid sixties and start adding sticks IMO.

Put the boxes in also so they can get acclimated to the humidity. Otherwise if they are dry they will suck up a lot of moisture when you add them later.

Put approximately 3/4 pound of MiMi brand kitty litter halfway soaked with distilled water in nylon and then the nylon in a quart size plastic bag with holes punctured in the top.  This way there is no way dust will be an issue and no water or moisture will leak anywhere.  Also put all boxes I am planning on using inside as well which is around 8 boxes. 6 for sure are spanish cedar and one may be I am not sure.  The other is spanish cedar with leather.  Anyways I lightly ran a slightly damp cloth over all the boxes.  One box paint started coming off so I am not going to be using that one.  Anyways the digital temp/hygrometer is in there as well.  Going to see what it looks like in the morning.  My house stays at around 70 degrees or a little cooler.  I live in Northern Michigan so once it gets real hot I have ac so should have no problems with to high of temps.  I will let you guys know what my readout says tommorow.  Then from there i will add more beads or more water one of the two.  I have approximately 200 sticks total so I will start adding those in once I am in the 60's humidity wise.  Any advice or opinions so far?  I am starting to wonder if I should just use plastic quart bags for my coolidors instead of boxes.  I would be able to fit more sticks in but I do like the spanish cedar from the boxes.  This will be a learning experience for me as I am new to this.  I really appreciate all the help everyone.

This morning it read out at only 52 degrees and the beads were fairly dry.  I think the boxes absorbred some of the humidity.  Anyways i added significantly more water to the beads.  Relative humidity is already going up now.  I will let you guys know what it is reading at tongiht.

Okay I have it reading up at around 70 degrees and 74 percent humidity now.  The beads needed more water is what it was.  I dumped any excess water out of the beads and now I am crossing my fingers I will be down into the high sixties.  Going to give it another day and see what its at tommorow but i think I am on the right track.  Question, the mimi cat litter creates a bluish water at the bottom of my tupperdor container I have the beads in, hoping that does not affect the cigars?  Its 95 percent crystals with 5 percent blue crystals and I think that is where the blue is coming from obviously.

Sounds like you're doing fine with your new Coolidor.  

Just remember, you need to open it for a minute every couple of days or so -- it needs air to work properly, since the cooler seals too tightly.

Let us know how it works out. Im thinking about going Coolidor direction. Was gonna buy a bigger humidor but tired of having to keep up so many humidor . One coolidor and a desk top would be great.

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/23/2014  11:55 AM

This morning it read out at only 52 degrees and the beads were fairly dry.  I think the boxes absorbred some of the humidity.  Anyways i added significantly more water to the beads.  Relative humidity is already going up now.  I will let you guys know what it is reading at tongiht.

The boxes will absorb a significant amount of water, which is a good thing. Getting the boxes to the RH you want will help prevent rapid drops or raises in the overall RH of the coolidor. When I assembled my coolidor, I gave the boxes several days to season with the humidification device before I added any sticks.

Thats what I am doing Rebecca.  Right now I am at 67 degrees and 71 for my humidity.  The only thing I am worried about is this summer with the rapid fluctuations in temp.  I am going to keep my coolidor downstairs and hopefully the swings won't be as bad.  I am aiming for 65 for the humidity.  Maybe a tad more.  Once I get there I am going to add the sticks.  I may have to take some beads out or add a few dry ones to get down to 65.  But so far so good.  What is the optimal range for temps?  I know humidity is between 65-70 but I am talking about temperature.  Also will cigars age if stored in a coolidor?

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014  7:49 AM

Thats what I am doing Rebecca.  Right now I am at 67 degrees and 71 for my humidity.  The only thing I am worried about is this summer with the rapid fluctuations in temp.  I am going to keep my coolidor downstairs and hopefully the swings won't be as bad.  I am aiming for 65 for the humidity.  Maybe a tad more.  Once I get there I am going to add the sticks.  I may have to take some beads out or add a few dry ones to get down to 65.  But so far so good.  What is the optimal range for temps?  I know humidity is between 65-70 but I am talking about temperature.  Also will cigars age if stored in a coolidor?

There is an article on here that also covers temperature: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=10

Regarding the temperature fluctuations, I've also worried about that and there is a thread on that topic: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?topic=28142.0

How about a pic?

QuoteCfickter - 5/26/2014  6:53 PM

How about a pic?

:word:

Thanks for the links they were very helpful.  I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71.  I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter.  Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67.  I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me.  Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before.  I cant seem to figure it out.  I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014  8:38 PM

Thanks for the links they were very helpful.  I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71.  I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter.  Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67.  I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me.  Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before.  I cant seem to figure it out.  I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

Patience is a virtue when seasoning and preparing humidors or tupperdors. Let it stabilize before adding cigars. I use 65% Boveda packs in my tupperdors.

Your computer is probably saying the file is too big; well because it's too big. The upload limit here is 100 KB, meaning that you might have to crop, re-size and compress for image. There is even an article for that: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=49  :shy:

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014  2:38 PM

Thanks for the links they were very helpful.  I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71.  I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter.  Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67.  I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me.  Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before.  I cant seem to figure it out.  I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

I've read you can use a hair dryer to dry over saturated beads/KL. Never done it my self.

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014  3:38 PM  Thanks for the links they were very helpful.  I let it sit another day and I am still at 67-68 degrees for temp but humidity is still at 71.  I want my humidity lower than that so I untied the knot the beads are in and added some dry kitty litter and mixed it in with the moist litter.  Hopefully this will get me closer to my desired goal and level of humidity which is 65-67.  I dont know about you guys but sometimes when I smoke a cigar that is even at 71 or 72 it seems to moist to me.  Oh and for the pics Ive tried uploading before.  I cant seem to figure it out.  I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I take a pic and send to my email then save the pic to my computer but it always says the file is to big.

 If you are using the Geek albums you are limited to 100kb. Your phone is probably taking way to large images. Probably in the 5Mb area  You can:

 Adjust the MB of your phone app

 Put them on a Pc and resize 

 Or, I don't know about the Galaxy but the iPhone lets you chose a file size if you email a picture to yourself or anyone

Thanks for the tips guys.  I will try to get a pic up as soon as possible.  Man there is a link for everything on this site!  Still reading at 71 humidity and 67 degrees.   I think I am going to take out a bit of the KL and see what that does.  I guess I could get the cigars in there now I just have OCD about the littlest things.  I really want to be at 65-67.  Maybe I should just got with the boveda packs at some point.  I just figured this would be alot cheaper.  I will get there.  Being new i will probably end up trying everything and doing what works best for me in time.

Bovedas are the easiest solution and they do come at numerous RH levels. Heartfelt beads also come in different RH settings and are very easy to use but do require some maintenance.

Both those 2 solutions will keep your RH exactly where you want it in a coolerdor.

The KL and other silica beads are just as good (meaning they are capable of holding steady RH) but the RH level will be reached by "playing" with the dry vs. damp bead ratio. At least this is my experience.

I have used or am using all of the above but the KL that I can't get here in Quebec.

Good luck with your project and do post pics, we want to see.

I will try and post pics asap.  When you store boxes in your coolidor do you leave the box slightly open or does it not matter?  Also if you store in ziplock bags do you leave those open?

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014  9:08 PM  I will try and post pics asap.  When you store boxes in your coolidor do you leave the box slightly open or does it not matter?  Also if you store in ziplock bags do you leave those open?

 

I always put little spacers (broken spills) to keep boxes lids slightly opened. To me, it helps the air flow and the distribution of humidity.

Thats exactly what I was thining of doing Mojo66.

QuoteMojo66 - 5/27/2014  4:10 AM

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014  9:08 PM  I will try and post pics asap.  When you store boxes in your coolidor do you leave the box slightly open or does it not matter?  Also if you store in ziplock bags do you leave those open?

 

I always put little spacers (broken spills) to keep boxes lids slightly opened. To me, it helps the air flow and the distribution of humidity.

Good tip, thanks  :thumbsup:

Don't get shocked if you load cigars and the RH drops.  After you get your RH set and stabilized I suggest added the cigars in to the coolidor in stages.

Finally got my coolidor at 68 degrees and 65 humidity!  Added the cigars this morning when I checked.  So if my humidity stays the same I wont do anything.  If it does not I will spritz the kitty litter (mimi).  Or should I take some out and do what Cfickter says?

Finally got my coolidor at 68 degrees and 65 humidity!  Added the cigars this morning when I checked.  So if my humidity stays the same I wont do anything.  If it does not I will spritz the kitty litter (mimi).  Or should I take some out and do what Cfickter says?

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/27/2014  9:24 PM

Finally got my coolidor at 68 degrees and 65 humidity!  Added the cigars this morning when I checked.  So if my humidity stays the same I wont do anything.  If it does not I will spritz the kitty litter (mimi).  Or should I take some out and do what Cfickter says?

That's good advice from Chuck. How many sticks are we talking about? It's important to not do everything at once, let it sit for a while and stabilize. Don't water the kitty litter if the humidity drops when adding cigars right away, you might get a humidity spike. Patience my friend, patience. :-)

You should wait at least 24 hours after adding stick's before youre RH is leveled off, then you can tweek thing's a bit if need be.

Something weird happened.  Last night when I added the sticks all at once I was at 68 temp and 65 humidity.  I have approximately 200 sticks in the coolidor.  The type of cooler I am using is an Igloo and the seal seems really tight.  This morning it was about the same.  Now tonight the temp is the same but the humidity has gone up to 68 instead of 65.  I should however mention this afternoon I added about 20 more cigars that were very fresh.  This stuff gets confusing.  As long as I am in the sixties for both temp and humdity I am not going to worry about it.  I just don't want the humidity getting over 71.  I wonder if all the fresh cigars I put in the box all at once spiked the humidity because they were all over humdified more than under humidified.  Maybe this is what happened?  I just have to keep checking it every 24 hours or so and make sure it stays stable.  If the humidity rises any more I am going to take some beads out.  I would say my temp downstairs stays at around 67-68 degrees during the day not sure about night.  Hopefully my cooler lid is air tight.  I think it is.  I think my next coolidor I am going to use boveda packs.  Maybe more expensive but I do not have to worry about dust and as much maintenence.  I think I am on track with where I want to be though.  

Have your guys ever used the little boveda packs for travel.  I bought some Arturo Fuente Sun Grown in a 5 pack and they come in a nice ziploc, sturdy bag with a small boveda pack.  I think I will use this for when I travel and want to take a few sticks with me.  Anyone thinking of going with kitty litter it does create some dust especially if it is not that moist fyi.  I have mine in nylon in a tupperware container with holes in the top to avoid any dust getting on my cigars.  I wonder if heartfelt beads do the same thing as far as dust goes?  You don't have to worry about the dust unless you shake the bag around so its really not that big of deal.  Anyways I am rambling.  I am going to try and post a pic up for you guys soon.

I use Heartfelt beads in a pantyhose bag (in a disposable ziploc container with no lid) and never thought of dust until this thread.   I squirt a syringe of distilled water on them once per week and close the lid.  I dont do anything else

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/26/2014  6:08 PM

I will try and post pics asap.  When you store boxes in your coolidor do you leave the box slightly open or does it not matter?  Also if you store in ziplock bags do you leave those open?

In my coolidor, I removed the box lids entirely. Just popped the hardware off with a screwdriver. Then I put the lids around the edges of the coolidor.

Eveything is holding steady at 65 and 68 for temp.  All day and night long.  I am so happy I found this mimi kitty litter.  It took a couple days to get it where I wanted it but now its been working magnificentely.  I have around 220 cigars in my coolidor.  Unless I get another coolidor I may have to take the boxes out so I have more room.  Probably will just buy another cooler at walmart for 20 bucks.  Already have 3 or 4 pounds of kitty litter left.  What a great cheap alternative to buying heartfelt or boveda.  I will try them in the future but for now I am totally satisfied.

QuoteJamesTanner - 5/29/2014  7:36 AM

Eveything is holding steady at 65 and 68 for temp.  All day and night long.  I am so happy I found this mimi kitty litter.  It took a couple days to get it where I wanted it but now its been working magnificentely.  I have around 220 cigars in my coolidor.  Unless I get another coolidor I may have to take the boxes out so I have more room.  Probably will just buy another cooler at walmart for 20 bucks.  Already have 3 or 4 pounds of kitty litter left.  What a great cheap alternative to buying heartfelt or boveda.  I will try them in the future but for now I am totally satisfied.

Glad it worked out  :thumbsup: You'll get a new one quite quick, and then another ;-)

James, great job putting this together.  Congrats on the new coolidor!

Nice job getting you're coolidor set up. Now start looking for a bigger cooler for the next one cause if you hang around here for long then you are going to need more space sooner then you think. :thumbsup:

Looks like everything's working as intended.  WTG James!

Thanks for the tips and help everyone.  I will let you know how things go in the coming weeks.

Lately my temp has been around 65 and holding steady there.  Is this too low?  Should I try to get closer to 70 for temp?  Humidity still at a perfect 65.  Also if anyone cares to help I have a few more questions.  Should I rotate cigars every so often?  Also will cigars age in a coolidor?  Will they age at temps in the mid 60s?  Just a few questions I have.  I already am going to need another cooler.  Unless I take out the boxes and just use all ziplocs.  I will get more efficient and gain more experience as I go.  I am learning so much every day.

QuoteJamesTanner - 6/1/2014  4:23 AM

Lately my temp has been around 65 and holding steady there.  Is this too low?  Should I try to get closer to 70 for temp?  Humidity still at a perfect 65.  Also if anyone cares to help I have a few more questions.  Should I rotate cigars every so often?  Also will cigars age in a coolidor?  Will they age at temps in the mid 60s?  Just a few questions I have.  I already am going to need another cooler.  Unless I take out the boxes and just use all ziplocs.  I will get more efficient and gain more experience as I go.  I am learning so much every day.

Regarding the rotation: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?topic=27732.0

I wouldn't worry too much about the temperature, mine fluctuates between 65 and 70'F. Your cigars will age in the coolidor, but you need to open the lid every now and then to get some fresh air in. The aging will slow as the temperature drops, but I'm sure some other geeks know more about this.

Aging article: http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=11

Also:

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65 is fine, it is the warmer temp's that are more of a concern. If it starts edging much upward of 76-78 degrees then you will want to take some measures to control the temp.

Actually, it's best to keep temperature BELOW 70 F.

Tobacco Beetles eggs hatch at 75 F. and higher -- which is probably the best reason to keep the temps 70 or below.

IMO, a range of 50 F. to 65 F. is ideal.

Thanks for the info.  I heard cigars have a hard time aging at lower temps?  My coolidor has been going great.  Going to have to get another soon.  Anyone have problems with their coolers not being airtight?  I am ocd and feel I don't want any smells or anything getting to my cigars and affecting the flavor.  I notice if I push on the tip of t hew cooler I feel the front where you open air come out.   But so far my cigars have been smoking great.  I really like those small bored a packs for when I travel with a few smokes.  Those have been working really great for me.  Anyways enough rambling.  Thanks everyone for support, trades, help, advice, etc.

The fact that most coolidors  are actually  *air-tight* is the problem ...

That's why you have to *open up the coolidor and let some air in* every few days.

Cigar humidors are NOT air tight -- and that's on purpose and by design.

Great job on pulling it together. Sounds like you are off and running.

Good to see your progress brother. Many of us went thru the same troublesome period at first. so don't worry, you're not alone  

Oh and by the way James, where are those pics :biggrin:

Great job james, I used much of what you went through in my recent project.  I converted an old oak nightstand into a humidor.  Had some seal issues but I was able to work them out and now everything is working great.  Next step is to get beads/KL going.  I am just using temporary humidity solutions right now, wanted to make sure it would work before shelling out cash for some cedar, etc...

Here is a pic guys.  Its an Igloo cooler 48 ct.  You cant see most of the stuff.  There are boxes underneath boxes and bags underneath as well.  In the center is a tupperware container that holds the kitty litter that is in a pantyhose.  There are holes punctured on top.  Then my humidification and temp gauge.  I put a few pieces of spanish cedar in there but I would like to get more and line the whole thing with it.  It is a little ghetto but at least my temp and humidity is at perfect levels for me.  I did it all very cheap too.  When I started with this forum I had maybe 20 cigars.  I know have over 200.  I really need to update my humidor for this site.  In time I would like to get some nice real humidors and store my very special cigars in there.  The boxes you see in there and dont see are not all just that brand.  Some are and some are just for storage.  I almost wonder if it would be more economical to just use bags in terms of how much more i could fit in there.  Also I need to get a smaller tupperware container to hold the kitty litter in.  So far so good though.  Cigars have been smoking great!

Looks good.

Nice  :bigthumbs:

Thanks guys.  I will get better and keep learning.  Hopefully in the future I can get some real nice humidors.  I am going to see about getting some spanish cedar somehow as well.  Any suggestions?  I am going to call my local b&m and search around online.  Next coolidor I am going to use heartfelt then boveda.  I use the boveda little packs for when i travel.  They work very well.  I wanna try it all.  If anyone ever comes across any nice humidors for cheap or wants to get rid of one let me know.

QuoteJamesTanner - 6/4/2014  2:37 PM  Thanks guys.  I will get better and keep learning.  Hopefully in the future I can get some real nice humidors.  I am going to see about getting some spanish cedar somehow as well.  Any suggestions?  I am going to call my local b&m and search around online.  Next coolidor I am going to use heartfelt then boveda.  I use the boveda little packs for when i travel.  They work very well.  I wanna try it all.  If anyone ever comes across any nice humidors for cheap or wants to get rid of one let me know.

 

James, you might find Spanish Cedar at :

 

 

I use the divider sheets and emtpy cigar boxes inside my humidors. Ether as trays or I break them apart.

If you stay on this site you will get used to setting up tupperdors  :shy: I know I have :cigarman:

Wow, thanks for the nice local source Mojo!  How the heck did you find that?  Is spanish cedar the best and only way to go or regular cedar okay?  Any other kinds of wood that are good?

QuoteJamesTanner - 6/4/2014  1:37 PM

Thanks guys.  I will get better and keep learning.  Hopefully in the future I can get some real nice humidors.  I am going to see about getting some spanish cedar somehow as well.  Any suggestions?  I am going to call my local b&m and search around online.  Next coolidor I am going to use heartfelt then boveda.  I use the boveda little packs for when i travel.  They work very well.  I wanna try it all.  If anyone ever comes across any nice humidors for cheap or wants to get rid of one let me know.

My suggestion is to get a nice desktop humidor and keep the bulk of your cigars in tuperdors/coolidors and use the saved cash for tasty sticks.

Quote05Venturer - 6/5/2014  4:12 AM

QuoteJamesTanner - 6/4/2014  1:37 PM

Thanks guys.  I will get better and keep learning.  Hopefully in the future I can get some real nice humidors.  I am going to see about getting some spanish cedar somehow as well.  Any suggestions?  I am going to call my local b&m and search around online.  Next coolidor I am going to use heartfelt then boveda.  I use the boveda little packs for when i travel.  They work very well.  I wanna try it all.  If anyone ever comes across any nice humidors for cheap or wants to get rid of one let me know.

My suggestion is to get a nice desktop humidor and keep the bulk of your cigars in tuperdors/coolidors and use the saved cash for tasty sticks.

:word:

QuoteJamesTanner - 6/4/2014  9:53 PM

Wow, thanks for the nice local source Mojo!  How the heck did you find that?  Is spanish cedar the best and only way to go or regular cedar okay?  Any other kinds of wood that are good?

Use Spanish cedar (which isn't actually cedar).  Don't use other cedars.....