There’s a common, painfully cliché piece of advice you’ll hear when shopping for a humidor. “Buy big.” Many offer that suggestion first before any other advice–before mentioning Spanish cedar, before talking about humidor humidifiers, before talking about the importance of a quality seal. Instead, you hear a resounding, “Go large, or you will regret it later.”
Jetzt, that's not to say that there isn't some logic behind opting for a larger cigar humidor. Your humidor won’t perform well when overfilled, and having room to expand your cigar collection is pretty important. Aber all too often, we see people selecting a humidor far larger than they need. It may seem great at first, but once they realize that they have to blow a sizable chunk of their monthly income on cigars to keep humidity levels just right, that large, expensive cabinet humidor becomes more of an albatross than an accessory.
Here is why we here at Klaro feel that selecting a humidor (or two) that are smaller in stature is oftentimes the better route than going big.
What Is a Small Humidor?
When we began to research how we could improve upon traditional cigar storage designs, we discovered that most people merely require a smaller-capacity humidor. Simply put, cigar smokers liked the price point, smaller size, easy to control humidity functions, and low maintenance requirements of a small humidor. Here at Klaro, we categorize a small humidor as any cigar storage container that can hold between 25–150 cigars. However, we don't define small humidors purely by capacity alone.
Small humidors must be a self-humidified unit that doesn’t rely on an electric humidifier or any form of air circulation system. So if you own a humidor with a passives Befeuchtungssystem and it holds 150 or fewer cigars, congratulations, you have a small humidor.
Now, as for size, shape, materials used, and so forth, the sky is the limit there. You can find a bevy of different designs within the small humidor category, some of which include:
That said, most Klaro humidors are glass top models with front-facing digital hygrometers. These features help reduce the need to open the humidor for inspection purposes, which allows for more consistent humidity control. Furthermore, each humidor uses passive humidification via our patented Hydro-Schale oder Wasserkanal systems, which deliver the ideal amount of optimal humidity levels for any cigar collection. Each design element within a Klaro humidor is based on optimizing the climate inside, thus, better preserving the cigars contained therein.
Warum zwei besser sein können als einer
Moving up to a mid-range size humidor means committing to a 150–500 stick capacity level, which is a massive increase in real estate. Even with active humidification systems, there are a lot of variables to consider within a mid-range humidor that you won’t always be able to control and monitor. This is why things like 300+ count humidor cabinets, full-size fridgadorsund any form of walk-in humidor ist totally overkill for most cigar collectors.
Opting for a couple of small humidors instead will allow you to maintain greater control over your cigar collection and won't take up nearly as much space. This approach also allows you to place your humidors in different rooms in the house, or even take them outdoors. Try doing that with a 200-lbs. fridgador!
Storing stunterschiedliche Feuchtigkeitsgrade based upon their cigar flavor or wrapper is also a consideration that must be taken into account. For example, if you plan on alternde Zigarren for a prolonged period of time, you’ll want them at a slightly lower humidity level than those sticks you plan to smoke in the upcoming months. Anywhere between 60–65% tends to be the suggested humidity level most cigar manufacturers say is best for lengthy aging times postproduction. While this may seem low to some, it actually is ideal for keeping mold and uneven moisture distribution from occurring, and can be easily adjusted by moving said aged cigars to a humidor with higher humidity prior to smoking if needed.
This is where owning two small humidors can be better than one. Not only can you separate cigars into two different environments with completely different humidity levels, but you can also divide them based on type, thus reducing the risk of unwanted flavor and aroma blending. Store your medium and light cigars in one, throw your bolder, full-bodied blends in the other, and then maybe score a third cigar humidor to serve as your aging box.
The Challenge with Huge Humidor Drawer Cabinets
Now, let's talk about humidor drawers for a moment. While the tiered shelf design does aid in organization and helps separate cigars, humidor drawers can quickly become a physical barrier when overfilled or improperly engineered, thus encouraging uneven humidity distribution.
Sure, having separate storage compartments is great if you don't want to mix or stack strong cigars that are prone to influencing lighter blends with their pungent flavors and aromas. However, all too often we see people overloading these trays, and then they are left with little air circulation between tiers.
The cigar drawers stored closest to the active humidification system can also be problematic, as they often hold a much higher humidity level, therefore increasing the likelihood of mold build-up or damp cigars that won't combust correctly. In contrast, the humidor drawer located furthest from the humidifier will likely be the driest. So, in order to monitor everything within a large-scale 300+ count humidor cabinet, you will likely need a humidor digital hygrometer on nearly every level. This is both expensive and troublesome when it comes to calibration and battery replacement scheduling when the hygrometers are digital in nature.
Platzierung des Hygrometers
While we are on the topic of hygrometers, allow us to elaborate on why all small Klaro humidors contain a single hygrometer. When strategically placed, the sensors on our patented Klaro Valet Smart Hygrometer (as well as the normal version) provide the most accurate relative humidity level readings on the market for an entire humidor. This single hygrometer methodology not only makes assessing the status of the air inside the humidor a cinch, but it also eliminates the need for unnecessary maintenance and calibration.
Even in larger humidors that are not of the tray-filled cabinet variety, poor air circulation can cause humidity levels to change based on where the humidification source is positioned. To accurately monitor humidity in this sort of situation, you will likely need multiple hygrometers in various places, which means taking up precious cigar storage real estate.
Humidor Wood and Spanish Cedar Ratios Explained
Many humidors, whether large or small, aren’t built with a sufficient amount of Spanish cedar. Spanische Zeder ist vital to the performance of a humidor, and without enough of it, it will be difficult for the humidor to adapt to external fluctuations in humidity and temperature.
Having a large amount of internal space means more Spanish cedar is needed to adequately retain moisture content. If a 12” x 9” size humidor requires at least a 3mm Spanish cedar inlay, then imagine what the thickness of the wood has to be in order to cover the interior of a 4.5’ x 2’ humidor cabinet. Spanish cedar is not cheap, and by reducing its content requirements a smaller humidor retains the upper hand when it comes to affordability.
Abschiedsschmerz
Perhaps the most assuring factor about a small, passive humidification humidor is that it’s naturally self-propelled. Wenn made witquality materials, and constructed from a substantial amount of Spanish cedar, a well-built small humidor won’t require viel in the way of maintenance, monitoring, oder power. Simply set them up properly, and you don’t have much to worry about beyond cigar rotation and the occasional humidor solution refill.
As soon as you start adding active humidification devices, temperature control systems, and large trays both risk and care requirements skyrocket. Ever experience a power outage in your area? Plug-in humidors hate that sort of situation. With a Klaro small humidor, you still get the aesthetics and usefulness of a large-scale unit, but with a fraction of the headaches. It really is that simple.
