Segui la cultura del sigaro e la popolarità del sigaro nell'ultimo secolo, e capirai che stiamo vivendo una sorta di illuminazione moderna quando si tratta di qualità, accessibilità e tecnologia prevalente nell'industria del sigaro oggi. Stiamo diventando un pubblico più informato quando si tratta di quali sigari comprare, dove trovarli e come prendersene cura.
Le cose stanno andando bene per gli appassionati di sigari. Più aziende e imprese si stanno collegando ed espandendo la distribuzione e la produzione, più informazioni sono ampiamente disponibili attraverso la stampa e le risorse online, e la tecnologia di umidificatori E accessori per sigari continua a migliorare.
Ma per capire meglio quanto bene abbiamo, dovremmo conoscere la storia che ci ha portato a questo punto, in particolare con gli humidor. Quando i sigari divennero popolari negli Stati Uniti e in Europa nei secoli XIX e XX, lo sviluppo dell'humidor fu imperativo per costruire l'interesse a mantenere una collezione di sigari di qualità, sia a livello commerciale che domestico.
Quindi diamo un'occhiata alla storia di umidificatori, esaminando i diversi tipi, quando e come sono stati sviluppati, e come potrebbero aver influenzato la storia più grande dei sigari.
Una breve storia dei sigari
The history of cigars is complicated, extraordinary, and worth your vested tiHte Ultimate Cigar Book to learn more. But the modern cigar’s relationship with South America is key, starting with the Spanish explorers who visited Cuba and first introduced versions of the cigar to a European audience which, until that time, had primarily smoked tobacco through pipes. We trace the word sigaro agli spagnoli, sigaro, che probabilmente ha una relazione con la parola Maya per il fumo, sikar.
Le connessioni sono vaste, transcontinentali e attraversano i secoli. Ma in una brevissima panoramica, possiamo vedere come l'humidor sia stato un risultato diretto della popolarità, del commercio e della necessità di preservare il tabacco di qualità nella forma del sigaro attraverso vari climi e livelli di umidità.
Cuba remained a Spanish colony throughout most of the 19th century, a time when many of the first famous Cuban cigar companies were formed, including Punch, Partagas, El Rey del Mundo, Sancho Panza, and later on, La Palina. One of these Cuban companies was H. Upmann, which was responsible for packaging cigars in boxes for the first time. As these boxes gradually became more ornate, cigar smokers would occasionally turn them into makeshift cigar storage vessels once their contents had been depleted. From that point forward, the cigar box humidor became one of the most common forms of cigar storage, and to this day it remains one of the primary options for new cigar smokers.
But let's get back to the turn of the 20th century, because by then cigars had become the most popular tobacco product in North America, with premium, hand-rolled cigars from South American being but one of several options. Domestically grown tobacco crops in places like the Connecticut River Valley had caused numerous cigar factories to pop up along the east coast. With companies like Lovely Cigars producing smokes as far north as Green Bay, midwestern remained an easily accessible, locally rolled commodity.
Prior to the 1950s, Cuban tobacco was still being hand-rolled as Florida cigars, which for the most part was fairly affordable. But that all changed in the 1960s when Fidel Castro took over the Cuban tobacco industry, and when the embargo took place a few short years later, that was it for U.S.-rolled Cuban cigars.
Si potrebbe affermare che questa chiusura del tabacco per sigari premium ha ulteriormente rarificato i sigari, rendendoli più preziosi e pregiati. Questo, a sua volta, potrebbe aver stimolato la popolarità e l'importanza di proteggere e conservare correttamente i sigari, dando agli humidor un posto nelle famiglie americane.
Tipi di umidificatori nella storia
Thr
Umidificatori per armadietti
Alcuni dei primi modelli di humidor erano di tipo cabinet, replicando i granai di stagionatura del Sud America. Infatti, i primi humidor a mobiletto sono stati realizzati con legno esotico portato dal Sud Africa alla fine del XIX secolo da Terence Manning, un mobiliere irlandese accreditato come l'inventore del primo humidor a mobiletto. La sua azienda e la sua famiglia hanno continuato a produrre humidor da mobile di tutto rispetto, con il nome Manning che è diventato un'icona nell'industria degli humidor.
Now, as for where Cedro spagnolo fits into all of this, that can be traced all the way back to the curing barns of yesteryear, which were often made of this resilient, highly aromatic material. Naturally, it didn't take humidor manufacturers long to realize that this kind of wood also worked well in their products.
As a selectively permeable substance, Spanish cedar excelled at maintaining the proper internal humidity levels for storing cigars on either a long or short-term basis. And while humidors have gone on to be crafted with an array of different materials over the years, Spanish cedar remains the preferred material for lining cigar boxes and humidors alike.
Umidificatori da tavolo
Zino Davidoff is widely championed as the inventor of the desktop humidor. His father was a tobacco merchant, giving young Zino Davidoff an appreciation for quality cigars from an early age. His travels to South America, including Cuba, would ultimately lead Zino to invent a product to imitate the climate and humidity levels of Cuba, but in a far smaller footprint. Davidoff is also credited with creating the first self-regulating humidor as well as the first walk-in humidor, with Davidoff walk-in humidors still being revered as some of the best in biz today.
Davidoff humidors also achieved widespread respect due to his uniquely crafted aesthetic, with the design being just as much of a focal point as the product's humidification purposes. While cigar smoking has always been associated with a certain styles, Davidoff is responsible for setting the bar for classic, well-designed humidors.
To this day, the desktop humidor remains a cornerstone accessory for the world's cigar enthusiasts. These smaller humidors, with their 10-100 stick capacity range, were a game changer for the cigar industry, giving smokers an affordable, intuitive way to store cigars pretty much anywhere.
For more, be sure to check out our Klaro Deep Dive on desktop humidors, and learn why sometimes smaller truly is better.
Umidificatori portatili
While traveling with a clay pot full of stogies, or a small, hinged locking cigar box was always an option, it wasn't until 1998 that cat by the name of G. Gerry Schmidt of Newport Beach, California, patented the first known portable humidor.
Featuring a telescopic design and humidification elements on the top and bottom of the case this now dated design revolutionized the cigar smoking world. Nowadays, portable humidors and portasigari da viaggio feature integrated humidification trays or pockets for humidity packs that allow the traveler to carry anywhere from a few sticks to a couple dozen smokes along on their weekend getaway or business trip.
Umidificatori moderni
Modern humidors tend to be just as technologically advanced as they are aesthetically alluring. The materials being used have also grown increasingly diverse, with everything from sleek and luxurious, to rugged and waterproof being an option.
Tecnologia
Modern humidors continue to evolve, but some of the most important elements remain the same. Quality craftsmanship, Spanish cedar linings, a good seal, and an efficient humidification system are just as important in humidors today as they were with some of the earlier models.
The modern man's travel humidor is now being made with materials like ballistic nylon and waterproof zippers, which you will find on products like Felix. Outdoor enthusiasts are also taking full advantage of products like the 30 Cal Smoke Can, which features a bulletproof military shell, magnetized accessory pouches, and shelved Spanish cedar internals.
Back at the homestead, new developments like the upright Frigador allow cigar owners to control not only the humidity, but temperature and air circulation as well. The advent of digital smart hygrometers like the Klaro Valet make it even easier to check humidification levels, as this can now be done remotely with any kind of connected device. Smart hygrometers also allow you to catalog your cache and keep tabs on temperature and humidity fluctuations over days, weeks, and even months.
And then there is the whole luxury line of humidors, which features some of the most advanced cigar tech on the planet, and materials fit for royalty. While they may not be suitable for the average cigar smoker, these ultra high-end models are tailer-made for cigar lounges and elite smokers alike.
Sbuffi di separazione
Oggi, gli appassionati di sigari spendono generalmente più che mai per i sigari di alta gamma. Simile al mercato dei liquori di fascia alta, sta diventando più comune per i proprietari di case investire nella propria collezione di sigari di fascia alta.
E, a causa di questo, stanno anche investendo di più in humidor di alta qualità. O, in alcuni casi, humidor ad alto volume, come gli humidor ad armadio o gli humidor walk-in. Non è raro ora che i privati costruiscano humidor a muro in grado di ospitare migliaia di sigari.
Mentre esistono alcuni standard raccomandati per gli humidor moderni, come il cedro spagnolo, sono nate variazioni nel corso degli anni, con materiali e design che variano per creare opzioni più accessibili.
For example, acrylic humidors are now a thing, with some featuring Spanish cedar inlays to maintain humidification levels. Other humidor travel cases are designed to handle depressurization that occurs during flight when the humidor is stored in the aircraft bay rather than the cabin. The market continues to evolve and bring about new types of humidors, variations on designs, and approaches to aesthetics.
