Cigar Humidification

The humidor in the humidor quandry

Q. I recently purchased an end table cabinet humidor. I use a Cigar Oasis XL Plus to humidify it. My question is, can I store smaller 25-count humidors inside the cabinet humidor? And if I can, do I need to put a humidor device in each humidor, or will the humidity from the cigar Oasis do the trick for everything. So far I’ve asked 10 people and got 10 different answers…HELP.
Thanks,
John P.

A. Here’s how I see it: If the larger cabinet case is properly humidified, technically its a mini humidified warehouse, simlar to the way the major big retailers store their cigars. All things being equal, you should be able to put a factory-sealed box of cigars in there with no problem. Similarly, you could put a small humidor in there because the Oasis is working all the time just like a warehouse humidifying system. Since wood is porous, and the humidor itself is not hermetically sealed, air still gets in. There’s also no harm in keeping the humidifier in the smaller humidor, and chances are you may not even need to recharge it.

The first cigar humidor I ever bought eventually became leaky a couple of years ago. It’s one of the top brands, but not one of their top models. (It was all I could afford at the time.) I couldn’t keep it in the office any longer, so I moved it to a shelf in our warehouse without a humidifier, and all the cigars are fine. It’s now my office “overflow” humidor.

I would also check the cigars every couple days, which you should do anyway. Also check the hygrometers in the smaller humidors. They should be reasonably consistent to the reading on the Oasis unit. If you think the cigars are drying out, remove them from their humidor(s) and place them loose in the cabinet. Alternatively, you could recharge the humidifiers in the smaller humidors, or find a way to prop the lid up to allow more airflow. If they become too moist, then I would remove the humidifiers from the smaller humidors. Again, if the larger humidor is working properly you should be fine. I’ve been in several homes where I’ve seen humidors inside tall cabinet humidors

Regardless of how any devoted cigar smoker keeps their cigars, a combination of careful experimentation and experience usually results in the best solution. Remember that keeping the proper “balance” of temperature and humidity is as much on you as it is on your devices.