About Humidor Reviews

Geneve 500 CT

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:08:32 -0700

HUMIDOR: The Geneve 500 CT Standing Humidor
TYPE: Chest/ Floor Stand
CAPACITY: 500 cigars
REVIEWER: Rob
RATINGS:
LOOK AND FINISH: 96
HARDWARE AND JOINERY: 95
INNER BOX: 95
FUNCTION: 90
OVERALL SCORE: 94

BACKGROUND:
During the evolution of a cigar smoker from novice to aficionado most of us face the point where we must make a transition between one (or several) desktop humidors and a larger storage solution. At this crossroads, people seem to follow one of two routes: building a coolidor or buying a cabinet humidor. Personally, I decided that I wanted something I could display proudly in my home that would be a reflection of the passion I have for this hobby, rather than a purely utilitarian solution. So about three months ago I took the plunge and bought the Geneve 500 CT Standing Humidor. This piece can be found at most online cigar accessory retailers. Its outside dimensions are 22" W x 15" D x 33 1/2" H.

APPEARANCE:
The outside appearance of the Geneve 500 CT Standing Humidor is in a word stunning. Its shiny, lacquered rose wood finish, gold plated hardware, glass windows that give a peak at what’s inside, and curvaceous “coffee table” legs make it a piece you will be proud to show off. When I show it to people I get comments like “Wow! You must be really into cigars!”. This is exactly what I was hoping for – a piece that reflects my excitement for this hobby. Of course, once your cigar-smoking friends have seen your fancy new humidor they now think you are a cheap SOB if you hand them anything less then Opus X but such is life.

The Geneve 500 CT humidor has two compartments: (i) the main storage area that is visible through two glass windows, and (ii) a drawer that sits below the main compartment. The main storage area has three levels (the floor of the compartment and 2 removable Spanish Cedar Trays) than can be easily configured to store a variety of different vitolas. Two large and two small Spanish cedar dividers are provided for each level and the drawer. In fact, I ended up having more dividers than I needed! The main compartment and drawer are both lined with premium kiln dried Spanish Cedar that gives off a heavenly aroma when the unit is opened. The lid to the main compartment has a good heft with a good suction pull when you try to open it giving you confidence that it is forming a tight seal when closed. And the glass window allows you to check the RH and ogle your prized singles without having to open the unit.

The Geneve 500 CT humidor also comes with 3 Large “green foam” humidifiers and 1 analog hygrometer which I quickly discarded in favor of RH beads and two digital hygrometers (one for the main compartment and one for the drawer). Hopefully one day they will actually make humidors that come equipped with the humidification tools that most serious cigar smokers actually use!

FUNCTION:
To season the Geneve 500 CT humidor I placed small bowls of water, the hygrometers, and 65% RH beads in the unit (with no cigars of course) and waited for 10 days. For those who have never seasoned a new humidor before this waiting period is like being stuck in purgatory…you having been waiting for weeks or months to get your fancy new humi and now you can’t put your cigars in it for 10 days! But seasoning is an essential step so try to find something else to distract you – play with kids, clean the garage, work on that novel you have wanted to write—just don’t think about loading up your new humidor! In my case, the RH was holding steady at 65% after about 5 days but I decided to play it safe and wait the full 10 days.

Since seasoning the unit, I have found that it has done an excellent job in maintaining a good microclimate for my cigars. As long as the beads are keep properly hydrated, when I look through the glass the RH is always a solid 65% plus or minus a point or two. Even more importantly, the RH quickly returns back to this level after the unit has been opened. Living in Arizona we have extremely low humidity so that if I keep the lid open for even a few minutes the RH will quickly drop into the 40’s. But with this unit it returns back to 65% with 3-4 minutes after closing the lid which is a sign that it has a very good seal. The drawer also does a good job maintaining the humidity level although it seems like the beads in that part of the unit need to be charged slightly more often. I should note that I keep my humidor in an area that never receives direct sunlight so I do not know how having light coming through the glass would affect humidity maintenance. But I am guessing this would not be advisable.

In terms of storage capability the Geneve 500 CT humidor has some pros and cons. I really like that it is elevated with legs so that I don’t have to kneel down or hunch over to look inside (like you have to do with end table type cabinets). I wish sometimes I could get to the bottom two levels without having to always lift the trays out. As with all humidors, the count given is completely meaningless for a typical cigar smoker…I currently have about 350 cigars in mine of various vitolas and there is still a bit of room to spare so it has met my needs very well. Because the main compartment is not one big open area (like with other small cabinet humidors), it is not an ideal solution for storing lots of boxes of cigars. You can really only fit a couple of boxes on each level and then use the rest of the space for singles.

The unit also comes with a lock and key in case you need to keep mischievous little hands or mooching big hands out of your stash.

With a price tag of about $300 you will be hard-pressed to find a better value in a high-quality, small cabinet humidor. I am extremely happy with mine! It is a very attractive piece that maintains RH very well. It can be configured to store lots of different vitolas. The only thing that is not ideal for is storing a lot of cigar boxes (I would guess it would hold only 6-7 maximum depending on their size). I think this is a great “starter cabinet” because who’s kidding who we are all somewhere between our first desktop and building a walk-in humidor--- you will always need to go bigger at some point!

~Rob

The Carter Humidor

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:26:49 -0700

BRAND: Vanderburgh Humidors
NAME: The Carter
CAPACITY: 60 Corona cigars and 20 Petite Coronas
RETAIL PRICE: $3,780.00
LOOK AND FINISH: 96
HARDWARE AND JOINERY: 96
INNER BOX: 95
FUNCTION: 95
OVERALL SCORE: 95.5
REVIEWER: Blake Oliver
WEB SITE: http://www.vanderburghhumidors.com/

NOTES: The Carter is a pyramid-shaped humidor that carries its name from the man who discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb, Howard Carter. It is a mesmerizing piece of artwork designed by Eddie DeJong of Vanderburgh Humidors. Using almost the same scaling measurements as the Pyramids of Giza, precise scientific calculations were used during construction to perfectly match up the angles of the main body panels.

The beautiful Australian Lacewood used on this piece immediately stands out. Its distinctive and unique grain pattern is awe-inspiring with its radiant honey colored tone. Each panel is ¾ of an inch thick, using “invisible splines” placed along the top interior of each body panel to prevent splitting if exposed to extreme temperatures. On the interior of the Lacewood panels, solid Spanish cedar planks (3/16” thick) are used to line the inside of the humidor top. Each piece is cut precisely to fit and bonded to the body panels. Solid Ebony strips are used on the corner edging, while the mini-pyramid inlays are cut directly into the body using Macassar Ebony. Twenty-three coats of genuine shellac finish’s the exterior of this beautiful humidor.

Each joint in this humidor is precisely cut. The angles of each joint had to be extremely accurate in order to mate properly with the adjoining piece. The use of glue as a bonding agent was done as not to overuse, which would damage the appearance of the wood. Finishing nails were used on the inner box where necessary and were countersunk and filled. The entire body is hinged with 4 box-type solid brass hinges that are set flush between the top and base. These hinges give the support necessary when the entire body is raised to access the inner box. Raising the outer shell is a little awkward at first since it looks like it may upset the entire humidor. A few times of opening and closing the unit and you learn to trust that the humidor is indeed well balanced.

The inner box is also a pyramid, as well as the base for the unit. Although missing the upper 1/3rd, the inner box resembles more of a Mayan pyramid, rather than Egyptian. The walls use Spanish cedar planks that are precisely cut to fit the adjoining member as well as the interior angles of the upper body. Just enough clearance between the upper body and the inner box is used in order for the unit to close and seal properly. The top of the inner box is removable, exposing the interior. With an opening of 4 3/8 inches, it is large enough to allow for some smaller cigars, or a small humidification device. An opening of 7 ¼ inches on the lower section leaves ample room to view and store your precious smokes. The bottom/base of this humidor has 1/8-inch deep channels to provide proper airflow around each cigar. The underside of the humidor uses feet made from English Bridle Leather to protect the surface of any furniture that it rests on.

A space, or position was not specifically designed into the humidor for a humidification device. The manufacturer recommends using a CigarSpa® placed into the bottom of the unit, although a “Puck”, or similar device using RH beads or cross-linked polymer gel would probably provide adequate humidification. Proper sealing of the unit is obtained by the precise craftsmanship between the upper body edge and the base flange.

This humidor shows true artistry and craftsmanship, and is a welcome centerpiece for any office or home. The amount of detail and craftsmanship will allow this piece to stand for generations while providing the service of protecting your valuable cigars. The retail price is not for the squeamish, but the materials, artistry, craftsmanship, and attention to detail are all part of the package. It is a one-of-a-kind piece that will always beckon to dwell in your amazement and imagination.

~Blake

Adventurer 6: Travel Humidor

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:29:58 -0700

Product: Adventurer 6 by Vanderburgh Humidors
Type: 6-Stick Travel Humidor
Website: http://www.VanderburghHumidors.com
Reviewer: Doc
LOOK AND FINISH: 96
HARDWARE AND JOINERY: 97
INNER BOX: 94
FUNCTION: 96
VALUE: 88

OVERALL SCORE: 94.2 – STOGIE FRESH GOLD STAR RATING
[Doc notes: For a look at all the accompanying photos, GO TO THE ADVENTURER 6 SLIDESHOW.

BACKGROUND:
The Adventurer 6 is one of the newer, high-end travel humidors on the market. Built solidly and beautifully using exotic woods and pre-seasoned Spanish Cedar, this humidor is meant to impress as well as function.

The Adventurer 6 is a uniquely designed travel humidor crafted to cradle cigars in an elegant wooden enclosure. It has been designed primarily from a block of solid Spanish Cedar with a protective solid exotic hardwood (Australian Lacewood) covering to give visual appeal and unique character. Hand finished with Pure Walnut oil for a more rugged/natural appearance, or with a high-gloss shellac finish, for a lustrous sheen.

When I commissioned an Adventurer 6 from Eddie DeJong, owner and designer of Vanderburgh Humidors, I had some specific requirements in mind.

First, I wanted a version that had a high-gloss finish. The original Adventurer line is naturally finished with 4 coats of pure Walnut oil, which allows the natural beauty of the exotic wood to show itself. However, I wanted a high-gloss to make the already 3-dimensional Australian Lacewood grain burst out. And it does!

I also wanted the Team Stogie Fresh logo laser-etched onto the top. Vanderburgh Humidors can provide laser-etching for any of their humidors. Finally, I wanted to use a tube with silica gel beads for humidification, so I provided Eddie with the dimensions of my tube and he designed the appropriate receptacle.

Upon receiving my Adventurer 6 travel humidor, I put it through the toughest test I could think of… travel abroad. I put the humidor in my checked baggage and lugged it off to Guatemala for two weeks. After enduring the pressure and temperature extremes of high altitude flight, I unpacked the humidor and expected it to work flawlessly in a hot, humid, tropical environment. And it did!

SET UP AND USE:
Prior to setting out with my humidor, I first took some time to admire the workmanship. This is a drop-dead-cool-looking humidor. The Australian Lacewood has a naturally “fluid” appearance and, when coated with a few coats of genuine shellac, looks almost like a block of honey. Sweet, indeed!

The ultra-cool solid brass barrel hinges allow the humidor to open up flat and the strategically placed “earth magnets” keep the lid closed tight.

The slots for the cigars come complete with small grooves that allow humid air to circulate under and around the cigars. More than just a “nice touch,” this allows complete humidification of your smokes.

After inspection, I gave the inner Spanish Cedar a complete seasoning using a clean soft rag and some distilled water. Eddie pre-seasons all his Spanish Cedar in a 70%RH climate chamber, however, by force of habit I always season my humi’s. The key is to just slightly dampen the rag with distilled water. You definitely don’t want to over-saturate the wood. After that, I let it sit for 24 hours and it was good to go.

FUNCTION:
For my trip to Guatemala, I loaded the A6 with 6 fine cigars and, when I arrived in Guate, they were in prime condition. In fact, they stayed perfectly humidified and tasty for the two weeks I was over there. Of course, Guatemala is a warm and humid environment, which is not much of a test of how a humidor keeps humidity levels up. Nevertheless, the plane trip in checked luggage counts for something. Extremely cold temperatures and low humidity make checked luggage situations potentially brutal for cigars.

After I came back from my trip, I put a hygrometer in the humidor to check the values over the next week. This month in my hometown the weather has been very hot and very dry. Outside temperatures in the 100’s (F) and ambient RH values in the mid-40’s made a very tough test for this humidor. I noted that a few of my other humidors had to be recharged with distilled water relatively often, but not the A6, it was rock solid. It lasted twice as long between rechargings, with only very slow loss of moisture and a constant reading of about 71%RH.

After about a week, I put some cigars into the humidor to further check how the humidor maintained humidity and noted that the cigars pulled a little moisture; the hygro was reading about 69%RH, which was still within an ideal range.

The earth magnets are strong; so strong that it makes the humidor a bit difficult to open sometimes. Nevertheless, that is much preferred to having a travel humidor that will pop open unexpectedly.

VALUE:
The only ding on this humidor is that, because it is so finely made and uses expensive hardware and solid exotic woods, it may be out of the price range of many folks who, I’m sure, would love to own one. At $289 USD, the humidor will be cost prohibitive to some (Eddie includes free shipping on the A6 humidor). However, given the intrinsic beauty and the rock solid performance, the price is justified. Just a shame that more people won’t get to get their hands on one.

Another point is that I wish this humidor would have come with a velvet pouch to protect it from scratches. There is no way I would put this in my luggage without some protection. I found a neoprene sleeve that came with a different humidor to pack my Adventurer 6 for my trip to Guatemala.

The Adventurer 6 travel humidor is a rock solid performer and is stunningly beautiful. If you can spare the extra cash, I would highly recommend this travel humidor.

OVERALL SCORE: 94.2 STOGIE FRESH GOLD STAR RATING

Otterbox: 5-stick model

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 09:03:09 -0800

BRAND: Otter Box
NAME: CigarCaddy
TYPE: 3400 (5-stick)
DATE OF RATING: 3/13/2006
REVIEWER: Blake
Website http://www.otterbox.com
OVERALL SCORE: 96.5 = Stogie Fresh Gold Star Rating

Background: The CigarCaddy is a travel humidor made by OtterBox, available in sizes from 2 to 15 cigars. It is made of extremely durable plastic, with an airtight seal, and watertight to a depth of 100 feet. It’s length is less that 9”, so it fits almost unnoticeably in my Rollaboard suitcase. This particular model has a small humidification device to help keep your stogies fresh during your travels. If you travel by boat, then unit will float.

Set-up and use: Score: 97 The interior is lined with untreated foam. It appears to be the same foam used for camera cases. The foam is cut to hold up to five Churchill cigars. The unit has a small humidification device made of florist foam. It will not take too much water, or water and PG, to make it useful. This unit proved to be very airtight; so a little water will go a long way in keeping your sticks fresh. Too much water, and you have a soggy stogie. I would recommend using a Drymistat or ClimaGuard tube to regulate the humidity more accurately. The downside of this is that it takes up a cigar space, so use a Bóveda humidification pack if you can’t give up the room.

Function: Score: 95 This unit performed flawlessly in protecting my cigars from outside damage, while keeping them fresh. I did have an incident during initial use, which I did not anticipate. Since all us world-traveler-types are under pressure (14.7 psi at sea level be exact), the unit is somewhat difficult to open due to the differential pressure from origin to destination. The OtterBox website discusses this issue, and offers the solution of using a small object such as a coin to pry the case open. During opening of the case, the pressure change was so dramatic from my technique that the head of one of my cigars exploded. I still smoked the cigar, but now I am gentler in equalizing the pressure differential. There is a purge knob on the larger case to deal with this matter.

Value: Score 97 This is an inexpensive way to protect your ‘gars, and keep them fresh also. The unit is functional, durable, and should provide many years of faithful service. At retail value, it should pay for itself almost immediately. I highly recommend this product for the travel warrior. A Stogie Fresh Gold Star Rating.

Thompson’s “The Royal”

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 09:00:19 -0800

HUMIDOR: Thompson’s “The Royal” Humidor
TYPE: Chest/ Floor Stand
CAPACITY: 300 cigars

REVIEWER: Blake
RATINGS:
LOOK AND FINISH: 93
HARDWARE AND JOINERY: 92
INNER BOX: 95
FUNCTION: 95
OVERALL SCORE: 93.75

NOTES: I needed a newer, larger humidor to handle my larger smokes. I’m not much of a shopper, but I like to save some money now and then. I took a look at Thompson’ to see what they might have, and I found this one that looked just like the more expensive models that I had looked at.

I found the inner liner to be of solid Spanish Cedar, and of box construction. The finish was a walnut veneer covered with polyurethane. I’m not a big fan of polyurethane on furniture, but hey, I’m not trying to impress anyone. The legs are held into place by eight machine screws (2 ea.). The result is a very sturdy piece of furniture.

The box has two lacquered brass handles on each side that seem to function as intended. I wouldn’t want to carry this while it was full, unless my house was on fire. The hinges are lacquered brass and float freely. They are recessed, and set with brass screws. The unit can be locked, and comes with two brass keys.

The lid fit is quite good. Nothing like this is completely airtight, but it takes two hands to open this heavy lid against the suction. I felt the joinery was more than adequate for its purpose.

The inner shelves (two) are all cedar, and fit nicely into their recesses. The bottom has enough room to store 3 or 4 boxes, with ample space between them and the lower shelf.

The lid is recessed to allow two large, oblong shaped humidifiers to fit snugly into it. The unit is also equipped to use 4 of the same humidifiers in cedar racks in the bottom. These racks are removable. 1.2 cu.ft is a lot of space to humidify, which is a good reason to always keep a humidor like this full of the good stuff.

Daniel Marshal: 165-count Burl

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 08:58:30 -0800

HUMIDOR: Daniel Marshall Burl
TYPE: No. 20165: Private Stock Sale
CAPACITY: 165 cigars

RATING:
LOOK AND FINISH: 95
HARDWARE AND JOINERY: 90
INNER BOX: 92
FUNCTION: 95
OVERALL SCORE: 93.0

NOTES: The Daniel Marshall humidor has made a name for itself as a fine humidor at a reasonable price. At the time I was in the market for a new humidor, I wanted a desk model that had a larger capacity than any of the other humidors that I owned at the time. After a long and ardent search of the web, I came across Daniel Marshall < http://fujipub.com/danielmarshall/>. I was attracted by the Private Stock sale, which includes boxes that have minor defects. Based on testimonials from many who have bought private stock humidors, I decided to give them a closer look. The price difference was dramatic. The 20165 model that I purchased in December of 2004, was normally priced at 750 but was on sale for 395.

I sent off an email to Doug Cramer in sales and he promptly sent me some quotes. The humidors can be configured in any number of ways. For example, I wanted a digital hygrometer instead of the analog and also ordered a Spanish cedar humidifier cover, to hide the plastic humidifier.

The near mint condition box featured Vavona Burl and was perfect on the outside. There is a lock with a brass plaque that reads Daniel Marshall. I think it looks pretty classy. Two brass keys are provided. The finish was exquisite and there were no defects in the lacquer, which shone brilliantly. The burl is impressive and the box as a whole would be a proud addition to any desk. The hinges were set in a groove in the back of the box and the lid fit perfectly with a whoosh seal when closed. Really solid feel. The joints were a bit noticeable due to the width of spaces, which were filled with some type of wood filler.

On the inside, the hinges were equally well installed. They were set perfectly into the box rails and the brass hardware was coated. A credo 70 humidifier was set into a Spanish cedar box, which dresses up the humidifier enclosure nicely. The humidifier had slits in its slide off cover for airflow, and was secured by a hefty magnet, a cloth ribbon provides ease of removal. The box has a nice Spanish cedar lining and with a magnetic calendar that reminds the user when to recharge the humidifier. There is also another magnet, which can be used to secure a cutter or other accessory.

The bigger question however was, How did it perform its job? Very well, thank you. With excellent instructions on how to season the humidor and with bottles of propylene glycol and distilled water, the set up was easy. I can tell you that in the months that I have had it (almost a year now), the humidor has performed flawlessly. The temperature and humidity have been rock solid. This is a set and forget type humidor that needs very little fussing. I can be confident that my stogies are well cared for and will be choice and tasty when I purge the box for a smoke.

This Daniel Marshall humidor is a quality box that looks great and can be proudly displayed in the finest office or boardroom. The private stock boxes are near perfect and are a great deal. Doug Cramer was great to work with, very helpful and prompt in his answers to my queries. All in all a great buying experience and a great humidor.

OVERALL RATING: 92.75 GOLD STAR

Padron 40th Anniversary Humidor

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 16:32:39 -0800

HUMIDOR: Padrón 40th Anniversary Box
TYPE: Special Edition
CAPACITY: 40 cigars

RATING
LOOK AND FINISH: 88
HARDWARE AND JOINERY: 75
INNER BOX: 75
FUNCTION: 70
OVERALL SCORE: 77 = AVERAGE

NOTES: This limited edition humidor is a hand-painted, hand-carved box that contains four trays of 10 box-pressed torpedos (6 1/2 inches x 54 ring). The initial release of the Padrón 40 year anniversary cigars came with 400 special edition humidors. Each box is uniquely painted with a scene from tobacco fields, etc. You will note the hand painting of the front outside of the box. Also notable is the hand carved lid. You can see from the photo that the carving is fairly detailed.

Each of the four individual trays is numbered, this box was number 165/400. I was told by a tobacconist that you could send back the empty trays to Padrón and they would fill them with fresh stogies.

Apparently, the Serie 1926 line will continue, albeit without the accompanying box.

The inside of the box displays the beautiful hand-painted wooden tile on the inner lid (left). The humidifier did not come with the box, though, as you can see, there is ample room for a humidifier to slide in behind the trays. This positioning of the humidifier allows for equal humidification of the four trays. The digital hygrometer did not come with the box either.

The lid is held in place by five small magnets, which provide a snug closure. In fact, in most cases I needed to use two hands to break the seal. From the outside, the lid does not make an even fit with the bottom half of the humidor. The seam is noticeablly uneven. The hardware (hinges) are a standard type found in good humidors, which recess into the side panel of the humidor, however, the joinery is mediocre.

As a humidor, I would have to give this box an average rating. It is basically a dressed-up box, which keeps the humidity fairly constant, but I had to recharge the humidifier at least every couple of weeks. The best humidors will keep a charge for several weeks. However, the fact that it has been hand-fashioned by the caring hands of artisans gives the box character and collectability value. Further, the hand-working of the box is in keeping with the fact that this is a celebration of 40 years of existence of Padrón. Thus, the rough hewn appearance and slightly less than perfect seal is consistent with the character of age and tradition. Of course, one could say that the real worth is in the sticks that come inside the box. I would have to agree, but you can't really separate the quality of a good cigar from the box that proudly displays them. At a suggested retail of 1,600, the box should have displayed greater attention to detail.

OVERALL RATING: 77