Hello all-

As you read in my subject I am a newbie...I read the newbie area information and still have a few questions I'm hoping some of you will answer for me. I started smoking cigars a maybe six months ago when my mother brought me some cigars back from the Dominican Republic (I was born and raised there...my family who still lives there grows tobacco for Leon Jimenez). Since then I've started going to cigar bars/restaurants in the DC area and I really enjoy (what I think is) a good smoke.

I have a humidor that an old girlfriend gave me when I turned 30 (two years ago) and though I seasoned it and have been monitoring humidity, it has proved to be a low quality piece (passed the flashlight test, but pretty much failed the dollar bill test). I've decided to get a new humidor...any thoughts on this model:

Humidor

Next, where do you guys keep your humidors? I live in an apartment, so my choices are limited. I keep mine in my bedroom to keep visitors from sticking their booger-pickers in my box.

What should I be using to keep humidity? I bought some drymistat crystals, but I've read a lot about the heartfelt beads...is one better than the other? Could someone recommend a product/source?

Finally, there are a few cigar shops in my area, but compared to the internet they are over-priced. I know that there are counterfeit cigars out there...how do you know if your internet supplier is a reputable source? Can anyone recommend some websites? I found that neptunecigars.com and bestcigarprices.com have pretty good prices...are they reputable? Thoughts?

I know this is a lot, and I apologize...thanks in advance for reading and -ahem- responding to my questions.

Reyno

Which ever one you choose Tampa Humidor is the way to go.

There are several topics on advice for new smokers floating around on the forum. If you're the type, do some searches for elaborate answers for your questions. Meanwhile, here are some quick tips:

*75 count might sounds a lot now, but you'll out-grow it in about a month. Go for the biggest one within your budget.

*keep the humidor out of direct sunlight and somewhere cool.

*I use the jar, but others use beads, pucks....

*Go to the local shops for singles. Look online for samplers and boxes. There are multiple threads on good online sources for NCs including holts, jrcigars, ovtc...

*No need to worry about counterfeits for NCs.

Like I said before, if you want more insight info, do a search. Good luck and hope this will turn into a permanent hobby for you!

Bo-

Thanks for the help. I thought about the size of the humidor and my choice came down to me living in an apartment and my limited space. Maybe in the next couple of years I'll have more space, but for not a small one will have to do.

What do you mean when you say that you use a jar? I'm actually considering a cigar oasis ultra, but I haven't read enough about it yet.

Thanks for the info on the counterfeits...I'm assuming NC's are "non-Cubans" is that right? (newbie, remember?)

I'll check out those websites...again, thanks for the help.

IMHO the drawers are useless,they are not sealed to maintain the R/H plus they take up space that in other designs provide more cigar storage.
If you are serious about cigar smoking get the very largest humidor you can afford because they tend to fill up in a hurry.
The quality wooden humidors are fine pieces of furniture that work well for what they were designed to do, but I have found that for less money a wine cooler, set up properly as a humidor works as good as any of the high priced wood ones.

You are welcome.

The Jar is similar to this thing: http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Scr...iers&Product_Count=5
You just have to add propylene glycol or distilled water when the contents fall below a line on the jar.

I don't know much about cigar oasis other than it is the more expensive means for humidification. If you ask me, the cigar oasis ultra is overkill for a 75-count humidor, but then again, certain people are very particular about things, and that might be who you are. NC stands for non-cubans and CC stands for cuban cigars.

I agree with kechke's HO, and Tampa makes very nice humidors and yes, NC = Non Cuban
I cannot speak for the websites listed but can definitely vouch for JR and Famous.
Welcome and enjoy, by the way, if you buy a big enough humidor you can move out of your apartment and live in it

An "Oasis" is designed to do one thing, raise the R/H, that is all that it does.
On the other hand, glycol/water or silica jel beads raise or lower the R/H to what ever level they were set to do.
I think you will find that most knowledgable aficianados use the beads. The glycol/water has been rumoured to adversly affect the cigars condition. YMMV!

Thanks all for the input.

Kechke-

Good insight on the drawers, I didn't think about that or how they'd be useless. I think setting up a wine cooler as a humidor may be biting off a bit more than I can chew right now...I wouldn't know how to do that. I'm not so much concerned with the price of the humidor right now as much as the space...with that in mind do you have a desktop 100-300 ct humidor you could recommend?

Bo-

I remember those...I have something similar, just in a test tube.

jmoore-

That's always an option...with the price of rent in the DC area I should be able to house myself in a pretty plush humidor!

Welcome to your new hobby/obsession! Always glad to have another one.

Two quick things: if you're still uncertain about the longevity of your cigar hobby, you can always use a Tupperware container. THey make for excellent humidors, so long as you remember to open them up a few times a week for a few minutes just to circulate the air.

For humidification, you may want to try the Boveda packs. Throw them in your humidor and forget them until they dry out. They're not only wonderfully reliable and accurate, but they're also zero maintenance.

Your new and we have all been where you are now . So how serious are you? Do you want to try MANY different brands on a regular basis?
If yes then don't buy the 75 ct humi. I would recommend the Medici by the same company, Tampahumidor. http://tampahumidor.com/sd4/product/medici-2430.cfm
I bought the same one and have had it for over 2 years now with absolutely zero problems.
Its in the same price range as your initial pick and will give you so much more precious space. Its a trunk** so you can place it on the floor out of sight and it won't take up a lot of square footage. Buy the Cigar Oasis XL for $80.00. The green sponge bulls**t gets old and is more erratic with providing consistent humidification. You can set the Oasis to the exact RH you want which is a huge plus especially when you have so much money sitting in one place.
Now if you have the space available at home and the money by all means get a cabinet. Always go bigger.. everyone concurs with this observation from experience.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pharmdudeoh,

I'm actually looking at the 400ct humidor Pharm mentioned. If you want it cheaper and is adventuresome, go to EBay. I never bought a humidor from EBay, so I can't vouch for any vendors. A lot of people here won't go that route, but I think it's fine. You can find the exact one as Pharm mentioned and a really cheap one with about the same dimensions. Not sure about the latter since it is way too cheap of a price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/400-ct-Walnut-CIGAR-HUMIDOR-PERFECT...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/400-ct-WALNUT-CIGAR-HUMIDOR-PERFECT...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

To piggy-back Pharm and BO, Elaw suggested the same one to me and I recently ordered it and LOVE IT! It is the same price at Tampa as it is at cheap humidors but you can us the "make an offer" feature at cheap humidors and hopefully get it for a bit less than asking price.

http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Scr...DORS&Product_Count=3

thanks for all the replies.

I'm still undecided as far as what humidor I want, but I'm definitely going to take everyone's recommendation and get something bigger than I originally planned. I'll base the beads vs. oasis decision on the size of the humidor I end up with.

Pharm-

How serious? Well, I've been smoking cigars for a few months now. Initially I thought I'd just do it when I went to cigar bars with my buddies but then I realized that I don't want to drive somewhere just to smoke a cigar. How serious am I? Let's just say I'm not "replace all my furniture with humidors" serious yet, but I've definitely decided to accept this as a long term hobby.

Bo-

I had a really bad experience with ebay/paypal. Don't know if you remember but about a year ago someone hacked into the paypal records and stole a bunch of personal info...I was one of the lucky few...someone racked up A LOT of money my credit cards and even tried to take money out of my bank account (actually succeeded, but my bank caught it right away). Ever since then I've steered clear of ebay/paypal.

x2 for www.cheaphumidors.com. Check out the imperfects section. I bought one and can't find the imperfect at all and they are much cheaper.

Imperfects