My humidor is at least a decade old, can only hold about 10 cigars and has an analogue humidity gauge that sticks, with Velcro, to the inside of the lid.
It also has a small, round, sponge-based humidifier that goes next to the humidity gauge. I used it once because, when I closed the lid, the water would drip on the cigars and have, since then, only used Boveda humidity packs.
In reality I never know whether my cigars are being kept at the right humidity, and as a result I don’t keep many cigars at home. It does help that the cigar spot is 10 minutes from my home, but it also means I can’t collect many cigars.
Sometimes a cigar comes into its own after being left in a humidor for a few months. I’ve had a few very good cigars start to peel and flake because I kept them for too long in a humidor I am constantly opening and closing, rendering them, sadly, unsmokable.
Lately I have been toying with the idea of getting a new humidor, particularly an electronic one that will make it easier to manage the humidity. One humidor manufacturer I have been looking at is Case Elegance, which makes humidors of different capacities, including their Klaro brand and the larger “Fridgador” cabinets under the Airo brand.
The biggest Airo Fridgador is 288l and can hold up to 1,700 cigars with digital controls, internal LED lighting and a digital number lock to keep your cigars away from wandering hands. Temperature and humidity are controlled with “a modern active humidity control system”. There is also a 248l Fridgador which holds up to 1,400 cigars and an 88l one which holds up to 450 cigars.
If, as in my case, space is an issue, there is also the Klaro Luca humidor cabinet and the Renzo glass top humidor, among others. The Luca has a thick Spanish cedar inlay, a hydro system humidifier with hydro tray, three removable drawers, 180º hinges and a drawer for all your cigar tools. Its capacity is determined by the length and ring gauges of your cigars. For example, it can hold up to 150 petit coronas or up to 75 Toros with a gauge of 60.
The Renzo, also made with a generous amount of Spanish cedar, has a glass top, accessory drawer and magnetic enclosure. According to Case Elegance, capacity is up to 68 Petite Corona and up to 18 Toro, with 60” ring gauge. The humidors come with a digital hygrometer on the front that shows humidity and temperature.
Case Elegance has also developed the Klaro Valet, which comes with a Klaro wi-fi bridge and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) hygrometer. How it works is you replace the existing hygrometer with the BLE one, plug the bridge into power and place it close to the humidor.
With their app you can monitor the humidity and temperature of your humidor from anywhere as long as you are connected, ensuring that at all times your cigars are kept in the ideal environment. The Valet’s hygrometer also comes in different finishes to go with your specific Klaro humidor, such as Chrome (Renzo and Kingston), Gunmetal (Luca Brown, Military Green, Military Black and Kobi) and Gold (Luca Black and Belmont).
It can also be used in non-Klaro humidors by placing the BLE hygrometer in the humidor itself but their disclaimer is that “you will receive notifications that are more generic and less tailored to your specific humidor”. You will, however, be able to get humidity and temperature readings and access the cigar catalogue, which is a feature that enables you to catalogue the cigars you have in your humidor.
The one thing you can’t do with the Valet is control the humidity set point because it isn’t linked to the humidification system. If this is an important feature for you, Cigar Oasis humidifiers (above a certain level) do allow you to adjust this and have an alert system if humidity and temperature go above or below a specified threshold.
For my medium-term needs, a Klaro Luca Black with the Valet would do nicely. I am curious about what you are looking for in a humidor. As with most things cigar, there are countless options out there.
Wanted
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