If you dont want to buy a Humidor and fancy building your own to save a few $$$ then here is how you do it.


This isn't a fancy piece of furniture, it's a functional way to store large quantities of cigars without investing many hundreds of dollars in a expensive, wooden humidor. Commonly referred to as tupperdors, igloodors, and colemandors, these storage devices have been used by many cigar smokers, including myself, to store more cigars than we have room for in our fancy, wooden humidors.

Follow up:

What you'll need:

• Igloo cooler, or any good, brand-name of a size to your liking. The lid should close snugly. A word of advice here... buy the next bigger size than the one you think you need (ask me how I know this) I got a 54 qt one at Costco for $19.00. It'll hold hundreds of cigars. Then I filled it and got another. And another... you get the picture.. :-)

• Florist's oasis. You get this at an arts and crafts shop. There are two kinds, wet which absorbs water and dry which doesn't. You want the wet kind. It costs around $2.00 for more than you'll ever need. Perhaps you can host a little build-a-thon with some friends?

• Propelyne Glycol. Get this from a pharmacist for about $7.00/pt (again, more than you'll ever need). I got mine at Walgreens, but they had to order it. Be sure and talk to the pharmacist. A pharmacy tech or a clerk will usually have no clue what Propelyne Glycol is or how to procure it. Why do you need Propelyne Glycol? The CIGAR SMOKER's FAQ has a great explanation. If you're too busy to muddle through the details, then just take my word here... you need Propelyne Glycol.

• The Radio Shack Model 63-1036 digital thermometer/hygrometer. A bargain at $20.

• A sandwich-sized tupperware container. About $3.00 anywhere.

• Distilled water. Can you use tap? Probably. Your tap water is likely to sontain spores and other microorganisms? Do you want to chance it?

• A drill or some kind of punch to poke a lot of holes in the sandwich-sized tupperware container.

• Some boxes from your cigar shop made from Spanish cedar (not all are... if in doubt, ask). Usually free, though some sell them for a couple bucks each.

How to make:


1.Take the sandwich-sized tupperware container and punch lots and lots of holes in the top and sides (not the bottom and leave a little space along the sides at the bottom whole) using your drill or punch.


2.Cut a piece of the florist's oasis to a size a little smaller than the tupperware container. It should rattle around a little inside when you put the lid on and shake it.


3.Mix about 1/4 cup of Propelyne Glycol and 1/4 cup of water together to make a solution to make 1/2 cup of solution. PG is a food additive, so tell your wife/SO not to worry about spoiling a good bowl.


4.Dampen the cut piece of oasis with the PG. If it doesn't absorb water like a sponge, you bought the wrong kind. Go back and get the wet stuff. Don't soak the oasis, just get it thoroughly damp. It should be wet, but not dripping. It's OK to have a few dry spots, but most of it should be dampened. You might need to make more solution depending on the size of your oasis.


5.Put the oasis in the tupperware container and put the lid on. This is your humidifying device. Over time (months, in most cases), it will dry out and you'll have to add more distilled water. Your hygrometer will tell you when it needs more water (your humidity will start to drop consistently over a period of many consecutive days).


6.Test your hygrometer's accuracy and calibrate, if needed. The calibration directions are a bit long. I refer you to the CIGAR SMOKER's FAQ (which is a great reference for just about anything you want to know about cigars). My hygrometer was off by 8%, so this part's important.


7.If you wanna be really fancy/schmancy you can break up the cigar boxes and use a non-odorous glue to attach then to the sides of your Igloo. I just put the cigars in the wooden boxes. :-)


8.Put your cigars, boxes, tupperware with oasis, and hygrometer in the Igloo and put the lid on. It may take several days to achieve 70% humidity. Be patient and don't freak. It won't hurt your cigars to be a little under-humidified for a few days. Also, if you add a box or two of under-humidified cigars to your humidor, expect the relative humidity to drop for a week or so while things reach equilibrium. Cigars take a while to absorb moisture.
There you go.


Monster humidor for under $50.


Copyright 1996-2005 by Paul M. Moriarty. All rights reserved