Are Electric Humidors Worth It?
An electric cigar cooler humidor could be one of the best investments along your cigar smoking journey.
The primary reason why aficionados choose an electric humidor is due to the internal automatic temperature and humidity control. You can rest assured knowing that your humidor is at the correct humidity level without ongoing maintenance.
What’s more, a cigar cooler humidor can make it easier to maintain a proper temperature in climates that aren’t ideal for cigars. You never have to worry about these small changes, as the electric humidor essentially does all the work.
Although a cigar cooler can be more expensive than traditional Spanish cedar desktop humidors, you’ll have additional protection for your prized assets – your premium cigars.
Primary Benefits of Electric Humidors
Above, I mention that the automatic temperature and humidity control is the primary benefit of electric humidors.
You essentially never have to worry about your cigars going off if you’re using one. However, there are a few added benefits of storing your cigars in an electric cigar humidor.
Unlike traditional humidors made solely from Spanish cedar, an electronic cigar humidor offers a reliable seal that works like a refrigerator. As a result, a cigar cooler offers even more protection against tobacco beetles and other harmful compounds.
Finally, an electronic cigar humidor that’s lined with Spanish cedar wood shelves adds to the classic style of preserving stogies.
Electric Humidor Disadvantages
Like most things in life, electric humidors come with their own flaws.
Although they do an excellent job of retaining optimal temperature and humidity levels for your stogies, there are a few issues you should be aware about.
Most of the problems come with the electronic humidifier inside the cigar cooler. If the manufacturer isn’t reputable, the hardware might be cheap and could eventually break.
This would be a bad situation for your cigar collection, as it would likely dry out quickly. That’s why it’s incredibly important that you choose your cigar cooler from a reliable supplier.
Another known problem with electric cigar coolers is the lighting. If you weren’t already aware, stogies can be quite sensitive to light. Cigars can be affected if they are exposed to too much light, especially UV light. As a result, you should never put your cigar cooler near a window.
Furthermore, the best electric humidor will cost you significantly more cash than a high-quality wooden humidor. While they are a greater investment, the benefits tend to always outweigh the pitfalls.
How To Choose the Right Electronic Humidor
Here’s a quick guide on how to choose the best electric humidor for your cigar collection.
1. Find One That Contains Spanish Cedar
If possible, always opt for a cigar cooler that contains Spanish cedar wood on its shelves. Having the cedar wood inside the humidor will make sure that your cigars are always in optimal conditions.
2. Don’t Skimp on Quality
It goes without saying that you don’t want to cut corners when it comes to keeping your cigars fresh.
hat’s why you should always focus on quality whenever choosing a new humidor. While it might cost you more money upfront, you’ll save time and frustration by choosing a high-quality electronic humidor.
3. Make Sure It Has a Digital Hygrometer
Humidors that use a digital hygrometer are much easier to manage. It’s a lot more straightforward to monitor and control the internal humidity. Moreover, digital hygrometers are far more accurate than your standard glass hygrometer.
4. Go Big or Go Home
One major problem cigar smokers end up with is not enough storage for their cigars.
It can be difficult to see how much space you’ll need when you’re just starting to grow your collection. To avoid this, it’s always best to get a humidor that’s large enough to account for future cigars.
Luckily, most of the electronic humidors above have a dependable storage capacity for just about any kind of aficionado.
FAQs
Are electronic humidors better?
Many cigar smokers will tell you that electronic humidors are better than traditional wood or tempered glass humidors.
That’s because these containers are extremely reliable and easy to manage. What’s more, they have stronger seals that ensure that nothing gets inside that’s not supposed to be there.
That said, you may find some stubborn cigar smokers ranting about how electronic humidors take the fun out of maintaining a cigar collection.
What they mean is you don’t have to be as proactive about monitoring the temperature and humidity. With that in mind, you still need to be attentive to your cigars, even if you’re using an electronic humidor.
Do electric humidors control humidity?
Most reliable electronic humidors come with automatic humidity and temperature control.
What this means is you can easily alter the humidity or temperature inside your humidor, usually remotely from your external device.
Meanwhile, the sensors will trigger a fan that will either raise or lower the temperature inside. As a result, the humidity levels will remain optimal for your cigars to remain fresh and age properly.
Do electric humidors need water?
Like regular humidors, electronic coolers need water in order to work properly.
You’ll need to fill the humidification device with distilled water occasionally so that it can fill the humidor with enough moisture to protect your cigars.
Be sure to only use distilled water, since it doesn’t contain any harmful compounds or bacteria that will encourage mold growth. Moreover, distilled water doesn’t contain minerals that are attractive for tobacco beetles.
You can also opt for a PG solution if you want an easier way to add moisture to your humidor.
What is a wineador?
A wineador is essentially a wine cooler that’s been modified to work as a cigar humidor.
The primary benefit of a wineador is that it usually has a larger storage capacity than a cigar humidor for less money. They also come with easy temperature control, which makes storing your cigars a lot easier.
Verdict
Given that there are so many reliable electronic cigar humidors, it was challenging to pick the best of the best.
After careful consideration, the best electric cigar humidor would have to be the Whynter CHC – 122BD.
Not only does it provide everything you need to keep your stogies fresh, but it also has an amazing aesthetic.
Needless to say, all of the electric humidors mentioned above are worth checking out if you’re looking for a more efficient way to store your cigars.