A freestanding humidor is what I need. I have been storing cigars and enjoying cigars for greater than 20 years. Throughout those years I have utilized multiple humidors. So when it came time for me to purchase a freestanding humidor I went through many weeks of research. Read more to find out what I revealed with my research.
My journey begins 20 years ago when I first purchased my first five pack of cigars. I had no way of storing the cigars so they were smoked rather quickly. I ultimately purchased many small humidors that worked very well for a number of years. They worked because I was only purchasing one box of cigars at a time. Therefore, if you are only purchasing a single box of cigars then a small humidor is what you need. Just find a good humidor with a good seal. You can find multiple small humidors through the famous smoke shop. They will deliver straight to your house along with all of the humidification accessories. You can see them here.
The Freestanding Humidor Journey
Now let’s move on to a freestanding humidor. I wanted to purchase multiple boxes of cigars to have at my home to share with friends. Therefore, I realized that I would need a freestanding humidor to accommodate the multiple boxes of cigars. Looking through my Google research history I went to many websites. Ultimately I chose First Class Humidors. They have large humidors at a great price. Also my humidor included a Cigar Oasis Magna. More on the humidification device later.
Purchasing the humidor was relatively easy. I chose The Lemans because it can store at least 7 to 8 boxes of cigars. The customer service was quite excellent. I had to utilize them quite often due to purchasing the humidor during the Covid pandemic. There was a two month delay on the humidor arrival due to the pandemic shipping issues. If you purchased anything during the pandemic you know what I am talking about. After a few months of back and forth with customer service my humidor arrived.
The Lemans
Now let’s move onto the humidor itself. The Lemans humidor is a very pretty cabinet. The color is a cherry finish and it arrives without a flaw. The delivery driver brought the humidor directly into my garage. I had to move it up a flight of stairs to my cigar room though. It took myself as well as my friend Bill and son Matthew to carry the humidor. The humidor is heavy and it did require all three of us to maneuver the box appropriately. In addition, the box is very big and sturdy. My friend Bill told me you could make a good fort out of the box if you had a small kid. However, I ultimately had to tear the box down and put it with the recycles.
The inside of the cabinet is lined with cedar. The trays that go in the cabinet are quite beautiful and are flawless. In addition to the cigar oasis magna there were approximately 15 humidification devices that you store in the hidden drawers within the humidor. Therefore, I put propylene glycol in the humidification devices and filled the Cigar Oasis Magna with distilled water per the manufacturers directions. This allows the humidor to maintain a perfect 72% humidity.
The upper trays of the humidor or on a slight angulation so the boxes of cigars are displayed beautifully. Conversely, the bottom trays of the humidor are flat and it allows you to store loose cigars of varying sizes on the bottom trays. I utilize these trays to put random selection of cigars that I have accumulated over the years. Thus allowing me to separate the cigars in specific areas. As you can tell by the picture above.
Accessory Lighting
Once all of the cigars were placed in the humidor and the Cigar Oasis was set to the right humidity I decided to add lights to this freestanding humidor. I wasn’t for sure where to get the lights. So I did an Amazon search and found these beautiful LED lights that do not give off any heat. There is a remote control and a dimmer switch so you can put the lights at varying degrees of brightness. However, there are cords that attach each light to the next light. Therefore, I had to strategically place the cords within the humidor behind the boxes so they are not visible. Hiding the cords was also done by utilizing some gorilla tape and taping the cords to the back of the humidor lining. The cigar boxes cover the cords nicely.
Cigar Oasis Magna Humidification
There are many options to humidify your freestanding humidor. With the purchase of my humidor I received a Cigar Oasis Magna. This device is a one stop machine to humidify your entire cabinet. It is connected to a power source and there is a Wi-Fi thermostat that can easily be installed in your cabinet. So you can Monitor the temperature and the humidification. You only need to put in distilled water to let this thing work properly. In addition there are little beads in the bottom of the tray that have to be replaced once a year. In addition, I put in the humidification devices in the hidden drawers with propylene glycol which allows for proper humidification. You can read more about this on my previous post on how to store cigars in a humidor by clicking here.
Freestanding Humidor - Summary
As you look at the final picture of the humidor one can tell that this is a beautiful addition to any cigar room. There have been many days of looking at the humidor lit up while enjoying my cigar. It makes me realize what a Beautiful addition this is to my room. So if you are looking to purchase a freestanding humidor I would recommend The Lemans. This will hold many boxes of cigars and keep them humidified. Furthermore, I would definitely add a lighting device inside the humidor cabinet for ambience. Finally, I recommend the Cigar Oasis Magna as it is relatively easy to humidify your cabinet and it comes with a Wi-Fi thermostat. Allowing you to monitor your humidification and temperature from your smart phone.
All the Best,
Dr. B