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.
- What you'll need:
- Igloo cooler, or any good, brand-name of a size to your
liking. The lid should close snugly.
- 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.
- Propelyne Glycol. Get this from a pharmacist for about
$7.00/pt. ( 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.
- Radio Shack Model 63-855 digital thermometer/hygrometer.
$20-$25 depending on whether it's on sale or not.
- A sandwich-sized tupperware container. About $3.00 anywhere.
- Distilled water (don't use tap).
- 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.
Usually free, though some sell them for a couple bucks each.
How to make:
- 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.
- 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.
- Mix about 1/4 cup of Propelyne Glycol and 1/4 cup of
water together to make a solution (PG is a food additive,
so don't worry about spoiling a good bowl) to make 1/2 cup
of solution.
- 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.
- Put the oasis in the tupperware container and put the
lid on. This is your humidifying device. Over time, 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).
- 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.
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.
- 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.
There you go.
|