The fact that you are even using a humidor says something…you care about the condition of your cigars. The material it’s made from can say even more, such as:
“I won it in a raffle at the cigar event…”
“It came ‘free’ with my $250 box of cigars…”
“It’s a great place for all my stickers…”
“You’re not getting into these bad boys without a retina scan…”
or, hopefully:
“The condition of my cigars matters enough to get what’s best for them.” — and all the more if you include, “plus, I look like the most educated and distinguished aficionado in the lounge.”
Then again, I may be just a little biased. Even so, Spanish Cedar has been the go-to wood selection for cigar humidor construction for many decades now. Its stability in a humid environment combined with its moisture holding capability make it ideal for joinery that needs to be tight enough to seal out other environmental influences. Spanish Cedar’s natural aroma has also come to be recognized as highly complimentary to well-aged tobaccos. Its intrinsic essential oils also help repel most other insects. When properly maintained, well-made Spanish Cedar humidors can last a lifetime.
A point worth considering: if your humidor didn’t cost much more than your cigar — it might outlast your cigar. Chances are that your humidor is worth about what you paid for it. And it can either be a good investment or a cheap marketing device, but either way, it makes a statement about how much you appreciate the cigars you keep in them. Really nice looking humidors with a highly polished lacquer finish can be found for around $20 online, but what are they really made of? More often than not, these boxes are made primarily from medium density fiberboard (MDF), which is the cheapest of cheap building materials. MDF is made from highly compressed cardboard fibers that have been saturated with glue to hold them together. It's stable and makes an inexpensive substrate to stick paper-backed veneers of Spanish Cedar onto for the inside, and then prettier finish veneers on the outside. But the sum total thickness of any wood in the humidor could be less than 1/16". How much moisture do you suppose such a small quantity of real wood could retain?
Could you use other woods for humidors? Yes, but...make sure the inside has enough Spanish Cedar on the inside to actually hold moisture and contribute life to your cigars.
Choose well. Cheers!
—Danny Jackson
