Expert: James Yee - 11/28/2008

Question
James,

Thanks for your last answer on the acrylic humidor. In regards to travel
humidors, i know there's a difference between the cedar lined ones and the
foam ones. What are the pros and cons of the foam ones besides the cigars
themselves being safe? On a slight separate note, if I purchased a 50 CT cigar
humidor, are the DryMistat tubes enough to work as humidifiers or should I
use something else?

Thanks in advance
Victor  

Answer
Hi Victor,

Those foam, "strongbox"-type travel humidors are actually great for "rugged travel".  They hold cigars firmly in their recessed slots and the humidor can resist a lot of physical abuse.  Many are waterproof and extremely durable which is why they're quite popular with smokers who travel a lot or do a lot of outdoor activities such as camping, boating or hiking.  These humidors are also quite popular with soldiers who are on duty in other countries where the rugged environment may not be suitable for a stylish travel humidor.  A downside is that they can hold fewer cigars than other travel humidors as the foam liners limit the number of cigars you can store.  Aside from this, there really isn't a big difference between these and a regular travel humidor.

As for the drymistat, they can work extremely well in a desktop humidor and many cigar smokers actually prefer using cellulose polymer-based humidification devices such as drymistat, beads, crystals and gel because they are inexpensive and less susceptible to bacteria.  In addition, these types of humidification devices typically perform longer than foam-based humidication devices, require fewer refills and can obtain ideal humidity levels much easily and longer than other products.

Hopes this helps.  As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James