Expert: James Yee - 3/20/2008

Question
Hello
I have 2 humidors, 1st one bought in Sept07 and the 2nd Jan08. 1st using a large Rectangular oasis humidifier the 2nd using 4 small Passtore humidifier(1 for each draw) with Crystal.
The cigars in 1st are slightly oily and quite soft with very slight plume.
The cigars in the 2nd are blomming(lots of plume) really well and they have become so oily.
The question is: Is it the humidor or is it the humidifier that will cause such a differance in the way cigars will age or bloom?
And do you think i should change the humidifier in the 1st to crystal as well?

THAK YOU so much for your help!

Answer
Hi Mario,

Both humidors are performing well because they are properly maintained.  To answer your question, it's not one factor over the other that's creating a difference in plume or cigar softness.  Instead, it's a combination of having a good humidor, naturally oily cigars and constantly maintaining them at a good humidity level that creates plume, cigar softness and rich, aged flavours.

Because of varying factors such as the number of cigars that are being stored, the types of cigars being stored, the age of the cigars being stored, the humidor design/layout, the humidor size/dimensions and the types of humidification devices being used, no two humidors will perform EXACTLY the same in terms of cigar aging and plume growth.  However, as long as your cigars are properly maintained in a humidor, they will indeed age quite nicely so there's nothing to worry about.

As for your humidification devices, I would recommend that you switch the first humidor unit to crystals because crystals can maintain proper humidity longer than oasis units, they require less maitenance and are less-susceptible to bacteria growth unlike oasis/foam-core humidifiers.

Hope this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James