Expert: James Yee - 9/15/2009

Question
I have a Xikar 75ct Humidor (using gel beads 50/50 solution and a digital hygrometer)that maintains 76 degrees 73% humidity.  I live in Phoenix, Arizona and for economical reasons we keep our home at 76 degrees during the summer.  There is no place to put my humidor where I would consider a cooler place in the home (no Basement).  What can I do to get the temp down  which I believe will lower the humidity as well?  Is there a product on the market that can regulate the temp in my humidor? Or some thing else you could recommend?

Answer
Hi Terry,

There are a few tricks you can do to keep your humidor cool.  First, use a digital thermometer and try to find the coolest area in your home possible.  When cooling a humidor, even a one or two degree drop in temperature helps.  If possible, store your humidor in that area of your home.  Next, keep your humidor away from windows and natural sunlight as well as indoor lighting that could heat your humidor up.  Incandescent lightbulbs generate lots of heat so switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs if you haven't already.  You should also avoid keeping your humidor near major appliances or devices (ie: TV or computer) can emit heat.  In most homes, the coolest area in the house (besides the basement/cellar) is generally the closets and center of the home (away from the exterior walls) so try to keep your humidor in those places.  If this is not possible, you may want to consider keeping your cigars in an air-conditioned room or outside your home in a more temperature-controlled environment such as a cigar lounge with humidor lockers for their customers.

As an alternative, you may also want to consider investing in a thermo-electric humidor that automatically controls the temperature so that it is more ideal for your cigars.  Vinotemp makes and excellent desktop thermo-electric humidor (http://www.vinotemp.com/View.aspx/3046/Thermoelectric-Humidor) that is perfect for when can't find a naturally cool place to store your cigars.

Hopes 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