Expert: James Yee - 9/16/2010

Question
I am purchasing a liquor store and moving it across the street from its present location.  I want to build a cigar humidior room.  Space is not a problem.  What size would you recommend.  What commerical humidity controller would you recommend.  I was thinking about 8x10 or 8x12 room.  tks for any help.  Also, other then visiting other cigar sellers in the area to see what they are selling what would you recommend as an initial purchase for resell.  

Answer
Hi Larry,

The size of the walk-in humidor depends on how many cigar brands you intend to carry.  The non-Cuban cigar market is very large so if you want to stock many non-Cuban brands, a 15x15 room would be ideal.  If you only plan on stocking some brands and select sizes, a 8x12 room would be fine.

Here are some more tips for building a walk-in humidor:

Walls: The walls should be covered with 100% natural, genuine cedar panels.  Be sure to lay a vapor barrier over the wall before you install the cedar panels.  Only use Spanish cedar and not any other type of cedar as the other types of cedar may be too aromatic and can ruin your cigars.  If covering all the walls with Spanish cedar is too expensive, you can forego that and just install 100% Spanish cedar shelving instead.

Flooring: Use non-slip ceramic floor tiles.  Do not use vinyl tiling as the humidity can cause them to lift.

Shelving:  Shelves to display cigars should be at a 40 degree angle and should be made from 100% Spanish cedar.  Be sure that the shelves have slats can that air and humidity can pass through each level.  Extra cigar boxes (stock) can be stored flat so build storage cabinets that you can lock (to prevent theft).

Placement of door(s) and window(s):  The door(s) and window(s) should have large windows so that customers can easily see inside the walk-in humidor (it’s also good for store security).  Because the walk-in humidor will have see-through doors and windows, build the room so that it’s away from the store’s outdoor windows and away from direct sunlight.  Direct sunlight can ruin your cigars.

Lighting: Use recessed “can” (or troffer) lighting and only use LED or Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs.  Lights should also point away from the cigars.  Aim the lights at the walls or ceiling.  Do not use incandescent lightbulbs as they can heat up your cigar room even more.

Temperature & Humidification:  You’ll need to invest in a commercial-grade, humidifier capable of humidifier your entire cigar room.  The humidifier should be automated and allow you to set the desired level.  The ideal humidity level is 70%.  The ideal temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lockers: If you have a lot of cigar customers, you may want to build some humidor lockers for them.  This way your regular customers can simply leave their cigars in your humidor room.  Be sure that the lockers are made entirely out of Spanish cedar and that they have enough slats for air and humidity flow.  If you prefer not to have customers constantly inside your walk-in humidor, you can then build the lockers so that they connect the walk-in humidor to the rest of your store.  The locker interiors can be connected to the walk-in humidor but the locker doors are accessed from outside the walk-in humidor.

Metal fixtures:  Any metal fixtures inside the walk-in humidor (ie: door hinges, locker hinges, doorknobs, etc.) should be made from brass so that they do not rust or tarnish from the humidity.

Overall store space: One thing people often overlook is store space outside of the walk-in humidor.  If you plan on selling humidors and cigar related items, be sure to have ample storefront space.  Cigar lounges have always been good for business so you may want to have an area in the store reserved for your customers to sit and smoke.  A proper forced air ventilation system for the cigar lounge is a must.

Here is a list of popular cigar brands that you may want to stock:

Arturo Fuente
Padron
CAO
Davidoff
Camacho
Oliva

Non-Cuban brands that share the name of their Cuban counterparts are also very popular and sell quickly.  These brands include:

Cohiba
Montecristo
Romeo y Julieta
Trinidad
Hoyo de Monterrey
Partagas

I hope this helps!  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James