The Best Desktop Humidors for Serious Smokers
Cigars have become a private indulgence. Here’s how to keep yours within reach.
As more places nix indoor smoking around the country, cigars are becoming a private luxury. It’s no wonder that more guys are picking up a desktop humidor to keep their smokes within arm’s reach. Here are the five best units on the market for guys who want to take care of the stogies without letting them out of their sight.
Whether or not you believe the brand’s claim to having created the first humidor, Davidoff definitely makes some of the best units money can buy. That said, the reason that Gordon Gecko and almost every Wall Street hotshot since has gravitated toward these desktop statement pieces has nothing to do with craftsmanship and everything to do with name recognition. That doesn’t mean they’re not terrific – they are – but that buyers are paying for prestige as well as product. The most modest unit in their portfolio (where prices can reach tens of thousands of dollars) is the Desktop Macassar, a stately humidor with enough room for a handful of thick Cubans. Crack it open at the end of a long day, swivel in your seat, and take in the few of southern Manhattan.
Rather than using the same rare woods as most other companies, Adorini decided to make a humidor that truly belongs in a man cave. The Black Slate Deluxe is slick and effective, featuring one of the best humidification systems on the market. Inside the box, air circulating grooves keep cigars uniformly hydrated, limiting the chance of serious burn issues. If you’re so inclined, you can write directly on the surface with chalk, keeping track of the cigars inside, making notes on humidity, or just drawing while you draw in.
The folks behind the legendary Ashton brand now make the only humidors designed with the Boveda humidification system. A cedar tray in every humidor holds as many Boveda two-way humidity packs as you need; once the idiot-proof, calibrated packets are dry, you just toss and replace. And the units aren’t just practical. The humidors come in a handful of finishes – olive ash burl, santos rosewood, ebony macassar, mahogany – and sizes. If you’re a serious smoker, they’ve got something perfect for you.
Zino Acrylic
It may look like gift packaging for a purchase from the Apple Store, but the Zino Acrylic Humidor is one of the most reasonably priced humidors in the Zino portfolio and one of the best on the market. Acrylic makes for tighter seams, and the non porous material means less humidity is lost and absorbed than with a wooden unit. It’s currently offered in blue and clear models, with prices of $525 and $320 respectively (enterprising buyers might also be able to find a gray “smoke” model, which was recently discontinued). The added benefit? You can tell when you’re running low on smokes without opening and closing the lid, so your smokes don’t dry out.
Diamond Crown Washington
We like to think that after Washington chopped down that cherry tree, he did something with the wood. If not, he should have taken a cue from Diamond Crown, who use cherry wood to beautiful effect in their American series. The attractive hardwood body hides Spanish cedar interiors and a simple humidity system: An easy-to-see water line let’s users know when its time for a refill. There’s no need for sponges or sachets thanks to this honest America workmanship. It’s designed with a simple to use humidity system. The added benefit to the design of this piece is that an easy-to-see water line tells you when it’s time to refill, without touch-testing sponges or shaking a jar full of science-fiction ready crystals, so you can rely on your smokes to be just fine when you return from crossing the Delaware.
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