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We set out to find the most beautifully crafted, top-performing humidifiers on the market. During our search, we looked at every detail of these climate-controlled cigar boxes, including their aesthetic elements and humidifying parts. After rigorously testing several humidors, we’ve narrowed down our selections to five premium products. These specialty storage containers maintained optimal humidity levels over extended periods. Our cigars tasted exquisite after a stay in these cedar boxes. Read along to discover what each of our picks has to offer. Then, stick around to review our comprehensive buying guide and find out what we chose as our number-one pick.

Mantello Royale Glass-Top Cigar Humidor – Editor’s Choice

The Mantello Royale Humidor is made from premium Spanish cedar. This roomy box has a sophisticated rosewood finish and wood-toned scratch-resistant felt liner.

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Accessories include a gold-framed hygrometer, a removable cedar divider, and a tempered glass top. A secure seal ensures that the box maintains 70% humidity at all times. The manufacturer recommends that you activate the humidor with a 50/50 mixture of polypropylene glycol and distilled water. Depending on the ring gauge of your cigars, you may be able to fit anywhere from 25 to 50 stogies in the Mantello Royale. Your cigars will thrive in Royale’s passive climate control.

Case Elegance Spanish Cedar Cigar Humidor – Best Magnetically Sealed Humidor

The Case Elegance humidor is another charming Spanish cedar box with lots of built-in accessories. This box has an uninterrupted rosewood exterior. The lid is held in place with the help of a powerful magnetic seal system.

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The humidor’s hygrometer and humidifier are located under the cover. You will need to season the box before filling it with your preferred cigars. The Case Elegance humidor can hold as many as 25 cigars, depending on the stogies’ ring gauges. This personal-sized humidor is an excellent choice for a small collection of smokes. You’ll relish the opportunity to present this humidor to your friends.

Amancy Glass-Top Cigar Humidor – Best Leather-Wrapped Humidor

Amancy’s cigar humidor has an undeniable unscale appearance. The top features a tempered glass panel. You can peep through the glass to get a read of your humidor’s relative humidity. Meanwhile, the kiln-dried cedar box is encased in rich brown leather.

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The interior of the box is overlaid with scratch-resistant cedar-toned felt. This climate-controlled box can hold anywhere from 25 to 50 cigars.

The box is equipped with a passive humidifier, a removable cedar divider, and a plastic dropper. Users found it easy to season the Amancy humidor. An onboard hygrometer adds to the box’s style and convenience.

Mantello Large Glass-Top Cigar Humidor – Best High-Capacity Cigar Humidor

If your cigar collection is very large, you might enjoy the roomy storage space offered by the Mantello Humidor. This impressive Spanish cedar box is 13.5 inches long, 9.4 inches wide, and 6.3 inches tall.

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It has a removable cedar tray as well as a cedar divider. The box and tray are covered in scratch-resistant cedar-colored felt. The cover of the box contains a tempered glass window for monitoring sessions. You can secure the contents of the box with the help of the built-in brass lock and key. There is a lovely brass humidity gauge on the front of the humidor. Stash your favorite stogies without risking their destruction. Your smokes will burn slower and produce more flavor.

Mantello Glass-Top Cigar Humidor – Best Desktop Humidor

Mantello also makes a phenomenal desktop humidor. This Spanish cedar box also has a large tempered glass top panel for easy viewing. The rosewood finish provides the box with an elegant presentation. A removal cedar tray offers two-tier storage.

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In total, this box can fit anywhere from 25 to 50 cigars. A scratch-resistant felt liner and secure closures ensure that your cigars are always protected. The box also features cedar dividers. As such, you can easily separate flavors to make the most of each smoking experience. An exterior hygrometer makes readings easy adjustments.

How to Choose a Cigar Humidor

Aesthetics

While a humidor’s only purpose is to provide a space that offers optimal cigar humidity, aesthetics play a huge part in most buyers’ purchases. Most desktop humidors are made to look sophisticated and refined. They tend to boast smooth wooden or leather exteriors. Sometimes they are embellished with analog hygrometers and tempered glass windows. Attractive humidors make excellent desk accessories. They’re also better for sharing. If you’re going to offer your friend or colleague a stogie, why not do it in style?

Size

You must choose a humidor that can hold your entire cigar collection. Most desktop humidors can hold anywhere from 25 to 100 cigars. Of course, a humidor’s maximum capacity is going to fluctuate depending on the ring gauge your cigars. If your humidor does not have a built-in humidifier, you’ll also need to consider the size of the device you will be using. Keep in mind that you want to keep your humidor relatively well-stocked but never overstuffed. It’s easier to maintain precise humidity when conditions are not constantly changing.

Materials

Spanish cedar our top choice when it comes to humidor materials. Spanish cedar is very absorbent. What’s more, it smells great! American red cedar is a more wallet-friendly alternative. It does an equally good job of toning down moisture.

Seal

A secure seal is an integral part of any desktop humidor. You can test a humidor’s seal by placing a flashlight inside the box and closing it. If light peaks through the cracks, then moisture can too. Most manufacturers use wax to ensure that the lid and base line up perfectly.

Humidifier

Some humidors have built-in humidifiers. These tiny elements help to preserve optimal humidity. Still, many cigar aficionados prefer the reliability of aftermarket humidifying agents. Ensure that your humidifier doesn’t infringe upon your humidor’s capacity.

Hygrometer

Most desktop humidors have built-in analog hygrometers. Hygrometers help collectors track the relative humidity inside their humidor. Analog hygrometers contain a pair of mercury thermometers. A 70% humidity reading is optimal. You must have a way of tracking the humidity inside your cigar humidifier, as changes in moisture and temperature can impact the levels.

How to Set up a humidor

The first thing you’re going to need is a humidor. Next thing you’re going to need? Either distilled water or propylene glycol. This is the stuff that’s going to keep your cigars fresh inside the humidor. The only difference between propylene glycol and the distilled water, this has alcohol in it, dissolves a little bit slower, but honestly, any will do. Don’t use tap water. That’s how you get mold. This is the device that actually holds in the moisture from either your solution or your distilled water.

Hydrometer installation

Your next part? Hydrometer. Don’t know what it is? Counts on the compass. The hydrometer, that’s what’s going to tell you your humidity reading inside the humidor, your cigars are very, very finicky. They need to be at a certain humidity level. You’re looking for between 68% and 72%. You want to keep it at 70. That’s going to be your perfect. So with hydrometers, you have two kinds, analog and digital. It’s going to be in any humidor set that you buy. It involves salt and a plastic bag. No one has time for that, and why bother? It’s not even going to give you the right reading, probably, so don’t even get it. Digital hydrometers are very good. A little more expensive, but it’s going to be a lot more accurate for you and a lot easier to maintain and to use. A lot of them, they just come with a battery, pull out the tab. The setting is already set for 70% humidity. You take off the sticky back, you want to stick it right there, close and you’re set.

Seasoning in the humidor

The next part is going to be actually seasoning the inside of the box. You want to take either a small glass or some shot glasses. You want to fill them up with either your distilled water or your alcohol solution. What you do is you take those, and you throw them right in the box. If you’re using smaller shot glasses, put one in each corner. Then close that up. Wait for about six hours. When you come back, open it up again. If the water level has gone down in these, you want to add more, fill them back to the top, and close it. Come back. When you’ve been doing this for a while, eventually after about a five, six-hour period, you’re going to see that the water has not gone down anymore. That means that the wood has fully absorbed all the moisture it can. If your humidor comes with dividers, remember to leave the dividers in there. You want them seasoned as well.

Filling a humidifier

So once that is all done, you take this water out and then fill up your humidifier. The humidifier is a central moisture-holding facility in the entire humidor. It comes with plastic beads in it. Plastic beads are going to hold in that moisture really nice. They’re not going to let it go. No chance of bacteria or mold growing in here. So you want to take your humidifier. Take either your solution or your distilled water, crack it open. You want to throw in some drops. Drip it right in through the grates there. Get that all nice. If you’re using one with beads, the beads are going to change color from an almost pure white to a clear, and that means that you’ve got enough moisture in there.

Then you want to make sure you have no drippage. Use a paper towel. You want to dry it off. And then you want to give it a good shake. Make sure all that moisture that could leak outcomes out dry as a bone. Again, it’s going to have a sticky. You want to crack open your humidor, preferably right by the hydrometer.

Adding in the cigars

First, open up your humidor. You want to keep your humidor at least three quarters filled. So if you have a hundred cigar humidor, don’t buy five cigars and keep them in there. They’re calibrated, and they’re built to be 50 mostly 75% filled. So lay them in there. Again, this is going to depend on the size of your humidor and the size of the cigars you’re smoking, whether or not how they’re all going to fit. You might have to do a little geometric rearranging. Make sure there’s no moisture dripping on your cigars.

If the moisture gets on the cigar leaf, it’s going to ruin it. You can’t smoke it, and that’s a waste. So close it. Then you want to make sure that seal is down. The seal is the final chapter in making sure your humidor is going to work. Without a good seal, that moisture is going to leak out, and your cigars are going to be garbage. So make sure that that seal works. Make sure the hinges all work. Set them in there. Wait a little bit. You should come back in a few hours. That reading on the hydrometer should be up to about 65, 66 at that point. Have a smoke. Close it again. After about a day, that should read in the 68 to 72 range. Again, depending on the weather, depending on where you’re keeping your humidor in your house. Then close it up.

FAQ Cigar Humidors

How to use a cigar humidor properly?

Both modern humidifiers should be re-humidified when they are first used. Apply these simple measures to break in your humidor:

• Put a shot glass with a special humidification solution/distilled water in the humidor’s bottom;
• Charge the humidifier. Then put it back inside the device;
• Calibrate the hygrometer. Then put it inside the humidor;
• Close the device’s lid;
• Use the hygrometer to check RH (relative humidity). When it reaches the range of 65%, it means the wood is stabilized;

Keep in mind that the humidor’s interior should not be cleaned with water. Otherwise, you will ruin the wood. 

Prevent storing foreign items such as lighters, cutting tools within the cigar storage part of your humidor.

How to season a cigar humidor properly?

To prevent a humidor from drying out your cigars, risks of mold growth and other unpleasant issues, you should learn how to season your device before putting the expensive stogies inside. 

You will need to prepare a few things:

• Any 84% humidity bags (on average you should take three 60g bags for the humidors that can keep no more than 250 cigars at the same time. If you have a humidor with a larger capacity, then take six bags). Most experts recommend using Boveda humidity packs;
• A calibration kit to set up the hygrometer;
• A clean sponge;
• Distilled/deionized water;

Analog humidor hygrometers are more popular, but digital hygrometers are more reliable. Even though hygrometers are measured until they exit the plant, it’s still a smart idea to evaluate them on their own, just make sure to have reliable readings. You’ll need table salt, purified water, a bottle cap, and a plastic bag – a testing package to calibrate your hygrometer. If you have an analog hygrometer, you may still require a screwdriver.

When a teaspoon of salt is combined with a tiny volume of water, it emits precisely 75% moisture. Cover the cap of the container with salt. It can hold about one tablespoon, but if you want to be accurate, you should weigh it with a teaspoon. When it is complete, apply a few drops of water before the salt has a cake-like consistency. If the salt starts to melt, you’ve applied too many. Clean the bottle cap and begin anew.

When the salt and water have been combined, place the bottle cap and the hygrometer in the plastic bag, lock it and wait 8-12 hours for the moisture to build up within the plastic bag. Test the hygrometer after 8-12 hours. It’s expected to read 75%. If not, change the parameters.

After finishing the hygrometer calibration, you may start seasoning a humidor: 

• Pick the sponge, put it in a bowl and rinse with distilled water or propylene glycol fluid. Made sure that the sponge is fully soaked;
• Then wring it out and put it on top of the plastic bag in the cigar humidor. The bag will ensure that the water in the sponge does not deplete the wood. Just wring out enough water to keep the sponge from leaking as you place it in the humidor. The sponge is going to be your main seasoning agent, so you want it to be really warm;
• Then take the humidifier, put it in a bowl and soak with purified water or propylene glycol. When it is fully saturated, take it out and put it down flat on some paper towels for 30 minutes to remove the excess water to keep it from leaking within the humidifier;
• Put the cigar humidifier and the hygrometer in the device. Once they’re safe, shut the door and wait for 48 hrs. If your humidor comes with some wooden trays or dividers, make sure to position them inside so that they are seasoned too;

If the humidifier has been seasoned, it can secure your cigars securely as long as you periodically refill the humidifier and hold the lid shut. The moisture inside prevents the wood from drying out and keeps the cigars in place for several years.

How long should you keep a cigar in a humidor?

On average, the manufacturers recommend keeping cigars in a humidor within 3 months. Since cigars grow a more sophisticated and balanced taste during the aging period, cigar smokers should place cigars in a cigar humidor for at least 3 months until they can allow their first smoke. Few people prefer to hold the cellophane wrap on stogies while storing them, although this is a little counterproductive.

What should a cigar humidor be set at?

Most experts and humidor manufacturers recommend sticking to “the 70/70 rule of thumb”. It means setting a cigar humidor at 70% relative humidity (RH) and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If you use 84% Boveda humidity packs in a large cigar humidor, then you should replace a pack for every set of 25 stogies. 

Is it possible to use deionized water in a humidor?

According to numerous reviews and user feedback, deionized water could be a perfect pick for any humidor. Most experts claim that distilled water is still slightly acidic and that it is why you should take only deionized water. However, there is an opinion that deionized water may remove uncharged organic molecules, bacteria and viruses trapped in the resin of the stogies. And the taste of such cigars may differ. 

Generally, it is better to stick to the humidor manufacturer’s recommendations. Most brands advise using distilled water only. 

How should you keep your humidor to 70F?

It is essential to keep your humidor temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. There are a few ways to keep such a temperature level consistent:

• Put a humidor device in a place where UV rays can reach it directly;
• Keep the device away from HVAC systems and near the vents. Your purpose is to prevent any temperature fluctuations nearby a humidor with the cigars inside;
• Consider putting a humidor in your basement if you live in a warm climate. Such basements have a cooler temperature range during a whole year;
• Ice packs may help if you need to store cigars in a humidor in extreme heat. Just cover the device with a dry towel and put an ice pack on the top of it;
• Invest in a humidor that may survive through any temperature changes;

What happens to a cigar not put in a humidor?

Well, it is quite simple. A cigar may last 2-3 days without a humidor, if you place it in a ziplock bag, then it starts drying out. In a matter of days, it simply becomes useless. You won’t be able to smoke it. A ziplock bag can become a temporary solution but never place a fresh cigar in a fridge/freezer – such a stogie quickly becomes unsmokable. 

Video Tutorial: How to store your cigars?

Final Thoughts

After looking at a seemingly endless array of cigar humidors, we’re happy to name the Mantello Royale Glass-Top Cigar Humidor as our top pick. This large cedar box has a sophisticated rosewood finish, a brass hygrometer, % humidity over extended periods. The Mantello Royale is the ideal home for your most beloved stogies.