If your cigars aren’t properly stored, you could ruin your cigars and essentially flush your money down the toilet. While many people would be fine with a simple humidor or a tupperdor, many cigar lovers are turning to cigar coolers (fridgadors), including me. When you look at the cost and ability, it’s a no-brainer.
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Why I Use a Cigar Cooler
I had my breakthrough realization that I needed a cigar cooler after my wife and young son were sick. My wife kept the thermostat at 76F to help fight their colds. I didn’t even think about what that would do to my cigars. After a week at the temperature, the cigars felt a little hard to me. I had about 150 cigars at that time, so I had to make sure they wouldn’t get ruined. I ordered a cigar cooler, and it solved so many problems.
First of all, it handled the temperature problem. My cigars typically start around 70F.
Second, it keeps the humidity at the right level. The door closes airtight, and unlike my glass-top humidor, I haven’t noticed the glass being an issue with keeping the humidity. I think moisture escapes my glass-top humidor where the glass meets the wood. So, I get to display my cigars while keeping them stored properly at the desired relative humidity.
The final problem my fridgador solved is the amount of cigar storage I had. I was using a glass-top humidor that held about 50 cigars and a tupperdor that stored about 100 cigars, so I was limited to about 150 cigars. My new fridgador stores up to 300 cigars. A 300-cigar humidor would easily cost over $200, so making the jump to a cigar cooler is an easy choice.
The only problem I have now is that it’s full. Buying a larger humidor is like moving into a bigger house. The more storage space you have, the more stuff you’ll have. The bigger your humidor, the more cigars you’ll acquire. It’s so easy to store your cigars in these cigar coolers. They are large enough to put full cigar boxes inside. In mine, I have a box of cigars, 12 cellophane wrapped five packs, and loose, unwrapped cigars.
There are many articles about making your own fridgador from a wine refrigerator, but I highly recommend against that. It’s important to realize that those articles came out before companies starting manufacturing cigar coolers. A lot has changed. One main reason not to make your own is that wine coolers are typically more expensive than cigar coolers. Also, cigar coolers come with Spanish cedar shelves, which helps maintain the humidity in the humidor, and built-in grooves to change the location of the shelves. It’s not worth the headache of building your own shelves.
Top 3 Recommended Cigar Coolers
#1 Cigar Cooler: 300-Cigar Capacity Electric Cooler Humidor
MSRP: $319.99. Save with the link above.
Highlights
- Holds up to 300 cigars
- Cooling
- Built-in analog hygrometer
- All black design
- 3 Spanish cedar shelves
- Removable Spanish cedar drawer
- Fan-forced circulation for even humidity and temperature distribution throughout the cabinet
- Dimensions: 13.2”W x 20”D x 25.4”H
#2 Cigar Cooler: Schmécké 400 Cigar Cooler Humidor
MSRP: $499.99. Save with the link above.
Highlights
- Holds up to 400 cigars
- Cooling & heating
- Built-in digital hygrometer
- Stainless steel trim
- 4 Spanish cedar shelves
- Removable Spanish cedar drawer
- Fan-forced circulation for even humidity and temperature distribution throughout the cabinet
- Dimensions:
#3 Cigar Cooler: 250-Cigar Capacity Whynter Cigar Humidor
MSRP: $349.00. Save with the link above.
Highlights
- Holds up to 250 cigars
- Cooling
- Built-in Analog Hygrometer
- Stainless steel design
- 2 Spanish cedar shelves
- Removable Spanish cedar drawer
- Fan-forced circulation for even humidity and temperature distribution throughout the cabinet
- Dimensions: 17.5″W x 23.5″D x 24″H
Cigar Cooler Comparison Table of Features and Pricing
Electric Cooler Humidor
Best Overall-
Up to 300 cigars
-
Cooling
-
Heating
-
Circulating Fan
-
All black design
-
3 Spanish cedar shelves
-
Spanish cedar tray
-
Digital thermometer
-
Analog Hygrometer
Schmécké Cooler Humidor
Holds the Most-
Up to 400 cigars
-
Cooling
-
Heating
-
Circulating Fan
-
Stainless steel trim
-
4 Spanish cedar shelves
-
Spanish cedar tray
-
Digital thermometer
-
Digital Hygrometer
Whynter Cigar Humidor
Popular Brand-
Up to 250 cigars
-
Cooling
-
Heating
-
Circulating Fan
-
Stainless steel trim
-
2 Spanish cedar shelves
-
Spanish cedar tray
-
Digital thermometer
-
Analog Hygrometer
Suggested Add-Ons for Your Cigar Cooler
Boveda 2-Way Humidity Control
I would recommend using Boveda humidity packs. These are great because they work to maintain humidity by releasing and absorbing moisture to maintain the humidity level stated on the pack. Most cigar smokers recommend 69% RH Boveda packs. The instructions that come along with your cigar cooler might recommend using distilled water, but for me that doesn’t provide the level of humidity control I want for my cigars. After shelling out thousands on cigars, and a few hundred on a cigar cooler, I’ll gladly spend $50 on Boveda packs that will last me years and keep my cigars in great condition with it’s two way relative humidity control.
I’ve used the jars with propylene glycol and humidity beads in the past, but they haven’t been as precise or reliable as Boveda packs.
Spanish Cedar Cigar Trays
I also recommend these Spanish cedar cigar trays. I have two of them in mine, making it easier to sort and remove the cigars from the cigar cooler. I first ordered them for my homemade tupperdor, but now use them in my cigar cooler. I love them. They are inexpensive but classy.
Digital Hygrometer & Thermometer
Finally, my cigar cooler has an analog hygrometer and digital thermostat. I still put in a small digital hygrometer and thermometer that just sits on a tray with the cigars. It’s a backup to make sure the gauges are correct, and it’s much easier for me to check the humidity level on that than on the dial.
