Death of the wooden humi

It died for me awhile ago, and now I just use a cooler. I love large cabinets, but the affordable ones have build quality issues, IMO. It's hard to maintain a consistent RH in all areas of the cabinet, and some don't seal very well. An Aristocrat doesn't have these issues, but they are also major $$$$. I can buy a lot of boxes of high end sticks for what a large temp and RH controlled Aristocrat would cost me.

Coolers for me.

[mukky]

Thanks for all the responses guys. It seems to be a mix of feelings on here, but the spanish cedar market still seems to be alive and well.

[markem]

Never forget that the goal is to properly store your cigars. Any storage meeting this requirement is proper storage.

That said, there is a culture of implied sophistication or elegance around the traditional wood humidor lined with cedar. Certainly, if one wishes to have a show piece, a wood humidor comes first to mind.

I have 3 vinotemps, 2 coleman coolers and will soon have a 100+ box Aristocrat. All work quite well for what they are and have their place in housing my collection. I'll note that I put a lot of cedar in my non-wood storage units to help the buffering and aroma.

As for the death of the wood humidor, I don' think that it will happen any time soon, if for no other reason than aesthetics. The Aristocrat is the first cigar storage that has me remapping the layout of furniture on the main level of the house.

[e-man67]

There is something not right about housing beautiful handmade works of art in a plastic cooler..I vote wood.

[waffle]

Originally Posted by e-man67

There is something not right about housing beautiful handmade works of art in a plastic cooler..I vote wood.

and yet you have that tupperdor for all the "crappy NC" sticks

[d'am]

Originally Posted by markem

Never forget that the goal is to properly store your cigars. Any storage meeting this requirement is proper storage.

That said, there is a culture of implied sophistication or elegance around the traditional wood humidor lined with cedar. Certainly, if one wishes to have a show piece, a wood humidor comes first to mind.

Exactly. Wood evokes sophistication and taste. It's not some toxic plastic goo poured into a mold, cooled, and dumped onto an assembly line. Instead, the natural beauty of trees combined with the labor needed to turn a it into a humidor implies a certain cost. In comparison, a plastic cooler looks "cheap."

The same holds throughout much of the industrialized world. Consider cotton vs. polyester clothes; leather vs. synthetic dress shoes; brick vs. vinyl home exteriors. The list goes on. In the end, natural materials (and their costly manufacturing process) are considered "sophisticated"--even if they're unnecessary or even inferior.

We can argue the merits of synthetic materials, but it won't change the tastes of the public. Who cares if your humidor's chipboard is made from scraps swept off the lumberyard floor? Slap a 1/64" oak laminate on it and you've got instant class. Wood humidors aren't going to disappear, even if they're technically inferior.