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Hey guys! Thanks for letting me in the community. I’m new here so I’m not sure if this topic or question has been asked before. Anyway, I live in a tropical country and it’s hot and humid on the daily, I recently just purchased an elective cigar cooler so I can keep my cigars at the right temperature. My question is, is it okay to pull a cigar out of the wineador and smoke it right away? Or would it ruin the experience, coming from temps like 18C with RH of 65-67 and smoking it right away in temps at 30C and high high humidity? Cheers guys! Enjoying an RyJ Churchill while writing this.

Hi Everyone, Long time reader, first time poster. I'm a British expat living in Singapore and having spent about year getting into cigars through buying singles, I decided to make the decision to get set up with a humidor of my own and buy in bulk to save on the exorbitant cost of cigars in this fine city state. As many of you will know, Singapore is hot and humid. A normal day is 32 degrees C with humidity levels routinely topping 90%. My house has air conditioning, however I'm not there during the working day, and can't leave my aircon running all the time, particularly not when I'm travelling. I therefore decided to get a nice Vintec 50 bottle wine fridge; for my cigars but also for my wife's wine collection. Instead of turning the entire unit into a "wineador" I elected just to take my Siglo 75 capacity humidor and place the whole thing in the fridge. Prior to doing this, I wiped the whole fridge down with water and baking soda to take away any plastic smell. The maximum temperature I can keep the fridge at is about 18.6 degrees C (65.5 F) so, based on reading a number of the threads on this forum, I went for a higher RH reading (around 74-75%) to factor in lower temperatures. I had about 60 sticks in there (combination of H Upmann Connie As, Partagas No.4, and RYJ Dukes) and they were smoking very nicely, if not just ever so slightly on the moist side to the touch; but tasted great. Now without wanting to ignite the RH/AH/temperature relationship debate, as a newbie I started to doubt myself and took out my humidification unit and the cigar box thin cedar sheets I had in there (humidor is already spansih cedar lined) and took the RH down to a reading of 70%. Since I have done this, the cigars have taken on what I can only describe as a slightly acrid but also slightly plastic taste. I read multiple threads on this fantastic forum that address wineador problems, but didn't read of anyone reporting a plastic taste in their sticks. I checked my humidor and seal is in good working order so I'm not sure it could be the smell of the fridge seeping into the sticks. Obviously I'm fairly concerned as to why my cigars suddenly taste bad so I wanted to get some expert views on what the diagnosis might be? Is the problem: I had too low RH for the temperature and therefore the sticks dried out and tasted bitter and/or the lining of the humidor became too dry and gave the sticks a nasty taste? The smell of my fridge is somehow seeping into the humidor? I removed the cedar cigar box sheets My cigars are going through a part of the ageing process where they don't taste as good? (N.B I smoked a partagas and an upmann and both had a funky taste) Any tips would be greatly appreciated. JK

Hola mi amigos! I'm new here. Though I've been reading this forum for well over a year. I must say a general thank you to all the advice given here. If it wasnt for some posts I would have never made it to my second wineador! Just like the warnings, once you start you always go bigger! I'm currently working on seasoning my second wineador. This one is much more complicated. It is compressor run, so I've made modifications to make it a running sealed unit. I currently have my RH to a 68% struggling for the 70-72% I've been striving. Racking my brain and reading, noting is coming to me. So patience and time is what I'm hoping. Just again, a thank you to all the helpful enthusiasts out there. You keep hope alive!

I finally managed to achieve full budget for my cigar tools plan after spending a year and decided to do final check before making a purchase. I am just changed my mind to buy bigger wineador (20 bottle) since it is the best deal I can find in my country at least. Unfortunately, despite of its capacity, it actually has smaller height than most of similar American wineadors like Newair. So, I think I would add total four Spanish Cedar Drawers of 3 drawers and 1 false front drawer at bottom (I could just go with all normal drawers... but it would make me difficult to place a USB fan for circulation so I rejected it). Due to the drawer layout, I might put 2 SensorPush hygrometers (1 for top and other 1 for bottom) like previous 12 bottle wineador concept instead of 3 which is mostly common for large sized wineadors especially 28 bottle ones. Will it destroy my wineador plan (I actually considered put hygrometers to all drawers but I think it is too overkill imo)??? ?

Hey folks. My wineador setup: Cybercool 28 bottle TE. 3-4 pounds of Heartfelt 65% beads. 4 120mm fans down the bottom. 4 120mm fans up the top. The fans run for 15 minutes on, 30 minutes off. Also tried 15 minutes every hour. No matter how often they run - top remains fairly stable. 2 SC shelves & 2 SC drawers by John. About 6 packs of Boveda 65%. Cigar Oasis Plus. Removed foam for Beads. 1 pound of kitty litter up the back of the cooler over the drain hole. The Wine cooler is controlled using an Inkbird, it turns the unit on/off, it also turns the humidifier on/off. It's set to 19°C and 65% RH. The bottom, middle, and upper middle are all in the 60 - 67% range - which is fine. The top, however, is always 70% or more. I'm not a fan of that. I've tried re-arranging beads, hoping dry beads could get the humidity up the top down. Tried putting all beads in 1 drawer. That doesn't work. So I'm at a loss. I did wait 2 days for any beads to reach any sort of equilibrium. I didn't expect instant results - hence I waited. It's only the top level. Everything else is fine for me. I know 70% RH isn't harmful, but I'd like it down to 65%. The beads that aren't dry are fine - they don't need spritzing very often. The shelves/drawers are well prepared. They were wiped down multiple times. I had Boveda seasoning packs with them for well over 4 months. So that's out of the picture. I also had the shelves/drawers sitting for about 2 weeks with nothing, so they're not releasing humidity, either. Basically, the top is too high for my liking. Every other level is fine. At a loss for what to do. Does anyone have any ideas?

This worked out well for me, thought I’d share the results. Step 1: Find an inoperable wine cooler, seal up all the holes/openings on the inside. Makes for a perfectly sealed box. Step 2: Happen upon a slab of Spanish Cedar, mill it into usable dimensions with the help of friends. Step 3: Line the inside and build a shelf. It goes from smelling like a plastic appliance, to smelling absolutely wonderful! I think you know the next step.

Just some brainstorming and bouncing ideas off the more experienced... So I've had the larger Whynter wineador about 8 months or so now and my impression is overall positive. However, it is inefficient at best. I'm in Texas, but the room the wineador is located in is kept ~72 degrees, and the unit struggles to keep the temperature down near the 65-67 degree range I prefer without having to run all the time creating excessive condensation. I'm curious if installing multiple thermoelectric cooling plates throughout the unit with additional fans to circulate the air better would reduce my cooling time, thus reducing the amount of condensation I'm getting. Any thoughts??

I thought this might appeal to those with Winadores. Spanish Ceder - great stuff if you can find it, particularly in Australia. Then you have to have a design in mind in order to purchase the right lengths, thicknesses, etc of timber AND know somebody who can manufacturer the draws / shelves, if you're no good on the tools or just don’t have the equipment. Daily I would curse those curved wine shelves for the space they took up and how they just don’t work with boxes. Then I came across these… Black powder coated, 4mm aluminium sheet with 25% voids on a 45 deg off-set pattern…..yeah. Actually I got a metal fabricator to make these to my design and got them powder-coated. Inert to the environment, allows air flow, can support up to 4 kg of boxes no problems, nil odour, and black sexy….oh and ready in a week and cheap.

Hey everyone, My birthday is coming up and my girlfriend decided to buy me this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00KO90H6Y/ref=gwm_tlc_pi?pf_rd_p=62af779f-88df-4dd0-be50-91c6a4b9661a&pf_rd_s=grid-6&pf_rd_t=Gateway&pf_rd_i=mobile&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=TJB9A2AA1A8NS9Q761ZC&pf_rd_r=TJB9A2AA1A8NS9Q761ZC&pf_rd_p=62af779f-88df-4dd0-be50-91c6a4b9661a. Does anyone here have experience with this particular set up? If so I'd appreciate any insight. I've been reading countless threads on forums and there's quit the variety of set up options. Just curious what to expect. I'm leaning toward HF beads with bovedas mixed in. Anything else you'd suggest adding, modifying, etc. thank you, -Jayme

Hi all, I've searched this but haven't seen a good thread discussing, so figured I'd post. My accumulation/aging of cigars started 7+ years ago with NC's, and I transitioned to CC's 5 years ago. Like many here, I graduated from a 200 count desktop humi to a coolidor, then a larger coolidor, then a 150qt coolidor with custom cedar shelves. That filled up, and eventually I discovered Sterilite air tight tupperware. I now have 7 of the 54 QT tupperwares in my basement, and they are excellent at holding humidity, and cheap. It has been my daydream to one day have a great smoking room in my house with a nice large storage solution for all my boxes. I finally have that chance, as I've purchased a larger house and will be moving next month. What I'd like is a storage solution big enough to accommodate my 200+ boxes, as well as extra capacity to hold at least another 100 more... because you know.. cigars are a great investment I've looked at Aristocrat Cabinets, have read some of the threads about wineadors, and have seen some folks converting commercial sliding door beverage refrigerators into cigar storage. What is the consensus on the best option for storage of 200+ boxes? At what point is it silly to spend $3k+ on an Aristocrat, when I could start considering building a two-walled corner "mini walk-in" storage area into the corner of a room in my house. Is there a readily available commercial option for a sliding-door beverage type cooler? I love USA's Cigar.land thread where he shares his massive collection, and I drew inspiration from some of his storage solutions: But I haven't seen anything like these available in the US: Would appreciate people's ideas and input on the best solution. Thanks

As I have been posting up videos on my most recent controlled humidor build on the Humidor Tutorial forum, I decided to post up the progress of the performance of this new build. Here on Isla PigFish we have been experiencing a little bit of a heat wave. While this happens, I get an opportunity to move away from cool weather performance and work on some warmer weather performance. Most controlled humidor solutions have to deal with extreme dehydration during a cooling cycle. All units that have active cooling; regardless of the BS you read all over the net, dehydrate while cooling. Unless one uses a series of high-resolution data loggers one will never know. I know, many don’t care… But I do! Here is progress on the latest Generation 12 cooler (controlled humidor) from Mr. Piggy. Thanks for reading. Cheers... -the Pig

I just went through and took inventory last night, creating a spread sheet to track my cigars. I decided to take some pictures along the way. My collection isn't as big as some I have seen on here, but it is enough for me right now and I would like to think it has some quality sticks. In addition to what I have pictures of, there is a box of RASS from May 2015 on the way from Rob (my son's birth month), and there are 4 boxes in the online humidor; Bolivar Petite Corona, H. Upmann Half Corona, H. Upmann Petite Corona, Romeo y Julieta Petite Corona. Take a look. My wineador Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas (Box Code May 2014, my wedding month) Ramon Allones Short Perfecto (2014 Italy RE) Por Larranaga Encantos Trinidad Reyes Vegas Robaina Unicos (box from May 2013, my engagement month) More Vegas Robaina Bolivar La Gloria Cubana Montecristo Punch (Yes, there is an RS11 and some Black Prince) Hoyo de Monterrey H. Upmann Partagas Cohiba Quai d'Orsay San Cristobal (That is an O'Reilly) More Trinidad Ramon Allones Some various cigars Non-Cubans Drew Estate Padron Arturo Fuente Ashton Tatuaje Monsters and Little Monsters Various Non-Cubans

I just bought one of these to store 6 or so boxes in at the office. I like it a lot so far. Temperature seems to be spot on although the humidity is still "off" a bit when comparing my OasisXL vs. my electronic gauge...not sure why that is. I seem to see a direct correlation between when the "fridge" is running and lowering/maintaining temperature and the humidity. If I see the humidity up a bit it's almost because the compressor hasn't kicked in to lower/maintain temp. Once it kicks in the humidity goes back to spot on. What's the trick here? Or will it be constantly adjusting itself? I'm currently attempting 62/62. Also, do most of you keep a humidifier "running" in your wineador/coolador all the time? Anyone have a NewAir?

Actually, I posted my cigar tools purchase list on Cigar Tools Questions post but still, I have some questions about wineador. First question is, do I have to add fans to AKDY AWC0005 8 Bottles Single Zone Wine Cooler, the small thermoelectric wineador (like most thermoelectric wineadors, it has built-in fan inside) (most of people add fans to large wineadors like Newair AW-280E for solving uneven upper/lower humidity issue whereas they do not do this to small wineadors)? I am considering adding fans to that AKDY if I have to (and prevent uneven upper/lower humidity issue). Second question is, how many digital hygrometers are needed? There are some people adding multiple hygrometers to large wineadors for checking upper/lower humidity but I am not sure whether it is necessary for small wineador or not.

I am thinking of buying a wine cooler and using it for temperature control only. My cigars will be kept in air tight tupperware and boveda humidity ziplock bags, with boveda packs inside for humidity control, and will be placed inside the wine cooler for temp control only. My questions are: is a compressor wine cooler better in this particular situation, than a thermo electric one? does it make a difference? does one consume electricity more than the other? what do you think are the advantages and possible pitfalls of each? Many thanks, Jack

I have just recently acquired a slightly used Vissani hvbc31st Wine cooler. The compressor is not functioning and I was able to pick it up for free. My plan is to have some fun with it and build something with all external controls. I currently have a New Aire 280e running Heartfelt beads that's filling up, It has been working great for me so far, but I know I can do better, and like I said, I'm gunna need more room eventually. At this point I am thinking active humidification along the lines of a Cigar Oasis or Hydra Unit, Replacing the burned out compressor unit with a new higher quality one, or possibly a TE unit, bypassing the units temp controller and adding circulation fans. I will get some photos up of the unit as is, including the dimensions of the cutout that currently holds the compressor unit. My hope is to use this area to house the new equipment in an effort to maximize the usable internal space. Any thoughts/comments/tips are appreciated!

I picked the Vintec up via a Penfolds promotion last year, but only got around to connecting it a week ago. The model is PV30SGMe, and it’s an 'active' system of sorts (i.e. a compressor not a thermo), and the manual says it regulates humidity at 65% (plus or minus 10%). I have stocked with wine + cigars, and about 2.5 pounds of HCM charged at 65%. Temp is set to max at 19c. So… I thought with the beads (plus fairly temperate weather and RH here right now - consistent low 20c and low 60rh%) - , I would see less fluctuation that what the manual states, but, on spots checks of the hygrometers on the different shelves (not opening fridge, only through glass), the RH has varied between 55 - 71 % in single 24 hr periods (which cant be good for the sticks). I’ll run the data logger in the weekend to confirm. Queries for members with Vintec or similar compressor wine fridges (ie that are stated to regulate rh%) - are you seeing such big fluctuations and what have you done to reduce fluctuations? My other fridge is a thermo - with 2.5 pounds beads it maintains a constant 64-68% rh @ 18C (and the rh% fluctuations are not daily but rather seasonally, i.e. in summer it runs at around a constant 67%, winter at 64%). This data has been confirmed via data logging at various times. Maybe I should have bought another thermo instead….

Hi, I thought I would give the wienador a crack. Live in Sydney Australia and unfortunately in my house my desk humidor could not keep the temp at a suitable level. I'm sure I have a fair bit to go but so far I've built the drawers and shelves and I will keep tinkering to see how to improve it. Still waiting for the heartfelt beads but unfortunately Australia post decided to misplace my package...so they are missing.

Hey guys, Finally finishing up a long journey with my sleeve tattoo, so that means more money for cigars!!! I am currently working with a small tupperdor big enough for a few empty boxes in which I store singles. I want to upgrade as my funds will be allocated to my other vice I am torn between wanting a nice solution like a wineador and cost friendly solution like a coolerdor. My main concerns with the windeador is that I have heard horror stories of condensation ruining thousands of dollars worth of stock. Also, I don't want to spend $250 on a wineador and run out of space. Plus extra money for nice cedar shelves and such.. The issue with a coolerdor basically comes down to cosmetics and limited access to stock. To access a box on the bottom I would have to remove a lot of boxes to get to it.. Please, if anyone has advice, comments, experience.. anything to help me decide!!! Thanks, Collin

So I've been researching a bit and looking for an answer to a problem I have, and I think Pig fish had this answer somewhere here but I cannot seem to find. Anyway, I bought a little Capri 25-50 count humi a year ago, tries seasoning it by the wiping with distiller water method, only wiped once and tossed in my hygro after calibration with the boveda one step kit. I threw in my smokes and have been using boveda packs ever since and it's always been reading consistently within one or two percent. Fluctuates a bit as I open often and humidity in my house is around 70. I know I screwed up with seasoning but with the boveda packs my humi always seemed to be holding good and all my smokes taste great. But lately the hygro has been reading low, before it was very consistent at 62-63% and has dropped to 58-59%. And I noticed the last 4 out of 5 cigars I've smoked have tasted a little harsh. Nothing has changed externally and only a few smokes have left the humi, so why would this happen? Second question, seeing how I seasoned the stupid way, what can I do to fix this? How should I dry it out and season properly? I would use the boveda one step seasoning packs(I love the boveda packs by the way, work great in a small desktop like mine.) And last question, I've noticed at my local Wal Mart they have a small, 6 bottle wine cooler on sale for $88. Was thinking about picking it up and converting it into a small wineador. It should be able to hold a few boxes. Does anyone think this would be a good buy? Also with one this small would I really need a fan? And would boveda packs work or would I definitly have to upgrade to beads? Here is a link to the wine cooler. http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/danby-6-bottle-counter-top-wine-cooler/6000043118692 Thanks for all and any input!