Whiskey & Cigar Guide

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Adults only. For adults of legal age: 21+ in the US, or the legal age where you live, whichever is higher. Laws on buying, shipping, and using alcohol and tobacco vary by country, state, and locality, so follow the laws where you live. This page is general information, not legal, medical, or professional advice. Please drink responsibly and never drive after drinking; tobacco use carries health risks.

How to Store Cigars Without a Full Humidor (and When to Buy One)

Short answer: You don't need a wooden humidor to keep cigars fresh. An airtight container (a "tupperdor") or a humidor bag, plus the right two-way humidity packs and a calibrated hygrometer, will hold cigars in good shape. Just as important is where you put the container: a steady, moderate temperature matters as much as the humidity inside.

What you're aiming for

Two numbers matter: relative humidity (RH) and temperature.

  • Humidity: Holt's Cigar Company says cigars should be stored at roughly 70% RH and 70°F. Holt's also warns that exceeding 72% RH and 72°F can encourage mold in a tightly sealed humidor. Cigar World suggests keeping a humidor around 68–72% RH. (Sources at the end.)
  • Temperature: Tobacco beetles "prefer warm, humid climates," according to JR Cigar's care guide, which recommends keeping storage at an even temperature, no higher than 70°F, and out of direct sunlight.

In hot weather, those temperature numbers are the hard part. A closet in an air-conditioned room is the sort of place that is easy to keep stable. A garage, porch, car, or sunny shelf is not. Most of the tips below come down to one idea: put your cigars where the temperature is steady, then control humidity inside the container.

Option 1: The tupperdor (cheapest real setup)

A tupperdor is an airtight plastic or acrylic container with humidity packs and a hygrometer inside. Boveda lists "tupperdors" and "coolerdors" among the storage types its 69% RH packs are meant for.

What you need

  1. An airtight container with a gasket seal and a lid that closes firmly. Choose one big enough that cigars aren't crammed together.
  2. Two-way humidity packs (see sizing below).
  3. A digital hygrometer you have calibrated (see below).

Sizing the packs

Boveda sizes packs by the container's maximum cigar capacity, not by how many cigars are in it today. Its chart: Size 60 packs at one per 25 cigars of capacity (so a 50-cigar capacity uses 2; 100 uses 4), or Size 320 at one per up to 100 cigars of capacity. Boveda also says using larger or additional packs won't over-humidify cigars; it only extends pack life and efficiency.

Which humidity level

Boveda's guidance: 69% RH is the all-purpose choice for wood and acrylic humidors, tupperdors, coolerdors, and humidor bags. 72% is for drafty humidors and dry environments, and 65% is for people who prefer a drier cigar or an easier burn. It specifically warns against 75% packs in airtight containers such as tupperdors and humidor bags. Don't mix different RH levels in the same container, and don't combine Boveda with other humidification devices because they work against each other.

Fill level

Holt's recommends filling a humidor to only about 75–80% of capacity so air and humidity can circulate. The same logic applies to a tupperdor.

Pros: Low cost, airtight, easy to see inside, easy to clean.
Cons: No cedar (flavor and aging character are a matter of taste, and not something we can quantify), and cheap lids can leak. Check the seal before trusting it.

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Option 2: The humidor bag (small stash or travel)

A resealable humidor bag with a humidity pack is the lowest-effort setup for a handful of cigars. Holt's says a Boveda humidor bag keeps cigars fresh for up to a year. Treat that as the retailer's claim and check the bag's packaging before relying on it. Boveda says to refill its humidor bags only with 69% (B69) packs. It does not recommend anything above 69% in a bag.

For small amounts of cigars, Boveda's smaller packs are sized by travel capacity: a Size 8 pack for every 5 cigars.

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Option 3: A real humidor (and how to start it right)

A wooden humidor is worth buying when you keep more cigars than a tupperdor handles comfortably, want something presentable in a living space, or plan to age cigars. In very humid or very dry climates, a decent seal matters more than looks. A humidor with a poor seal will chase you with constant refills.

Seasoning

Boveda's method: put 84% RH seasoning packs, one Size 60 per 25 cigars of capacity, in the empty humidor, close the lid, and don't open it for 14 days regardless of what the hygrometer says. Then discard the packs (they aren't reusable) and switch to 69% RH packs for ongoing storage. While the humidor seasons, keep your cigars in a sealed bag or tupperdor with a 69% pack. Boveda lists this as one use for its humidor bags.

The traditional alternative from Holt's: wipe the interior with distilled water, fill the reservoir or add humidity pouches, and don't store cigars inside until the humidor holds 70% RH. Holt's also recommends keeping distilled water or propylene glycol solution on hand for the reservoir.

Maintenance

  • Refill the reservoir when RH drops into the low 60s (Holt's).
  • Replace Boveda pouches when they stiffen. Holt's says pouches last 2–6 months depending on cigar count and humidor size.
  • Rotate cigars every two to three weeks so those nearest the humidifier don't absorb a disproportionate amount of moisture.
  • Don't mix old and new pouches or different RH levels.

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Don't skip the hygrometer step

A hygrometer that's off by several points defeats everything else. Boveda recommends calibrating every six months, and calibrating a new hygrometer before use, even if it says it was pre-calibrated. With a Boveda 75% RH Calibration Kit, you place the hygrometer in the bag, seal it, leave it for at least 24 hours at room temperature (65–75°F), and it should read 75%. If it doesn't, note the offset or adjust it if your model allows. Holt's advises replacing analog dial hygrometers with digital ones for better accuracy.

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Humid climate or dry climate: habits that help

These are practical applications of the sources above, not climate-specific lab data. In a dry climate or a heated house in winter, the risk is cigars drying out: Boveda recommends its 72% packs for drafty humidors and dry environments, and a tight seal does most of the work. In a hot, humid climate, the risks are mold and beetles, so stick with 69% packs in airtight containers and focus on temperature. Wherever you live:

  1. Pick the coolest, steadiest spot indoors. An interior closet in an air-conditioned part of the home beats a garage, porch, or car. Keep storage away from windows, sunlight, and heat sources, as JR Cigar advises.
  2. Check more often in hot, humid weather. JR's guide says to check for beetle damage every few days if you live somewhere hot and humid, looking for tiny holes and tapping suspicious cigars to see if dust falls out.
  3. Watch the thermostat when you travel. If the AC is set high while you're away, the temperature in the container follows. Check the temperature reading on your hygrometer after you return.
  4. Treat heat during shipping as a risk. If you order in the hotter months, pick a faster shipping option when one is offered, and put arriving cigars into your humidor rather than leaving a box on the porch. Don't smoke fresh-from-the-box cigars until they've settled at proper humidity.
  5. Quarantine and inspect new cigars. JR says infestations often arrive with new cigars.

Mold, plume, and beetles: quick triage

  • Plume is a fine, pale, powdery crystal layer that brushes off cleanly. Mold is fuzzy or spotty and often blue-green (Holt's says mold is blue-green and can come from too much humidity or too much heat). Discard moldy cigars immediately, check the neighbors, and clean and dry the container before reloading. If you can't tell the difference, ask the retailer or a local tobacconist and don't smoke the cigar.
  • Beetles: pinholes and tiny piles of tobacco dust are the signs. JR's freeze protocol: double-bag the cigars in sealed bags; refrigerate 24 hours, freeze three days, then refrigerate another 24 hours before returning them to the cleaned humidor. Skipping the last refrigerator step can crack wrappers. JR says that it takes only 48 hours for an infestation to ruin every cigar in a humidor, so act at the first sign.

Which setup should you pick?

SituationBest fitWhy
A few cigars, trying out the hobbyHumidor bag + 69% packCheap and simple; no seasoning
10–50 cigars on a budgetTupperdor + sized Boveda + calibrated hygrometerAirtight; scales by capacity
Larger collection, want it in the roomHumidor with a good seal, seasoned correctlyCapacity and presentation; more maintenance
Constant trouble holding humidityTry 72% packs in a drafty humidor (Boveda guidance) or move it to a cooler, steadier locationFix the environment before buying gear

Common mistakes

  • Sizing packs by the number of cigars you have now instead of container capacity.
  • Using 75% packs in airtight containers.
  • Trusting a new hygrometer without checking it.
  • Storing near a window, in a garage, or in a car.
  • Packing the container so tightly that air can't circulate.
  • Leaving the humidor open "to check" during Boveda's 14-day seasoning window.

FAQ

Can I use a wine fridge or a cooler?

Boveda mentions "coolerdors" as a use for 69% packs. Whether a particular fridge is suitable depends on its temperature range and moisture behavior, which we haven't tested, so we won't recommend a specific model yet.

Do I need a humidor if I smoke a cigar a week?

Not necessarily. A humidor bag or small airtight container with a correctly sized pack covers that need.

Responsible enjoyment

Cigars are for adults of legal age (21+ in the US, or the legal age where you live, whichever is higher). Smoke outdoors or where smoking is permitted, and check a venue's rules before lighting up indoors. If you pair cigars with alcohol, pace yourself, eat, and don't drive.

Sources (accessed 2026-10-23; updated 2026-10-26)

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