Humidor w/ very strong cedar smell!!

[MrStogie]

I'm just curious, but I recently bought this high end desktop humidor to complement my wine fridge/other desktop I currently own. However the humidor has a very strong cedar smell and I need to figure out a way to mellow it out. Cracking it open does no good, because after seasoning the humidor the smell comes right back. Now I don't know how desirable an overly powerful cedar smell is to the cigar, because my biggest concern is that my CC's will taste more like cedar then what they're intended to taste like. So i'm hoping someone can tell me otherwise, or a good method to remove some of the strong cedar smell.

[bobarian]

Where did you buy the humi? Are you sure it is Spanish Cedar and not aromatic? It could be that the cedars is a little fresh and needs to dry out a bit.

[LeafHog]

Spanish cedar is actually mahogany, and the spanish cedar used in humidors should be kiln dried and have a distinct, but not overly powerful aroma.

If your humidor smells like red cedar, such as a cedar chest or closet - it will never be suitable for your cigars.

[Fortune500]

Have you tried letting it air out for several days? I know you said you tried it, but I'm not sure of length. I'm not sure it'll help (particularly if your humi is lined with aromatic cedar) but a buddy of mine had one that smelled pretty strongly... he let it air out for about a week, and it seemed to take care of the problem.

Definitely unusual. Let us know what you come up with.

[JE3146]

Mine came this way as well, but after a day, it's died down a lot.

[ChasDen]

If you bought a good box the cedar is likely 1/4 inch thick or even thicker. Even kiln dried Spanish cedar has a pretty strong smell, especially the thicker stuff. A lot of the cheaper units on the market only use a veneer (very thin layer of cedar) or line the box with 1/8 or 1/32 inch cedar (much less smell). I just finished my humi project and spent a lot of time looking for the cedar where I could actually go pick it up and inspect it. I also took a scrap piece of the stuff I bought to the local do it yourself store and compared the smell of the cedar they had (real cedar) to mine (you should have seen the looks I was getting from people in the store). I found both of them to be some what strong but very different smells.

Hard to describe but very different.

If you bought it from a reputable dealer I am sure you got the right stuff and it should tame down a bit with time.

From all the sanding I did, I am still smelling cedar everywhere I go

Chas

[MrStogie]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies folks!

Originally Posted by bobarian

Where did you buy the humi? Are you sure it is Spanish Cedar and not aromatic? It could be that the cedars is a little fresh and needs to dry out a bit.

I purchased a Davidoff No.3 humidor while I was visiting NYC. The place was called Davidoff of Geneva. I'm not particularly concerned with the authenticity as it was purchased at the B&M store, but more so the smell of the over powering cedar. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated and thank you to all for replying so quickly.

[MrStogie]

Originally Posted by ChasDen

If you bought a good box the cedar is likely 1/4 inch thick or even thicker. Even kiln dried Spanish cedar has a pretty strong smell, especially the thicker stuff. A lot of the cheaper units on the market only use a veneer (very thin layer of cedar) or line the box with 1/8 or 1/32 inch cedar (much less smell). I just finished my humi project and spent a lot of time looking for the cedar where I could actually go pick it up and inspect it. I also took a scrap piece of the stuff I bought to the local do it yourself store and compared the smell of the cedar they had (real cedar) to mine (you should have seen the looks I was getting from people in the store). I found both of them to be some what strong but very different smells.

Hard to describe but very different.

If you bought it from a reputable dealer I am sure you got the right stuff and it should tame down a bit with time.

From all the sanding I did, I am still smelling cedar everywhere I go

Chas

Haha thanks for the input. I was in a similar situation when I was replacing the bottling shelves that came with the vinotemp with real spanish cedar. I did this over the summer and i left the wood inside my car for only a few hours in the hot heat and I noticed the wood excreting oil... but man oh man, my car smelt like lovely cedar for weeks! Let us know how the project turns out!

[MrStogie]

Originally Posted by LeafHog

Spanish cedar is actually mahogany, and the spanish cedar used in humidors should be kiln dried and have a distinct, but not overly powerful aroma.

If your humidor smells like red cedar, such as a cedar chest or closet - it will never be suitable for your cigars.

The humidor is klin dried and I don't know if that helps reduce the aromatic scent of the wood, but for some reason this humidor has a real strong smell. Do you think it would be harmful to throw my cigars in now? or should I continue to wait in hopes of throwing them in after they mellow out?

Out of curiosity as well, why would it be harmful to the cigars if it were made out of another cedar? I was under the impression that the cedar family all had the anti-fungal properties and the only difference within the family was the aromatic scent.

[demiurgic]

Sorry if this is a bit of a thread jack but I asked a similar question on another forum yesterday.

I found a Lane Cedar Chest for sale and thought of converting it into a humidor (as my cigar brain works, everything is a potential Humi!).

However, this is aromatic cedar we're talking about here. Way too strong for cigars.

One recommendation was to put on several coats of Shellac.

Any thoughts if the chest could work as a humi with the Shellac?

[Bent Stem]

Just an FYI for all interested....as far as I know most of the "aromatic" cedar furniture and wood we commonly see used is Red Cedar. Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is not a actually a Cedar at all but is a type of Juniper tree. There are only four species of true Cedars which are members of the Cedrus genus and none of them are native to the U.S.

[the nub]

Since this is a Davidoff humidor, there is zero chance that it uses red cedar. I'm more inclined to think the interior is mahogany, rather than Spanish cedar. High-end humis such as Dunhill often times use this. The difference between the two is quite distinct. Mahogany tends to be darker with more color variation with translucent streaks. I find that Spanish cedar has a very potent aroma and will permeate most unboxed cigars. Mahogany has a sweeter aroma, and IMO is preferable as it imparts less flavor. FYI CC SLB boxes are NOT Spanish cedar/ply, whereas most NC wood boxes are. If you're humi smells like the latter, then it is Spanish cedar. If it smells like neither, then it is probably mahogany. Personally, I'm not a fan of Spanish cedar. I can smell a cigar stored in it a mile away- and I can taste it immediately.