Will this work OK for DIY humidor?

[indy]

I have a couple of small aluminum cases like this one that are not currently being used. Has anyone used one successfully as a small (and portable) humador? These seal pretty good, but not air tight like a tupperdor.


I know aluminum can react with some chemicals, so that's the main concern I would have.

[stogie_kanobie_one]

I'd be afraid of the metal imparting a metallic taste into the cigars. Especially if you are cosidering these for use as humidors.

[rumballs]

Originally Posted by stogie_kanobie_one

I'd be afraid of the metal imparting a metallic taste into the cigars. Especially if you are cosidering these for use as humidors.

i wouldn't worry about that unless the taste of soda out of aluminum cans bothers you.

[stogie_kanobie_one]

Originally Posted by mmblz

i wouldn't worry about that unless the taste of soda out of aluminum cans bothers you.

Not sure where you're going with that one as soda doesn't absorb flavor from it's surrounding environment the way cigars will.

[indy]

I kind of thought there'd be an issue w/ the aluminum, but I have them sitting there so I wanted to verify this. I'll probably set up a DIY tupperdor until I get a feel for how much I want to keep at a time. I also have a small 'lil oscar cooler that might work well too for now.

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I'll get back to scouring the archives.

[King James]

are you sure kanobie? I know that some sodas, sprecher root beer in particular, taste different out of say the bottle than in a cup. I know this isn't metal but the taste is noticeably different.

[stogie_kanobie_one]

I would only add that if aluminum has no odor then it should be fine.... I guess I could have made that clearer in my first response. The key to what I was saying is that if there is an oder inside the boxes that you can't get rid of.... be prepared for that to work its way into your cigars if they are stored inside it for any decent period of time.

[PuroBrat]

I suspect that since many travel humis are aluminum, that it will not be a problem. The only issue I can see is if you can obtain a good seal. Travel Humis are often subjected to much harsher situations than a Home Humi. IE: Temp changes, Ambient RH fluctuations as well as some unforeseen banging around and such.

If there is a way to seal it, such as a screen wire beading inserted into the closure groove, then I would say go for it.

Oh and BTW, Soda does indeed absorb flavor from a can, as does Beer. This is why most prefer either one from a bottle rather than an aluminum can.

[stogie_kanobie_one]

Originally Posted by King James

are you sure kanobie? I know that some sodas, sprecher root beer in particular, taste different out of say the bottle than in a cup. I know this isn't metal but the taste is noticeably different.

Oh I am not sure by a long shot on the soda thing. I have Noooooooo idea. But back to the cigar particulars. Of that we can be sure.

[stogie_kanobie_one]

Originally Posted by PuroBrat

I suspect that since many travel humis are aluminum, that it will not be a problem. The only issue I can see is if you can obtain a good seal. Travel Humis are often subjected to much harsher situations than a Home Humi. IE: Temp changes, Ambient RH fluctuations as well as some unforeseen banging around and such.

If there is a way to seal it, such as a screen wire beading inserted into the closure groove, then I would say go for it.

Oh and BTW, Soda does indeed absorb flavor from a can, as does Beer. This is why most prefer either one from a bottle rather than an aluminum can.

I stand corrected. I did try to clean up what I was saying in one of my later posts. It is a good point that many travel humi's are aluminum but aren't they typcailly lined on the inside?

Does soda actually absorb in the same way as cigars do? I'll have to research that a bit.

It makes me think the next good cigar invention would be a device similar to a cigar that can be placed in an enclosure to see if that enclosure has any ambient odors to it. I recently had a problem with a wine cooler unit that I though I had suffucuently aired out. Well I hadn't, and it did affect my cigars.

Originally Posted by indy

I kind of thought there'd be an issue w/ the aluminum, but I have them sitting there so I wanted to verify this. I'll probably set up a DIY tupperdor until I get a feel for how much I want to keep at a time. I also have a small 'lil oscar cooler that might work well too for now.

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I'll get back to scouring the archives.

Well...............

Seems a lot of cigars come in aluminum tubos, so I would think that as a rule, the possibility of imparting a flavor would be minimum/not an issue from the metal. That's NOT to say that the metal may have some kind of treatment applied to inhibit oxidation that might have an effect. Hard to say without ability to view! I would think, IMO, at the most, maybe a thin layer of spanish cedar on the top, like what is found covering the cigars in many boxes of cubans (which a CS member or two probably has in abundance).

As a related note, there are some tubos I have recieved that did not come with an inner cedar lining, and some that do have the cedar.

[rumballs]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

That's NOT to say that the metal may have some kind of treatment applied to inhibit oxidation that might have an effect.

Good point - if you're worried you could put on a layer of spray fixative or spray varnish - just be sure to give that probably 48 hours to dry so IT will be odorless...

[Mister Moo]

...and beware treated foam that may be included with the case; some packing foams are treated with silicone or dehudmifying finishes or may have been cut with electric knives that use copious amounts of silicone for a coolant. I'd handwash any foam liner included with a commercial case with plenty of mild soap and warm water before sticking cigars in it.

[indy]

OK, now that I'm home, here's two pics of the actual case I'm thinking of.




In the second pic you can see that the case interior is wood. The wood appears to have a clear coating on it. I'm thinking if I remove the foam from top and bottom I would have a pretty decent box to work with. The blue stuff looks like a plastic shelf liner type of material. I think if I added some very low density foam to one of the sealing surfaces this would seal up pretty tight. Put a couple of empty cigar boxes in there to divide up the case into sections and it might work OK for now.

[King James]

It could work, but in all honesty if you plan on storing cigars for a significant amount of time its worth biting the bullet and spending $70 or so for a nice 100 count humi. I don't know how much spare cash you have but if you're serious about getting into cigar smoking that is what I would suggest...they truley do taste much better if stored in the right environment.