How to: Coolidor

Hey guys I haven't seen anything like this on here so I thought I would post how i made my coolidor. It is a very simple cost effective way to store cigars as either your only humi or for bulk storage for aging. Being a college student on a budget I went as cheap as I could so I would have more money for important things like cigars.

This is the cooler I used as i had it sitting around so it was free.


I Then used non scented silica kitty litter as my humidity control, this runs about $10 for 8-10lbs


I used spanish cedar trays from cheap humidors.com to store the cigars or you can use cigar boxes or plastic trays. The spanish cedar acts as a humidity control as well and gives it that delicious woodsy tobaccoy smells that a humidor is know for the trays run aroun $10 a pop.





Id also suggest a good digital Hygrometer calibrated with a salt test as most analogs just aren't near as accurate. I used a xikar which run around $20. I also used panty hose to hold the kitty litter which you can steal from your SWMBO at the threat of buying a cabinet or walk in humidor. All in all i have around $70 bucks in this with enough kitty litter to set up a wineador when i find one cheap enough. I have somewhere over 120 sticks at my last count before all of the cigarillos in the small boxes.

Im sure I left something out if anone has any questions feel free to ask.
Thanks Matt

Looks like a great setup to me! I am a recent convert and firm believer in coolidors. My setup is very similar, just on a larger scale. Where you saved $$ on beads by going with kitty litter crystals, I chose heartfelt beads. But conversely, where you popped the extra $$ for the cedar trays, I opted for used cedar cigar boxes and just stuck the loose sticks in those. The end result is the same as far as I can tell.

I also have a blaze orange box of those little beauties in mine, saved away for a rainy day.

Awesome! I will have to give this a try after I get my Third year raise!

I went with the trays because Im still new enough to cigars that I don't buy boxes, and all the local B&Ms sell the boxes so I decided that if i was going to spend some money I would set it up exactly how I wanted it. The only downfall to Kitty litter is that it takes to do the same job as the beads, I probably have close to a pound of KL in my small cooler. If I do a wineador I might use beads but I have so much KL i doubt it haha. The only complaint I have about it is that I need more room but when I upgrade I don't have anything dedicated to this cooler.

The Little Monsters are great I've only had the mini mum but defiantly would get some more if they are relesed again.

A wineador would look amazing in a home bar, have in on one side and another will wine/chilled mix on the other! Arg so many awesome ideas I want when I buy a house!

Coolerdoors are the way to go if you are on a budget.

I have a couple of them. Use the 65% heartfelt beads with the spanish cedar sheets form my used up boxes to line the cooler. No trays like yours. I just store my boxes in it.

showcattle said:

I went with the trays because Im still new enough to cigars that I don't buy boxes, and all the local B&Ms sell the boxes so I decided that if i was going to spend some money I would set it up exactly how I wanted it. The only downfall to Kitty litter is that it takes to do the same job as the beads, I probably have close to a pound of KL in my small cooler. If I do a wineador I might use beads but I have so much KL i doubt it haha. The only complaint I have about it is that I need more room but when I upgrade I don't have anything dedicated to this cooler.

The Little Monsters are great I've only had the mini mum but defiantly would get some more if they are relesed again.

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You don't owe me any explanation, brother, I'd probably do the same with the trays if i couldn't get cheap boxes. For contrast, I have a nylon stocking full of beads about the size of a baseball in mine so it takes up a good bit less room, but obviously cost a bit more as well. The good thing about a cooler is that size upgrades are cheap! Plus, I can stash a lot of sticks in a cooler in the basement without any grief from Mrs. Mountaineer, but when every room in the upstairs seems to contain a humidor, she starts getting a little more, um, irritable, if you know what I mean.

73mountaineer said:

but when every room in the upstairs seems to contain a humidor, she starts getting a little more, um, irritable, if you know what I mean.

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I can't see why? I am sure that they all look amazing in all the rooms they are in!

So what about water? Do you soak the kitty litter until saturated then place in the coolidor?

I just have a mister bottle filled with distilled water. Give the stocking of beads/litter a few sprays as well as a couple of pieces of my spanish cedar and call it good.

No need to saturate

Blazer has it right i just put some distilled water on a sponge and let my trays soak it up before i ever put cigars in, thats whats called seasoning thee humidor. I then tried putting dry kitty litter in and it took my Rh too low. Then I lightly sprayed them with distilled water until i reached around 65% Rh.

Humidity beads for your coolidor. Heartfelt Industries.

http://heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=70%+Rh+Humidity+Beads