Cigar humidors simply can’t function without a humidifier. Indeed, it could do it without a hygrometer if necessary but not without something that actually produces humidity! If you’re like us, we’ve been going through humidifier after humidifier to find the best and most reliable one.
In this particular guide, you will discover our ultimate selection of the Best Cigar Humidifiers that you can buy online:
- Boveda 60g Humidity Packs [Most Versatile]
- Boveda 320g Humidity Packs [Large Humidors]
- Cigar Oasis Plus [Most Powerful]
- HumidiCup S1 [Antibacterial Features]
- Cigar Oasis Ultra 3.0 [Smallest Electronic]
- Xikar Crystal Humidifier [Rechargeable]
- Aris 826 Walk-In XL Humidifier [Small Walk-In Humidors]
- Wall-Mounted Mini Mist Humidifier [Large Walk-In Humidors]
You can use the links above to jump ahead. Alternatively, head to the menu below to see what else is covered as well as our other guides.
In This Guide
Hygrometer Guides
Other Humidor Guides
More Storage Guides
- Country Of Origin: USA
- Cigar Count: 25
- 2-Way: Yes
- Rechargeable: No
- Externally Powered: No
- Accuracy: 1%
- Dimensions: 5.2″ x 3.5″
- Price:
- $3.60 – $5.95 [Buy Now On Amazon]
- $3.58 [Buy On Your Elegant Bar]
We don’t try to hide our love for Boveda. After years of losing our remaining hair over fluctuating humidity levels, inexplicably mouldy cigars, and burning issues, we were delighted to have discovered their packs.
Most people are familiar with Boveda as they’re sometimes included when buying cigars from a shop to keep them fresh for the trip home. However, their 60-gram packs are far more versatile than that.
Thanks to their small size, they can be used in a variety of storage solutions from travel humidors to desktop humidors. Furthermore, they’re designed with a permeable “reverse osmosis” membrane, which allows for two-way humidification. This means that they absorb excess humidity when necessary.
While they’re not really rechargeable, they’re very affordable. A 12-pack costs $42.99 on Amazon, which comes to just over $3.60 each. Compared to the value of a cigar collection, this is a very small investment.
Similarly, you can pick up a 12-pack from Your Elegant Bar for the same price. Finally, you can buy packs with a variety of different humidity levels and sizes. To learn all about what they offer and their uses, head to our full Boveda guide.
"Boveda comfortably offers one of the best and most reliable methods for humidifying your cigar humidor without spending a fortunate or worrying about its accuracy."
- Country Of Origin: USA
- Cigar Count: 1 Cubic Foot
- 2-Way: Yes
- Rechargeable: No
- Externally Powered: No
- Accuracy: 1%
- Dimensions: 6.75″ x 5″ x 0.82″
- Price: $25 [Buy Now On Amazon]
Although it may seem redundant to list Boveda a second time on this list, we feel that it’s important to highlight that their products aren’t just for smaller humidors. In fact, their 320-gram packs is over 5 times larger than the regular-sized ones!
These offer an excellent alternative to multiple packs in a desktop humidor. Similarly, several of them will easily keep your cigars fresh in a cooler or even a large cabinet. If you’d rather not have them just lying around, Boveda also produce convenient mounting plates, which can be found on Amazon for around $20.
While we’ll often use the 60-gram pillows for most of our storage needs, all our larger humidors are maintained with the 320-gram packs.
- Country Of Origin: China
- Cigar Count: 300 – 1000
- 2-Way: No
- Rechargeable: Yes [Distilled Water]
- Externally Powered: Yes
- Accuracy: 5%
- Dimensions: 6″ x 2″ x 3.5″
- Price:
- $121 [Buy Now On Amazon]
- $128 [Buy On Your Elegant Bar]
If you have a serious collection and are looking for a simple device that will cater to all your cigars, Oasis is likely the brand that best suits your needs.
Unlike Boveda, it’s electrical and also offers Wi-Fi support for monitoring or linking with a smart sensor so you’ll need a power supply. However, it can be easily recharged and just needs topping up every month with distilled water.
Indeed, the unit alone will provide enough humidity for between 100 to 300 cigars. Yet, you can buy the XL cartridge for around $16, which will boost this for up to 1,000 cigars!
Nevertheless, we would invest in two of these for such a large volume with one of them using the fan to circulate the moisture. Bear in mind, though, that it can get quite loud.
- Country Of Origin: China
- Cigar Count: 200
- 2-Way: No
- Rechargeable: Yes [Distilled Water]
- Externally Powered: Yes
- Accuracy: 3%
- Dimensions: 6″ x 2″ x 2.3″
- Price: $90 [Buy Now On Amazon]
What sets HumidiCup apart from Cigar Oasis is its unique addition of an antibacterial filter. Much like one on an aquarium, it will absorb bacteria and ensure that your humidor remains a clean environment. This can be convenient if the cigars are regularly handled and if you’re concerned with mould.
A relatively accurate device too, it functions much like Cigar Oasis and simply needs recharging with distilled water every month. Although it doesn’t cater to the same volume, we found that it was a much more accurate device.
If you find that the S1 is too small, you could always opt for the M1, which can cater to 500 cigars.
- Country Of Origin: China
- Cigar Count: 100
- 2-Way: No
- Rechargeable: Yes [Distilled Water]
- Externally Powered: Yes
- Accuracy: 1.5%
- Dimensions: 7″ x 2.5″ x 1″
- Price:
- $120 [Buy Now On Mike’s Cigars]
- $120 [Buy Now On Amazon]
- $119 [Buy On Your Elegant Bar]
If you want to use an electrically-powered in your desktop humidor, the Ultra 3.0 by Cigar Oasis is a great choice. Like the larger model, it offers Wi-Fi support and needs only recharging every 2 months. However, its slim design allows you to fix it to the humidor’s lid.
Thanks to thin ribbon cables, it can also be installed in a desktop humidor that isn’t designed to provide a power supply. That said, the Ultra 3.0 is quite expensive compared Boveda packs given its 100-cigar count limit. Therefore, it’s worth asking yourself whether the investment is worth it or not.
- Country Of Origin: China
- Cigar Count: Varies
- 2-Way: No
- Rechargeable: Yes [Propolyne Glycol]
- Externally Powered: No
- Accuracy: Unknown
- Dimensions: Varies
- Price:
- $3.60 – $5.95 [Buy Now On Amazon]
- $9 [Buy On Your Elegant Bar]
While we don’t currently use Xikar’s crystal humidifiers, we certainly used to. In fact, before we discovered Boveda, it was our preferred device. Sadly, it has since been relegated to the corner of the attic dedicated to discarded cigar accessories.
Nevertheless, Xikar crystal humidifiers still deserves mention on this list. Although it doesn’t offer two-way humidification, it works well when used properly. As long as you use the brand’s own propylene glycol solution, you should be able to maintain a stable 70% RH.
We would recommend Xikar to people who are adamant about recharging their humidity device but are looking for something on a smaller scale to the electronic devices listed above.
- Country Of Origin: China
- Cigar Count: 100 – 1,000 ft³
- 2-Way: No
- Rechargeable: Yes [Distilled Water]
- Externally Powered: Yes
- Accuracy: Unknown
- Dimensions: 13″ x 17¾” x 22″
- Price: $645 [Buy On Your Elegant Bar]
When investing in much larger-scale cigar storage, most conventional types of humidification will struggle to cover the extensive volume. Indeed, even our beloved Boveda packs simply can’t humidify a walk-in or closet humidor unless you use a large amount.
If you have a modestly-sized walk-in or closet humidor, we would suggest the Aris 826, which can cover between 100 and 1,000 cubic feet of cigar space. If you’re around the 1,000 cubic feet mark, you might want to opt for something more heavy-duty.
Nevertheless, its 5-gallon reservoir and digital control will be absolutely fine for large closets designed for storing cigars. It’s large enough to fulfil your needs without being too big that it takes up precious storage space.
- Country Of Origin: China
- Cigar Count: 1,200 ft³
- 2-Way: No
- Rechargeable: Yes [Water]
- Externally Powered: Yes
- Accuracy: 2%
- Dimensions: 14” x 8” x 21″
- Price: $1,299 [Buy On Your Elegant Bar]
Designed to be discreet yet effective, the wall-mounted “mini mist” is an appropriate play on words. It’s capable of producing moisture for up to 1,200 cubic feet, which makes it ideal for even the largest home walk-in humidors.
Furthermore, it’s designed with an automatic direct feed system. As a result, you won’t need to fill it up yourself with distilled water but it’ll do it from the mains. This feature may be a relief for people who aren’t often at home or may leave for several weeks at a time.
Similarly, the humidifier is equipped with silver ion antibacterial technology. Therefore, it disinfects the humidor’s moisture rather than spreading germs around the room, which could cause outbreaks of mould.
As a side-note, we suggest installing a ceiling fan in larger walk-in humidors to help distribute the moisture and prevent the build-up of wet or dry pockets of air.
Choosing The Right Humidifier For Your Cigars
Despite what some people (including us) may tell you, there is no single best solution for maintaining your humidor’s humidity levels. As a rule, we personally favour Boveda over the alternatives. Nevertheless, you may find that their offerings don’t quite suit your needs.
Overall, humidors can be humidified with the following (from cheapest to most expensive):
We’ll now break down their advantages and disadvantages so you can decide which to use.
Floral Foam For Humidifying Cigars
Often supplied with more affordable cigar humidors, the distinctive green foam is usually case in a plastic frame. However, we’re not going to waste too much time discussing floral foam for humidifying cigars.
In short, they’re trash. Floral foam is recharged with propylene glycol on a weekly basis. This messy procedure is ineffective to say the least as the cigars closest to the foam will likely go mouldy while those further away will dry out.
While they are indeed cheap, you might as well as well do like our ancestors and fill your humidor with apples and carrots to keep the contents moist.
Humidity Packs For Humidors
As we’ve mentioned it several times so far, you may have gathered that we’re quite fond of humidity packs. Versatile, affordable, and available in a range of accurate humidity levels, they’re the safest and easiest way to humidify your humidor.
While there are other brands, we’re mostly familiar with Boveda and how they work. Therefore, we can’t really attest to the effectiveness of the others. What we love about Boveda is that the reverse-osmosis membrane will offer two-way humidification with the salt solution inside.
This ensures that moisture is evenly distributed throughout the container. If the levels get too high, the packs will even absorb the excess amounts to prevent your cigars getting mouldy.
As you will have read above, humidity packs aren’t just reserved for smaller humidors or those for travelling. In fact, there are larger models that are great for coolers and cabinets.
Additionally, you can’t overdo it with packs unlike every other type of humidifier. You can add as many packs as you want to your storage and it won’t go over its designed level.
Some people may complain that humidity packs are costly because they dry out regularly. However, we would argue that this is usually due to a leaky humidor in our experience.
Indeed, weak seals that allow for humidity exchange will cause the packs to prematurely dry out. Otherwise, they should endure between 6 and 12 months.
Silica Beads For Humidors
Alongside salt solution humidity packs, silica beads are the only other devices that offer two-way humidification. A product invented following the First World War, silica gel has been used by countless industries to maintain humidity.
For instance, you’re probably mostly familiar with them when buying certain products. In this case, they’re in their hardened, dry form, and are made to absorb excess humidity. Meanwhile, those used for humidification for cigars will have absorbed around 40 times their weight in water.
With careful calibration using propylene glycol or distilled water depending on the brand, silica beads can produce a fixed humidity level. However, this is an art more than a science. Furthermore, they need recharging every few weeks so it’s easy to make a mistake (or a mess) every time you do it.
As mentioned earlier, silica beads offer two-way humidification. That said, they are most effective at absorbing moisture but can sometimes be too slow in releasing it.
Crystal Gel For Humidors
On the surface, crystal gel is quite similar to silica beads. However, their properties are actually quite different. Instead, the crystals are made from polymers that can absorb more than 10 times more moisture than silica.
Conversely, recharging them is somewhat easier. Rather than adding a specific amount, you add the brand’s designated solution until no more can be absorbed. Afterwards, you simply tip out the excess water and you’re ready to go.
Gel crystals are at their most effective with leaky humidors or when faced with very dry conditions. Unlike silica, they release large amounts of moisture in a very short period of time. On the other hand, they only offer one-way humidification.
As a result, it’s easy to over-humidify with crystal gel, which can cause an outbreak of mould.
Finally, a decent indicator that the gel needs recharging is when it begins to shrink, which usually occurs once a month.
After a few years of use, you may notice that crystal gel struggles to absorb the recharging liquid or release moisture so it’ll eventually need replacing. Meanwhile, silica beads can last three to four times longer.
Electronic Cigar Humidifiers
Unlike the other types of humidifiers detailed in this guide, electronic cigar humidifiers run on an external power supply. Most of the time, they need a mains power supply but some models can run on batteries, which has a reputation for being somewhat reliable.
Needless to say, they’re not designed for travelling. In fact, most models often need to be kept upright to avoid their cartridges spilling onto your cigars.
On the other hand, electronic cigar humidors tend to be much more powerful than their passive counterparts. As they’re often made with in-built ventilation, they can effortlessly diffuse sufficient moisture throughout even the largest cabinets.
Although they only offer one-way humidification, they are able to actively track humidity levels inside the humidor. Therefore, they only kick in when humidity level drop below a certain thresholds.
With advances in technology, some electronic humidifiers can be particularly sophisticated.
For instance, certain models be able to anticipate how far the humidity levels need to drop before releasing just enough for the humidor’s volume. Meanwhile, other models come with Wi-Fi and can be paired with certain smart sensors such as the Cig Sor.
Recharging is often quite simple and consists of just refilling the cartridge once a month with distilled water. This, however, will need replacing once a year. Additionally, some models have a variety of cartridge sizes for different cigar counts.
Unfortunately, all technology has its quirks. Occasionally, electronic cigar humidifiers can be somewhat inaccurate and are wholly dependant on their in-built hygrometers. If this breaks down or needs calibrating, it could have drastic consequences.
What Next?
Now that you’ve seen the best humidifiers and have learned about the different varieties, why don’t you also check out our related guides below:
Cigars Contents
I have the Cigar Oasis Ultra 3.0 electronic humidifier. The Lo H2O message is on constantly and the unit is running. Does this mean it’s broken? I’ve had it for about 3 years. It’s great. I’ve unplugged the unit and then plugged the wiring back in hoping that it would stop. But no! Should I get another one or are there troubleshooting techniques to try. Please advise.
Hi Alex,
I’m not super familiar with Cigar Oasis but from what I gather, it should read “Lo H2O” when it needs refilling. If you’ve added water and it’s still showing this message, it could mean that there’s a blockage or simply a faulty sensor. I’m not sure if it tries to run with this message anyway, but I doubt it.
You could try replacing the cartridge. You can find one on Amazon and easily return it if that doesn’t work. They’re also pretty inexpensive. Otherwise, you might have to replace the whole unit.
While trying to find a solution, perhaps grab a few 320g Boveda packs to keep it running until then? How big is your humidor? I’d be worried that the cigars may dry out while the humidifier isn’t working.
All the best,
CP