A humidor for weed?
- Thread starter Medivape
- Start date
Medivape
Rob
Or cheaper yet, add one of these to your stash box. Humidification Disks
SpiralArchitect
? & beyond
I think that would be too humid for marijuana. 
I just use a glass mason jar. Works well enough, and keeps it plenty fresh.
Good idea though, I'd like to hear what others have to say, and if he gets online soon, I know someone in the cigar business, so I could shoot him a few questions on the best humidors.
I just use a glass mason jar. Works well enough, and keeps it plenty fresh.
Good idea though, I'd like to hear what others have to say, and if he gets online soon, I know someone in the cigar business, so I could shoot him a few questions on the best humidors.
Hello guys, I'm Spiral's friend with the cigar experience. He passed on the question, and while mostly I agree with him, I figured I'd add a bit of clarity.
There are several reasons why humidors are not optimum storage devices for weed. One is that the optimum relative humidity for weed is much lower than it is for cigars. It IS possible to set a humidor at a drastically lower RH, but it requires a lot more work and some modifications to the humidor, such as an air conditioning system or other way to lower the humidity. Humidification devices that are not filled can work t a degree, but not all the way- the optimum RH for tobacco is in the 64-72% range, whereas for weed, it's in the much lower 30-35% range. So really, it's not that optimum for storage considerations alone.
However, what's more important is the reason why marijuana users store marijuana and why cigar smokers store cigars. Often, the reason is the same- they buy more than they can consume in the near future for a better deal. But there's a lot more to it than that for cigar smokers. More often than not, people who invest in a humidor are interested in aging their cigars. Aging a cigar by keeping it in a proper environment for months or even years can drastically change the way the cigar smokes. First of all, it brings out the oils of the leaf used for the cigar. This has several ramifications. The first and most obvious is that the oils won't burn the same way while smoking, which cuts down on clogging and creates a better draw on the cigar. Secondly, the drawing out of the oils also serves to bring the flavors of the cigar more to the forefront of the palette, making for a more noticeably complex and tasty smoke. Finally, because of the lower concentration of oils inside the leaf, the tobacco doesn't create as thick a smoke, creating a milder smoke that has a much smaller chance of knocking you on your ass. This MIGHT work to a vaporizers advantage- bringing out the meat of the marijuana to more easily vaporize. But that's pure speculation- I don't know enough of the chemistry behind weed to say that with authority.
The second predominate effect of aging cigars in a humidor is the transferance of flavor from the common spanish cedar lining to the cigars. The lining material, unless it is non-porous, will contribute to the flavor. Spanish cedar is preferred because it gives a very nice light spiciness to a cigar, as well as a pleasant woody undertone. There are a few that do not use spanish cedar, mostly travel humidors with form fitting cushions, but those ones are meant purely to keep a cigar properly maintained and protected during transit, not age a cigar. The only cigars meant for aging that don't use spanish cedar are Davidoff humidors, which use a non-porous material so as not to affect the flavor of their cigars. Davidoff believes that their cigars are perfect as is, contrary to what pretty much everyone else in the world thinks when it comes to aging. So those would not affect the flavor. But ask yourself- do you want your weed to taste more like wood when you vape it?
Basically, the payoff just isn't there for keeping marijuana in a humidor. A cigar smoker might keep a cigar in his humidor for 1, 5, 10, or more years, and have a decidedly different smoke at each of those periods, and find one best suited to his taste. I know one guy who's taken to buying double the number of cigars he's going to smoke so that he can age them and start to have a selection that will, a few years from now, constantly be aged. Is anyone going to drop the money for a half oz. and wait a few years to use it? I find it doubtful, so any benefits that might be gained from aging will be lost because of the different approaches that marijuana users and cigar smokers have to their recreational habits. More likely, the weed will be gone in a month or so, before it has time to benefit from aging (if there are any benefits at all, which I don't know). It'd be an interesting experiment if someone wanted to try it, but that's it.
Sure, a humidor, with no humidification devices, will present a fairly good airtight container, at least as good as a well sealed ziplock bag, although probably with more air inside of it because of greater volume, so more air to lend to the decay of THC. It would certainly be a better stashbox than, say, a shoebox, and most definitely it would be more attractive. However, a mason jar would provide an even more airtight container, and if you like your weed a bit moister, then you can use a humidification disk. The bottom line is, getting a humidor to work for weed just isn't worth the effort.
EDIT- Missed the 0 in "10." Also changed some usages of "marijuana smokers" which, as a smoker myself, is sort of second nature. Upon reflection I realized that the majority of the people here probably don't smoke nearly as much as they vape, seeing as how that's sort of the general concept of the page. But hey, Fuck Combustion is a pretty subtle name, right? It's easy to see how I might've missed it, right?
There are several reasons why humidors are not optimum storage devices for weed. One is that the optimum relative humidity for weed is much lower than it is for cigars. It IS possible to set a humidor at a drastically lower RH, but it requires a lot more work and some modifications to the humidor, such as an air conditioning system or other way to lower the humidity. Humidification devices that are not filled can work t a degree, but not all the way- the optimum RH for tobacco is in the 64-72% range, whereas for weed, it's in the much lower 30-35% range. So really, it's not that optimum for storage considerations alone.
However, what's more important is the reason why marijuana users store marijuana and why cigar smokers store cigars. Often, the reason is the same- they buy more than they can consume in the near future for a better deal. But there's a lot more to it than that for cigar smokers. More often than not, people who invest in a humidor are interested in aging their cigars. Aging a cigar by keeping it in a proper environment for months or even years can drastically change the way the cigar smokes. First of all, it brings out the oils of the leaf used for the cigar. This has several ramifications. The first and most obvious is that the oils won't burn the same way while smoking, which cuts down on clogging and creates a better draw on the cigar. Secondly, the drawing out of the oils also serves to bring the flavors of the cigar more to the forefront of the palette, making for a more noticeably complex and tasty smoke. Finally, because of the lower concentration of oils inside the leaf, the tobacco doesn't create as thick a smoke, creating a milder smoke that has a much smaller chance of knocking you on your ass. This MIGHT work to a vaporizers advantage- bringing out the meat of the marijuana to more easily vaporize. But that's pure speculation- I don't know enough of the chemistry behind weed to say that with authority.
The second predominate effect of aging cigars in a humidor is the transferance of flavor from the common spanish cedar lining to the cigars. The lining material, unless it is non-porous, will contribute to the flavor. Spanish cedar is preferred because it gives a very nice light spiciness to a cigar, as well as a pleasant woody undertone. There are a few that do not use spanish cedar, mostly travel humidors with form fitting cushions, but those ones are meant purely to keep a cigar properly maintained and protected during transit, not age a cigar. The only cigars meant for aging that don't use spanish cedar are Davidoff humidors, which use a non-porous material so as not to affect the flavor of their cigars. Davidoff believes that their cigars are perfect as is, contrary to what pretty much everyone else in the world thinks when it comes to aging. So those would not affect the flavor. But ask yourself- do you want your weed to taste more like wood when you vape it?
Basically, the payoff just isn't there for keeping marijuana in a humidor. A cigar smoker might keep a cigar in his humidor for 1, 5, 10, or more years, and have a decidedly different smoke at each of those periods, and find one best suited to his taste. I know one guy who's taken to buying double the number of cigars he's going to smoke so that he can age them and start to have a selection that will, a few years from now, constantly be aged. Is anyone going to drop the money for a half oz. and wait a few years to use it? I find it doubtful, so any benefits that might be gained from aging will be lost because of the different approaches that marijuana users and cigar smokers have to their recreational habits. More likely, the weed will be gone in a month or so, before it has time to benefit from aging (if there are any benefits at all, which I don't know). It'd be an interesting experiment if someone wanted to try it, but that's it.
Sure, a humidor, with no humidification devices, will present a fairly good airtight container, at least as good as a well sealed ziplock bag, although probably with more air inside of it because of greater volume, so more air to lend to the decay of THC. It would certainly be a better stashbox than, say, a shoebox, and most definitely it would be more attractive. However, a mason jar would provide an even more airtight container, and if you like your weed a bit moister, then you can use a humidification disk. The bottom line is, getting a humidor to work for weed just isn't worth the effort.
EDIT- Missed the 0 in "10." Also changed some usages of "marijuana smokers" which, as a smoker myself, is sort of second nature. Upon reflection I realized that the majority of the people here probably don't smoke nearly as much as they vape, seeing as how that's sort of the general concept of the page. But hey, Fuck Combustion is a pretty subtle name, right? It's easy to see how I might've missed it, right?
Purple-Days
Well-Known Member
Cool post ITG, welcome to the forum
Vape users probably would want lower RH than you quote for MJ smokers. When I smoked I kept and air tight jar and used a humidigying disk (ceramic un perforated aluminum) to maintain optimum RH for smoking.
But now (vaping) stuff gets dried on a metal plate on top of the TV set for maximum dryness. No idea what the RH is but we like ut low.
Curing weed won't bring 'THC to the top' as you are trying to do with the oils in tobacco, it's not constructed that way. Most of the THC is concentrated in the trichromes that stand above the surface of the leaves and flower parts. Grinding further exposes the trichromes hidden in the folds but it is still surface THC.
Saying that, I see a place for tobacco tech. I have cured fresh harvested weed in cigar boxes, one I have had since 1980 and another I picked up in New Orleans. Spanish Cedar can impart a very nice undertone, the cigar guys know it... Cigar boxes, the poor man's humidor. And a very nice cure environment. Slide top boxes can let you regulate the air circulation, hinged and clasped boxes make nice second stage cure boxes.
Vape users probably would want lower RH than you quote for MJ smokers. When I smoked I kept and air tight jar and used a humidigying disk (ceramic un perforated aluminum) to maintain optimum RH for smoking.
But now (vaping) stuff gets dried on a metal plate on top of the TV set for maximum dryness. No idea what the RH is but we like ut low.
Curing weed won't bring 'THC to the top' as you are trying to do with the oils in tobacco, it's not constructed that way. Most of the THC is concentrated in the trichromes that stand above the surface of the leaves and flower parts. Grinding further exposes the trichromes hidden in the folds but it is still surface THC.
Saying that, I see a place for tobacco tech. I have cured fresh harvested weed in cigar boxes, one I have had since 1980 and another I picked up in New Orleans. Spanish Cedar can impart a very nice undertone, the cigar guys know it... Cigar boxes, the poor man's humidor. And a very nice cure environment. Slide top boxes can let you regulate the air circulation, hinged and clasped boxes make nice second stage cure boxes.
Medivape
Rob
Thank you very much for the lengthy and informative post! That answers all my questions. I keep my buds in a small cigarbox and ground-up herb in a plastic specimen cup (the same thing you have to piss in for a drug test). 
My father has since purchased a humidor, so I purchased him some Cohiba Black Robusto Crystal cigars and a 10 pack sampler of some assorted Dominicans. I know he likes the Cohibas and the latter was a "bonus buy" shot in the dark. I never realized how involved the cigar industry was. I wish my dad shared an interest in pot. Having a relaxing father-son vape session would be cool. Maybe one day when he doesn't have to work or worry about being drug tested that time will come.
My father has since purchased a humidor, so I purchased him some Cohiba Black Robusto Crystal cigars and a 10 pack sampler of some assorted Dominicans. I know he likes the Cohibas and the latter was a "bonus buy" shot in the dark. I never realized how involved the cigar industry was. I wish my dad shared an interest in pot. Having a relaxing father-son vape session would be cool. Maybe one day when he doesn't have to work or worry about being drug tested that time will come.
I'm glad you guys found my post useful. Like I said, I'm not an expert on the chemistry of weed-I figured you might get something like the oils some methods squeeze out of the leaves to get hash, but the oil is probably just mostly present in the leaves and would need to be uncured anyway. I know a lot more about cigars than I do about weed.
And if your father likes those cohibas, medivape, another cigar he might like is Drew Estate's Liga Privada No. 9. The toro size is the original, and in my opinion the best, though all are tasty, and the double corona gives a very different, slightly milder, and very good experience. The binder is a quality mexican leaf, like one of the black robusto's fillers, and it too is a medium-full body cigar smooth enough to seem like a medium body. It has more tastes of pistachio nuts and espresso, so it's not as creamy, but it's still definitely a delicious smoke. It's probably cheaper too. So if you want one more cigar gift for Christmas, give it a look.
EDIT- Was in a bit of a rush before, so I didn't get everything down. One of the biggest problems with getting the Liga Privada, though, is that it is somewhat of a limited release- out of 2000 stores that carry Drew Estates other products, only 70 or so carry the Liga. I know Top Shelf Cigars at tscigar.com have a sampler of the four different sizes for $36, but they only ship if you live outside of New Hampshire- if you live there, you have to go to one of the shops, but of course at the shops you can get singles. Two Guys Smoke Shop, also in NH, also sell online, and you can get singles from them (although they're a little above msrp, by like 19 cents a stick-big woop, right?) and they mail anywhere- though it's probably better to go into the shop anyway if you live in NH. Everywhere else I know of that sells them online requires you to buy boxes, although you might be able to call into Uptown Cigar in NY and have him do something mail order. If you need to know a local smoke shop that carries them, I can give you the list of all the shops in your state that carries them, if, of course, I knew your state.
If you're looking for something to top off the cigars though, the Liga Privada is the way to go.
And if your father likes those cohibas, medivape, another cigar he might like is Drew Estate's Liga Privada No. 9. The toro size is the original, and in my opinion the best, though all are tasty, and the double corona gives a very different, slightly milder, and very good experience. The binder is a quality mexican leaf, like one of the black robusto's fillers, and it too is a medium-full body cigar smooth enough to seem like a medium body. It has more tastes of pistachio nuts and espresso, so it's not as creamy, but it's still definitely a delicious smoke. It's probably cheaper too. So if you want one more cigar gift for Christmas, give it a look.
EDIT- Was in a bit of a rush before, so I didn't get everything down. One of the biggest problems with getting the Liga Privada, though, is that it is somewhat of a limited release- out of 2000 stores that carry Drew Estates other products, only 70 or so carry the Liga. I know Top Shelf Cigars at tscigar.com have a sampler of the four different sizes for $36, but they only ship if you live outside of New Hampshire- if you live there, you have to go to one of the shops, but of course at the shops you can get singles. Two Guys Smoke Shop, also in NH, also sell online, and you can get singles from them (although they're a little above msrp, by like 19 cents a stick-big woop, right?) and they mail anywhere- though it's probably better to go into the shop anyway if you live in NH. Everywhere else I know of that sells them online requires you to buy boxes, although you might be able to call into Uptown Cigar in NY and have him do something mail order. If you need to know a local smoke shop that carries them, I can give you the list of all the shops in your state that carries them, if, of course, I knew your state.
If you're looking for something to top off the cigars though, the Liga Privada is the way to go.