JML Modern Adds Drybox Humidors

Before smoking a particular cigar, some consumers prefer to take their cigars out and let them rest in either an old cigar box or just out in the open. It’s a practice known as dryboxing, something that is done to lower the internal moisture content of the cigar before it is smoked, typically done for a handful of hours or even overnight. Sometimes this is done because there’s concern that the cigar might have too much moisture, othertimes it’s just done out of habit.

JML Modern, a Milwaukee-based humidor maker, has announced that it is adding boxes that are more or less humidors, except that they are purpose-built for dryboxing. The company is calling the model The Modern Drybox. Each box measures 9 inches x 7.25 x 2.75 externally, while the inside measures 7.5 x 6.25 x 2, enough space for around six cigars.

Jason LeGear, the founder of JML Modern, told halfwheel that these boxes use less Spanish cedar than he would typically use for a JML Modern humidor, but otherwise the boxes are made in a similar process. The box uses half-inch thick MDF that is lined with veneers, while the interior is made entirely of Spanish cedar. LeGear produces the company’s products in Milwaukee.

Compared to a regular humidor, the notable change is that The Modern Drybox comes with three 60-gram Boveda packs that are set at 49 percent relative humidity, far lower than what most consumers store their cigars at. LeGear says The Modern Drybox will need to be “reverse seasoned,” by placing one of the three packs inside for up to two weeks, with the aim of getting the internal climate between 52-55 percent relative humidity. After some testing, he said that he believes cigars should only be kept inside The Modern Drybox for up to 48 hours. However, that will vary depending on factors such as length, ring gauge, moisture content and, presumably, even the tobacco varietals used.

Pricing for The Modern Drybox is set at $350, JML Modern will begin selling a variety of different finishes of The Modern Drybox on Wednesday, June 12, via its website. The company says that it also willing to take wholesale orders and custom commissions.

“I’ve heard from cigar smokers across the world – people with thousands of dollars in fine cigars and expensive temperature and humidty controlled humidors – that they still dry their cigars overnight on a dresser, in a drawer, or an old cigar box they found in the back of a secondhand store,” said LeGear in a press release. “Unreliable microclimates like these can lead to an unsatisfying experience for the cigar connoisseur. The Modern Drybox has been engineered to be a stable and reliable way for any aficionado to get the most enjoyment out of their cigars, while being an attractive showpiece on a desk, at the office, or at the home.”