Amerigo Luxury Humidor Review: Real Capacity, RH Stability, Seal

Packaging and shipping

It showed up packed really well, no complaints there. Tucked inside the box was the humidor itself (wrapped up safe), the hygrometer, that little round humidifier, and a set of instructions. It was a simple, clean unboxing experience.

I grabbed this off Amazon, and since I’ve got Prime, the shipping and any potential returns were totally free. You just can’t beat that peace of mind.

Exterior

Like other high-end humidors, you can tell this thing was put together by hand. The PU leather finish gives it a look that’s different from all the standard wood-grain boxes out there. I ran my hand over the stitching, and it’s all perfectly even—a really nice touch that shows they were paying attention.

The humidor is 11 inches wide, 10.5 inches deep, and 5.5 inches high. This is pretty much the sweet spot for a desktop unit. It’s big enough to hold a decent stash but doesn’t eat up my entire desk, leaving plenty of room for my Smoke Dock ashtray and cutter.

You’ve got the analog hygrometer right on the front, which looks great. The lid, as I mentioned, is mostly that big, clear acrylic window.

Interior

No surprises here, but in a good way. You open it up and, bam, you get that awesome, spicy aroma of Spanish cedar. The whole inside is lined with it. It also comes with a single cedar divider, which is nice for separating my maduros from my Connecticuts.

Man, I wish someone would figure out how to cram tiny, battery-powered lights or ventilation systems into boxes this size. I know, I know, it’s a pipe dream at this price, but a guy can hope.

Given its size, it’s obvious there’s no room for a water reservoir. You’re relying on the little humidifier puck, which we’ll get to.

Setup and Seasoning

I decided to document the whole setup, which took me thirteen days from start to finish. First, I wiped down the entire interior with a clean, damp cloth to get rid of any cedar dust. Then I calibrated the hygrometer and stuck a small coffee cup full of distilled water inside to start the seasoning process.

Day	RH_% (approx)
0	41
1	50
2	60
3	62
4	65
5	64
6	67
7	67
8	68
9	69
10	70
11	71
12	72
13	75
14	73
15	69
16	70

Forget that messy “salt test” you see online; it’s never worked right for me. I’m a Boveda guy, so I used their One-Step Calibration Kit. It’s dead simple and way more accurate. Trying to get a perfect 75% RH with table salt is just a guessing game.

The analog hygrometer’s readings actually tracked almost perfectly with my own SMARTRO digital one, which honestly surprised me. You can see the process was super smooth. Once the box held steady at 76% RH, I pulled the cup, dropped my cigars in, and swapped in the included round humidifier (after charging it, of course).

Capacity

The official word is 25 to 50 cigars, which, as always, “depends on the vitola.” In the real world, if you’re smoking robustos or toros, you’re looking at closer to 25-30. If you’re trying to cram 50 in there, they’d better be small. It’s a great capacity for a desktop box to hold your current rotation. If you need more storage, you’re in cabinet territory.

Seal

This is where the Amerigo really shines. I did the old-school “dollar bill test,” closing the lid on a bill and pulling. That bill was locked in there, no question. The seal is just fantastic. I was a little worried that the big acrylic window would be a weak point, but there are zero leaks between the glass and the frame.

Humidification System

You get a standard-issue round humidifier. Inside the plastic case, it’s filled with those little crystal gels.

If you’ve used these before, you know the drill. They tend to let off more humidity when it’s warm and less when it’s cool. In my experience, a full charge of distilled water will keep them going for about two, maybe three months before you need to top them off again.

Hygrometer

Amerigo gives you an analog hygrometer mounted right on the front, and it looks the part. It’s got that classic, old-school cool. My only gripe? It has these weird triangular markings for the “good” humidity range. They actually make it harder to get a quick, precise read. I found myself having to squint and guess the exact percentage instead of just seeing a needle on a number.

Thermometer

Nope, there’s no way to check the temperature inside this box unless you toss in your own digital hygrometer that does both.

Thermostat

Nothin’ doin’ here either. This is a passive box, not a cooler. Because of that big glass top, you’ve got to be smart about where you put it. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from any heaters, or you’ll be fighting temperature swings all day.

Performance

Before starting the test, I checked my three “sacrificial” cigars—a few La Flor Dominicana El Jockos. They were all sitting at 66% RH.

The instructions that came with the humidor said to just add water, but I went a different route. I soaked that little round humidifier in a bowl of distilled water for a solid two hours. I wanted to make sure those gel crystals were 100% saturated. After the two hours, they were plumped up, and I let the humidifier sit on a paper towel for a few minutes to drain any excess water off the case.

Here’s the bottom line: that little round humidifier is fine if you’ve got maybe 10-15 cigars in there. If you’re trying to push it toward that 50-cigar max, it just can’t keep up. You’ll absolutely need to add a second humidifier or a couple of Boveda packs.

The built-in hygrometer, despite the weird markings, did its job just fine. And I’ll admit, that glass top was super useful for checking my digital hygrometer inside without constantly opening the lid and messing up the environment.