Once you cross over or combine the cigar world with the pipe world you have to switch up your game plan. We care for our precious cigars so why wouldn't we care for our tasty pipe tobacco the same way. I was going to have a separate cigar humidor ready for my pipe tobacco until I stumbled across the Icky box. While this is a more expensive rout to take I thought it was worth the price tag to give it a try. Read below to see if this was a good purchase or a bust.
The Ad Copy:
Made from 100% cherry wood so it will last a lifetime. Never worry about your contents getting dry and losing their effectiveness. Maintains perfect humidity. Can hold up to 3.5 grams of herbs per tin container (14 grams total). Can even hold up to 20 Robusto cigars. Each of the tin containers come with lids for spill-free travel. Includes a 60-gram Boveda pack and 4 icky tins.
STATS:
Brand: Icky
Item: Icky Box
Material: Cherry
Exterior: 6 3/4" x 7 1/2" x 3 5/8"
Interior: 5 3/16" x 5 3/4" x 3"
Compartments: 2
Size: 5 1/8" x 2 1/2" x 3"
Seal: Yes
Tins: 4
Tin Lids: Yes, spill free
Tin Storage: 3.5 grams each
Tin Size: 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" x 1 3/8"
Extras: Inside back area can be used for storage or for double storage. Back lid doubles as a rolling block. Dedicated slot in the lid for a 60-gram Boveda pack.
Price: $84.99
First Impression:
As I stated I bought this as an upgrade and not a necessity. The packaging is beautiful. Well padded and came flawless with no damage. The box itself is backed by a 100 year warranty. That has to boost your confidence a little since 100 years is a long time for any product. The box itself was very sturdy and dense, but not to big or heavy for travel. The tins are well made and not that cheap aluminum foil stuff. The lids of the tins fit snug and the lid of the box has a tight and sealed closure. So far this is looking like a solid purchase.
Set-Up:
I was not able to find any information about a cherry storage box and setting it up. I reverted back to what I know and decided to season this as I would any tobacco storage box with the exception of the Pelican Ruck Case travel humidor and the Boveda acrylic humidors. I made sure the inside was clean and gave it a quick wipe down with distilled water. I placed a Govee hygrometer in the lid along with an 84% 60-gram Boveda pack. I sealed the box and left it. After 7 days I opened the box and placed the 4 tins with lids inside and sealed it again. On day 14 I removed the 84% Boveda pack and replaced it with a 62%. I also filled the tins with my choice of tobacco and closed it again. After one day the humidity was running between 62% and 65% which was right what I was aiming for.
Usage:
While I am well aware that this box was designed for other types of herbs I felt it had all the correct qualities I would need for my pipe tobacco. This was used strictly for that purpose and nothing more.
One Week Assessment:
After one week a lot of usage I have not found any issues with the box. Even with opening for an extended period of time (on purpose), once closed it was able to get right back to the desired humidity without any hassles. I also did not restock any of the tobacco as I used it to see if it would have an effect on the cherry humidor.
Two Week Assessment:
After two weeks of use and two road trips this box is still going strong. It is keeping my tobacco products very fresh. Not one of the tins has come out dry or lost any of the flavor that should have been there. I was careful with it during travel making sure it was flat in my car. I did not want to toss this all over the place and complain that it did not hold up. It was not made for that type of abuse.
Final Thought:
I am very lucky that my money was not wasted. i bought this on impulse and to have something beautiful sitting on my home cigar bar. I was pleasantly surprised that everything went perfectly. I did expect some bumps in the road somewhere, but it just did not happen that way. I know we are creatures of habit so for the long time pipe smokers you may have a preferred system to use. I will put my stamp of approval on this product though. You will not be disappointed if you trust it with your delicious pipe tobaccos.