Boveda Large Acrylic Humidor Review
Summary
I’ve always been a traditionalist; I love the look and smell of a heavy, handmade wooden humidor. But I’ve gotta be real, this acrylic Boveda humidor has completely won me over with how practical and low-maintenance it is. Bottom line: it just works.
That said, because it has Spanish cedar internals, you absolutely still need to season it. This is non-negotiable, especially if you live somewhere dry. My buddy Wesley lives in Arizona, and he has to be religious about seasoning his wooden trays.
The “fish tank” aesthetic isn’t for everyone—my wife Maren thinks it’s a bit too modern for our study—and if it weren’t for that polarizing look, this would be a hands-down top recommendation for everyone.
Boveda has been refining this model for a while; this isn’t their first rodeo with an acrylic box.
This exact humidor has been my daily driver for my “ready to smoke” sticks for going on three years now, and I’ve loved it.
Just so you know, Boveda doesn’t actually make these anymore. The humidor is now manufactured by Westwood Humidors, who licensed the design.
⭐Boveda Large Acrylic Humidor Review
Specification
Type: Acrylic humidor;
Capacity: Up to 75 cigars, depending on the vitola.
Country of Origin: China;
Dimensions, W/D/H: 14.5/9/4.4;
Inner dimensions, W/D/H: 13.3/7.8/3;
Interior and Materials: Acrylic glass, Spanish cedar;
Lock: No;
Drawers: No;
Trays: One cedar tray;
Lighting: No.
Humidification: Yes, Boveda packs;
Hygrometer: No;
Water tank capacity: No water tank included;
Thermometer: No;
Temperature control: No;
Ventilation: No;
Noise level: 0 dB;
Power supply: No power source required.
Let’s be real, the first thing you notice—and the whole point of this humidor—is the crystal-clear, see-through design.This is a huge plus for me. I love being able to see my whole collection at a glance. When my friend Desmond comes over, I can show him what I’ve got without ever lifting the lid and letting the humidity out.But this is also its biggest weakness. You absolutely cannot put this on a windowsill. Direct sunlight or heat will be disastrous for your cigars.
This is where it crushes traditional boxes: it’s so much easier to season and maintain. Because it’s 90% non-porous acrylic, the seasoning process is way faster. You’re just seasoning the tray, not a whole heavy box.
I’m so glad they didn’t go 100% plastic. That removable Spanish cedar tray is clutch, and it comes with two adjustable dividers so you can organize your sticks.That cedar isn’t just for looks; it imparts that classic, subtle aroma as the cigars age. But, again, it’s wood, which means it needs to be seasoned regularly.A small detail, but the little rubber feet on the bottom are great. It sits on my polished bookshelf and doesn’t slide an inch when I open it.
- Easy to maintain and use.
- Maintains the humidity inside.
- See-through design.
- No locks.
- You will need an additional hygrometer and thermometer.
- You need to be careful not to put it under direct sunlight.
Packaging and Shipping
I was a little worried about getting a giant acrylic box in the mail, but I gotta say, it was packed solid. The packaging was more than sufficient, and it arrived without a single scratch.
Just remember, you’re buying this from Westwood Humidors now, not Boveda directly. They handle all the shipping and return policies.
They do back it with a one-year warranty, which is solid peace of mind.
Exterior
The “Large” version is no joke. It measures 14.5 inches wide, 9 inches deep, and 4.4 inches high.
As I mentioned in the cons, the design is super minimalist—that means no lock or key.
No surprises here. The whole outer shell, both the case and the lid, is made of thick, clear acrylic glass.
Interior
I mean, the whole point is the exterior is the interior, visually speaking. You can see everything right from the outside.
Inside, you get this really nice, deep tray made of Spanish cedar. You can stack your sticks pretty high, and it comes with two cedar dividers you can slot in to organize your collection.
The Boveda packs are designed to just sit on the acrylic floor, and the cedar tray rests right on top of them.
Setup and Seasoning
Pay attention here. I’ve seen some people say you don’t need to season acrylic, but that’s dead wrong. You must season this humidor before you use it.
If you don’t, that bone-dry Spanish cedar tray will act like a sponge and suck all the precious moisture right out of your cigars.
So, what’s the best way to season an acrylic humidor?
Boveda makes it stupid-simple with their 84% Seasoning Kit, which I’d recommend. When I seasoned my 2021 model, I just put a shot glass of distilled water inside for about seven days, monitoring it with my own hygrometer. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s stable. I do find I have to re-season the tray every fall, just like a regular humidor, as the RH here in Florida dropped to 55% by the end of one summer.
Capacity
They claim it holds 75 Corona-sized cigars, which is pretty generous.
I’ve seen people online complaining that capacity numbers are meaningless without a cigar size (vitola) specified, and they’re right.
So, to be crystal clear, that 75-stick count is specifically for Coronas, a test Northwoods Humidors ran. If you smoke big 6×60 Gordos like I do, you’ll fit way, way less.
Seal
The seal on this thing is, hands down, its best feature. It’s fantastic. The magnetic closing system pulls that lid down perfectly tight and keeps the moisture locked in.
Honestly, any good acrylic humidor should have a great seal; it’s the nature of the material.
You can hear it. Just drop the lid from an inch up, and you’ll hear that satisfying swoosh of air being pushed out.
If you’re ever in doubt, do the classic dollar bill test. Close the lid on a dollar and try to pull it out. It shouldn’t budge.
Humidification System
The humidor ships with three 69% Boveda packs to get you started.
Because the seal is so good, these packs should easily last you six months, maybe even a full year.
Like I said earlier, just toss the Boveda packs on the bottom, place the cedar tray on top, and add your cigars. It’s that simple.
And don’t worry about the packs touching your sticks—Boveda packs are 100% safe to make contact with your cigars.
It’s just natural salt and water inside, nothing weird or chemical.
Hygrometer
Okay, so, it doesn’t come with a hygrometer. I guess the logic is that the seal is perfect and Boveda packs are so reliable, you don’t technically need one.
I’m not that trusting. I immediately threw my own calibrated digital hygrometer in there.
And I gotta admit, they’re right. The Boveda packs work perfectly. The humidity level is rock-solid.
Thermometer
Nope, no thermometer either. Without adding your own device, you have no way to monitor the internal temperature. (My digital hygrometer has one, so this was a non-issue for me).
Thermostat
And obviously, there’s no thermostat. This is the major, number-one weakness of the see-through design.
I’ll say it again: if you put this in the sun, the acrylic box will act like an oven and literally bake your cigars.
You must keep the Large Acrylic Humidor away from any sunlight or heat sources.
Performance
For my test, I put in three La Flor Dominicana El Jocko sticks that my meter read at 67% RH.
Since the humidor comes with three 69% packs, the goal was to see if it could bring the sticks up to 69% and hold them there.
The humidor performed like a champ. The see-through design was actually a huge help here, as I could check my digital hygrometer readings without opening the lid and ruining the test.
Of course, that’s not a realistic test. Nobody just looks at their humidor for a month without opening it.
To make it more real-world, I made sure to open it at least once a day for about a minute, just as if I were grabbing a stick.
After 30 days, I pulled out one of the La Flor Dominicana El Jocko cigars. My meter read it at exactly 69% RH. I lit it up, and the burn was perfect—super rich, creamy smoke, and the flavor was spot-on. That’s when I knew this humidor was a total keeper.
