Stick Picks

How to Set Up a Tupperdor: DIY Cigar Storage Guide

By Stick Picks · Published June 27, 2026

Whether you’ve outgrown your first desktop humidor, want a cheap way to test the hobby before committing to a real box, or just picked up a bundle of cigars that needs a home tonight, a tupperdor solves the problem for under twenty dollars. It’s one of the most discussed DIY solutions on cigar forums, and for good reason: the physics are actually better in some ways than a cheap wooden box.

Here’s everything you need to know to build one correctly, keep it dialed in, and decide when it’s time to graduate to something more permanent.

What exactly is a tupperdor, and does it actually work?

A question we hear often:

A tupperdor is a portmanteau of “Tupperware” and “humidor” — any food-grade, airtight plastic container repurposed for cigar storage. The name stuck even though most people now use Rubbermaid Brilliance, Sistema, or similar brands rather than actual Tupperware.

The core idea is simple: plastic doesn’t breathe. Where a wooden humidor relies on Spanish cedar to absorb and release moisture — a process that requires days of seasoning and ongoing maintenance — a tupperdor simply seals whatever humidity you create inside it and holds it there. Pair that sealed environment with a modern two-way humidity pack and you have a climate that rivals many entry-level wooden boxes, and in some humidity metrics outperforms them.

One caveat worth knowing upfront: because the seal is so complete, humidity has nowhere to escape, which means it can spike if you use too large a humidification source. Starting conservative — a 65% or 69% RH Boveda pack rather than a 72% — is smarter than having to correct an over-humidified collection.

What container should I use, and how big should it be?

Choose a BPA-free, food-grade container with a silicone gasket lid and locking clips or latches. The gasket is the non-negotiable detail — a simple snap-top creates micro-gaps that let humidity drift. You also want enough room to lay a 7-inch Churchill flat without bending it. For most collectors starting out, a 6- to 9-liter container comfortably holds 25-50 cigars.

Two rules of thumb on sizing:

1. Leave at least 20-25% of the internal volume empty so humidity can circulate evenly around every stick.
2. Don’t go too large for your current collection. An oversized container with only a handful of cigars forces your humidity packs to work harder to fill unused air space.

If your collection grows beyond one container, the smarter move is running multiple tupperdors rather than one very large one — it also lets you age different blends at slightly different RH targets.

What do I need to buy, and how much will it cost?

This one comes up a lot:

The shopping list is short. A quality airtight container runs $10-18. A pack of two Boveda 69% RH 60-gram packs costs around $8-12. A reliable small digital hygrometer adds another $8-15. That’s a fully functional cigar storage solution for well under $40, and often closer to $20 if you already have a spare hygrometer.

Optional but recommended: a thin Spanish cedar sheet or tray from an old cigar box. Cedar isn’t required for humidity control, but it adds pleasant aroma and provides a small moisture buffer every time you open the lid — a behavior that would otherwise cause a brief humidity dip in an otherwise airtight system.

How do I actually set one up, step by step?

Readers frequently ask:

The process is faster than seasoning a wooden humidor — there’s no waiting days for cedar walls to absorb moisture.

Step 1 — Clean the container. Wash it with warm water and mild soap, rinse thoroughly, and let it air-dry completely. Any residual soap or food odors will transfer to your wrappers.

Step 2 — Place your hygrometer inside. Put it where you can read it without opening the lid. Many clear containers let you see the display right through the wall.

Step 3 — Add your Boveda pack(s). For a 25-cigar load in a standard container, one 60-gram Boveda 69% pack is typically enough. For 50 cigars or a larger container, use two. It’s easier to add humidity than remove it.

Step 4 — Close the lid and wait 24 hours. Let the internal RH stabilize before loading any cigars. Check the hygrometer reading. You’re looking for 65-70%. If it’s above 72%, swap in a lower-percentage pack (a 62% pack can help dial it back).

Step 5 — Load your cigars. Don’t pack them tightly — leave gaps for air to move between sticks. Cigars that touch for extended periods in high humidity can develop slight pressure marks or transfer flavors between blends.

Step 6 — “Burp” weekly. Because there’s zero air exchange in a sealed plastic box, open the lid for about 60 seconds once a week to let fresh air circulate. This prevents the internal atmosphere from going stale.

From there, maintenance is minimal. Boveda packs in a well-sealed tupperdor typically last 4-6 months, though checking monthly is good practice.

How does a tupperdor compare to a traditional humidor for aging?

This is where honest nuance matters. For short- to medium-term storage — say, one to three years — a well-maintained tupperdor performs excellently. The airtight seal means humidity is highly stable, which is genuinely what cigars need day-to-day.

For longer aging, most serious collectors still prefer a Spanish cedar-lined traditional humidor. Cedar slowly contributes aromatic compounds to the cigars resting near it, and its natural porosity provides a buffering effect that plastic simply can’t replicate. According to cigar industry consensus, cigars aged five or more years develop noticeably more complexity when stored in cedar environments versus inert plastic — though both will keep a cigar in good physical condition.

A practical workaround: store factory box cigars inside their original cedar boxes within a coolidor or large tupperdor. You get the airtight seal from the plastic outer container and the cedar exposure from the box itself. Many serious collectors use exactly this setup for overflow stock.

What are the most common tupperdor mistakes collectors make?

A question we hear often:

Five mistakes come up repeatedly on cigar forums:

1. Using a container that isn’t truly airtight. A lid that simply snaps rather than latching with a silicone gasket will leak humidity steadily. The dollar-bill test works here: close the lid on a folded bill and try to pull it out. If it slides free easily, your seal isn’t tight enough.

2. Overfilling with humidification. Because plastic holds humidity so efficiently, a 72% Boveda pack intended for a wooden humidor will push a tupperdor well above 72% RH — a zone where mold risk increases and wrappers can become uncomfortably tacky. Start with a 65% or 69% pack.

3. Storing flavored and non-flavored cigars together. Even in a sealed environment, aromatic or flavored cigars will transfer their character to unflavored blends over weeks. Keep them in separate containers.

4. Skipping the hygrometer. A tupperdor feels like a “set and forget” system, but humidity can drift — especially if you open the lid often or store the container near a heat source. A $10 digital hygrometer is cheap insurance against a spoiled collection.

5. Placing it in direct sunlight or near heat vents. Plastic insulates poorly compared to cedar or foam. Temperature spikes translate directly to humidity spikes, and sustained heat above 72 degrees F raises the risk of tobacco beetle eggs hatching — a problem that can devastate an entire collection. Keep your tupperdor in a cool, dark spot.

When should I upgrade from a tupperdor to a real humidor?

A tupperdor earns its place as a permanent part of many serious collections, not just a beginner’s stopgap. But there are a few natural upgrade moments:

• You consistently own more than 50-75 cigars and find yourself juggling multiple containers, which is a signal that a properly sized desktop or cabinet humidor would simplify your life.
• You’re aging premium cigars for 5+ years and want the full cedar-aging experience rather than neutral plastic storage.
• You want to display your collection. A tupperdor is honest about what it is, and that’s not a showpiece.

For overflow, travel backup, or separating blends by aging stage, though, tupperdors remain one of the most practical tools even for collectors with thousands of cigars. Many experienced aficionados run a Spanish cedar humidor for their “active rotation” and tupperdors or coolidors for their aging stock, keeping the two systems complementary rather than competing.

If you’re tracking multiple storage vessels across different humidity targets, a tool like Stick Picks makes it easy to catalog which sticks are in which container, note their target RH, and log tasting notes as they age — no spreadsheet or exceptional memory required.

FAQ

Do I need to season a tupperdor like a wooden humidor? No. Plastic doesn’t absorb moisture the way Spanish cedar does, so there’s no seasoning process. Just add your humidity source, wait 24 hours for the environment to stabilize, then load your cigars.

What humidity level should I target inside a tupperdor? Most collectors aim for 65-69% RH in an airtight plastic container. Because there’s zero vapor loss through the walls, humidity can climb higher than in a wooden box — so start with a 65% or 69% Boveda pack rather than a 72%.

How many Boveda packs does a tupperdor need? Boveda recommends roughly one 60-gram pack per 25 cigars as a starting point, but in an airtight container you often need fewer. Monitor with a hygrometer for the first week and remove a pack if RH creeps above 70%.

Can I age cigars long-term in a tupperdor? Yes, for medium-term aging of one to three years. For longer aging — five-plus years — many collectors prefer a Spanish cedar-lined humidor, which imparts subtle cedar character and buffers humidity fluctuations more naturally than plastic.

What is the difference between a tupperdor and a coolidor? A tupperdor uses a small, food-grade plastic container suited for up to 50-75 cigars. A coolidor uses a large foam-insulated beverage cooler — often holding hundreds of cigars or whole boxes — and offers better temperature insulation in warm climates.

Should I add Spanish cedar to a tupperdor? It’s optional but worthwhile for long-term storage. A thin cedar tray or a few cedar sheets from an old cigar box add pleasant aroma and act as a small humidity buffer when you open the lid, mimicking the feel of a traditional humidor.

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