Cigar Intel 2018 Cigar (Accessory) of the Year

January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 c.gar

This is our 7th year selecting a Cigar of the Year. Unlike other websites and publications, our Cigar of the Year is based simply on the cigar Smokey Butts and I smoked the most of that year. Plain and simple. Other publications base their selection on taste, quality, burn, flame, ash, hints of heaven and tabasco sauce, tobacco source, blah blah blah.

For 2018, there was no clear cut winner. We smoked tons of different cigars. The numbers just didn’t add up. So, we decided not to award a Cigar of the Year in 2018.

That was a short post and a disappointment.

Well, reader, don’t be disappointed as we are handing out a Cigar of the Year award for 2018! Sort of. We decided to add one word to our award. For 2018, we are changing our Cigar of the Year award to Cigar (Accessory) of the Year Award.

Before we reveal the Cigar Intel 2018 Cigar (Accessory) of the Year, here’s a list of our prior selections:

2017: Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva Flor Fina 8-5-8 Natural
2016: My Father Cigars Don Pepin Garcia El Centurion Toro
2015: JM’s Nicaraguan Sumatra
2014: Rocky Patel Cargo

2013: Oliva Serie V Melanio
2012: Punch Rare Corojo Elite

Our Cigar (Accessory) of the Year award goes to a revolutionary cigar accessory that should be in every cigar humidor.

The Cigar Intel 2018 Cigar (Accessory) of the Year is the. . .

Boveda Butler

The Boveda Butler is billed as a “Total Humidity Management System”. That sounds pretty fancy. In short, the Boveda Butler is a bluetooth-enabled humidity and temperature sensor. And this thing is impressive. The device connects to an iPhone or Android app and keeps a history of the humidity and temperature in your humidor. The device also sends you a text alert when either exceeds the parameters you set when you install the device.

For a mere $20, yes twenty bucks, you can simplify monitoring your humidors. And the device is small, damn small.

How It Works

Here’s how it works:

First, download the free Boveda app from the Apple iOS or Android App Store.
Next, create an account with Boveda and complete the form to add your new device to the app.
Next up, calibrate your Boveda Butler. Place the device in the included One-Step Calibration Kit bag, tell the device to calibrate, and smoke a cigar. After 24 hours, the calibration is complete and the app automatically adjusts the Relative Humidity (RH) of the device. Pretty slick.
After calibrating the Boveda Butler, insert the device in your humidor. You can attach the device to the side or inside top of your humidor using the enclosed Velcro pieces. That’s it. Now let technology monitor your cigars!

Here’s a few screenshots from my iPhone showing the main screens in the app.

Main Screen Showing List of All Humidors and Their Humidity and Temperature Levels

Information on a Specific Humidor in My Humidor Collection

When you open the app, the app synchronizes with each of your humidors within bluetooth range and updates the data. If the app is open on your phone, the app automatically syncs with each device periodically when in bluetooth range.

While almost perfect, there are couple of nits I have with the device:

Remote Monitoring: This is kluged together. Since the Boveda Butler uses bluetooth, your iPhone or Android device only receives updates when you are within range. This is perfect except for when you are on vacation and want to check the humidity and temperature in your humidor that is 1,000 miles away, or in my case, at work 20 miles away. Boveda has a solution called remote monitoring but this requires another iPhone or Android near the Boveda Butler at all times. Weird. I wish the device was wifi instead of bluetooth.
Battery Life: In my usage, the battery life was less than I expected. I had to replace the battery approximately every three months. I have five Boveda Butler devices running and changing five batteries every three months gets a bit expensive. Also, a couple of times, I did not receive a warning that the battery was low and the battery died before I figured out there was an issue.

Below are a few videos produced by Boveda showing how to setup and use the device.