BLÜME was created to simplify the process of cigar humidification, allowing full control and visibility of your precious cigar inventory. As cigar lovers, we designed BLÜME to be an active and fully connected humidifier ideal for use in any humidor. Both simple and effective, it's crafted for new or experienced cigar owners.

Per Cigar Advisor Executive Editor Gary Korb, "Very cool concept! Seems like there are lots of new ways to keep your cigars fresh with a little high-tech savvy added in."

Thank you to Cigar & Spirits, halfwheel, TrendHunter, CigarNoise, Cigar Dojo, Engadget, InTouch Rugby, EmojiStogies and The Finest Hours Cigars for your coverage or upcoming coverage! 

If you'd like to feature BLÜME, please contact info@cigarzen.com.
 

The cigar smoking experience is undeniably linked to the quality of the cigar you smoke. When you smoke a great cigar, you have a great experience. But unlike other products that require aging to reach perfection (e.g. wine, scotch), the way you store a cigar directly impacts the experience you have when it is smoked. 

Cigar newbies and veteran smokers alike have all smoked a bad cigar. A dry cigar or one that has been kept in an environment with fluctuating relative humidity levels is going to deliver a sub-optimal smoking experience.  Our question: How do you achieve the optimal experience?
 

BLÜME: active humidification via atomizing transduction. Cigar Oasis: floral foam with basic fan-over-water evaporation

The issue with current products is that they just don't cut it. The humidification systems on the market today, like the one pictured above next to BLÜME, require a lot of manual effort and monitoring by the user. That's where we come in.

BLÜME takes away the guess work when it comes to optimizing the aging process for your cigars by using state-of-the-art connected intelligence to ensure you're never out of touch with your humidor. 

BLÜME currently comes in two finishes: a deep brown embossed faux-leather, and carbon fiber. Both options are beautifully paired with a chrome base for an added sleek, reflective look. Choose the finish that looks best in your own humidor.  

BLÜME is a two-part solution. 

Part One is the device; a truly active humidifier with internal technology as impressive as its modern look. 

Part Two is a feature-rich smart-phone application that keeps you connected to your cigars at all times.

Both the device and the app work in harmony to consistently deliver the optimal smoking experience you’ve always wanted, but were never able to achieve.  BLÜME harnesses advanced technology to perfectly age cigars, delivering the smoking experience that cigar craftsmen always intended.

BLÜME's nearest competition is the current market leader, Cigar Oasis.

It's easy to see the differences in design between the two units. But once you take a closer look inside each humidification system, it's even easier to see why BLÜME comes out on top.

• Basic humidification: Products on the market today, like the widely-used Cigar Oasis Excel pictured above, use a fan-over-water method of creating evaporation, which is an inefficient method of promoting humidity. BLÜME's system uses ultrasonic waves that atomize the water in its reservoir, creating tiny water droplets which are then expelled through the opening around the top of the device for optimally dispersed humidification. 
• Alerts: Differences also come in the form of humidity alerts. While email or text alerts are optional for the Cigar Oasis Excel, app push notifications are always included with BLÜME so you never have to worry. Not only that, but the on-device hygrometer screen and low water alert system on the Cigar Oasis Excel forces you to actually open your humidor, letting out important humidified air, in order to see your reading. 
• Battery power: While traditional batteries are an optional accessory for the Cigar Oasis Excel, BLÜME is always charging via multiple built-in battery packs to ensure  optimal humidification never stops, even when charging.

BLÜME uses active humidification, which means built-in hygrometers monitor the humidity levels in your humidor through sensors at both sides.  When needed, atomized water is automatically released as vapor from the  perimeter of the device. 

What makes BLÜME different from other active humidifiers on the market is more than its elegant design. BLÜME is equipped with an atomizing transducer that emits ultrasonic waves to create tiny liquid water droplets, which quickly evaporate to efficiently adjust the relative humidity of the humidor.

Not only that, but the connected smartphone app keeps tabs on your hygrometer readings, notifying you right away when it’s time to add water, eliminating the burden of manually monitoring the humidor.  We've put a lot of thought into the mobile application.  Not only does it keep an inventory of your cigars along with an array of important data, but BLÜME will also help you select which cigar(s) have been optimally aged and are therefore prime for enjoyment. 

The Cigar Zen team is made up of Rob (left) and Lee (right).  Both avid cigar lovers, Rob's background in business and a deep understanding of the cigar industry, paired with Lee's extensive knowledge of technology and world-class product design, has culminated in the creation of BLÜME.  
 

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After nearly two years of intense work on BLÜME, it's clear that we need your help to introduce our advanced cigar humidification system to the market. We will do whatever is necessary to bring BLÜME to market, but we recognize every project has risks on the journey. For BLÜME we believe those risks to be the following:

1. Manufacturing challenges or delays
To mitigate delays we are targeting nearly a year to deliver BLÜME to ensure that final design tweaks, manufacturer selection, tooling, and initial quality control all occur with plenty of time to ship production-level BLÜME units. Even with this, we understand it's impossible to guarantee a specific delivery date, and we recognize that this could be a risk for our project.

Should any manufacturing challenges or delays arise, we commit to our backers full transparency in the issues we need to overcome, and look forward to your support.

2. Software design challenges
Like all software projects, there can be unforeseen challenges when designing software. In our case, BLÜME is the culmination of several key software solutions at once, including firmware code to run the device itself, mobile applications for both iOS and Android platforms, and back-end server code that will run in the cloud. The number of different languages and interfaces between components can increase development challenges.

To mitigate this risk we are taking several approaches. First, we have selected standardized development platforms such as iOS and Android, and have chosen a full-featured connected device platform. Second, we have been prototyping the development ourselves and testing for quite some time, and are confident that all necessary software can be produced. Lastly, we are working with a tier 1 software development agency that is deeply skilled in all areas of required development.

3. Changes to final design
When the rubber meets the road there are always surprises and changes that may need to occur. We accept that this is part of any hardware design project, and that's why we have completed the majority of the design process before we even considered launching on Indiegogo.

We will be making some final tweaks as we march toward production, however the many design iterations previously completed have helped us mitigate design risk significantly.

4. Capital challenges due to unexpected costs
While we have attempted to anticipate all post-Indiegogo costs, there will inevitably be costs that we did not expect. In order to mitigate this concern we have budgeted for all aspects of production, from final design tweaks, manufacturing and tooling, through to fulfillment and marketing. Additionally we have allocated 5% of our Indiegogo budget to unforeseen costs to ensure that we do not run out of capital as we deliver BLÜME to our backers.

1. Is this a humidor? No, BLÜME is a humidification system that fits inside any standard size humidor (see more regarding humidor sizes below).

2. How big is the device?  BLÜME's planned dimensions are 7” x 2.45” x 3.06” (L x W x H)

3. How much water can the reservoir hold? BLÜME holds 250ml (8.8 ounces) of water.

4. How is the device powered? BLÜME is powered by a battery in the base as the main power source, which we are estimating lasts one month between swaps. That being said, a smaller battery built in to BLÜME serves as a back-up so the device will keep humidifying while the user is charging their base.

5. What size humidor does the device work in? BLÜME is designed to fit in all standard “box” humidors, as well as larger humidors (i.e. end table or small cabinet humidors). Users with larger cabinet or walk-in humidors would likely require more than one BLÜME unit to keep the entire space humidified. Cigar Zen’s future plans include units built for these larger humidors.

6. How long does the water last before running low? The water held in BLÜME’s reservoir should last for one month between refills.

7. What is the warranty on BLÜME? BLÜME comes with a Lifetime Limited Warranty. For Terms and Conditions of this warranty, please visit our website.