How to Set up a Humidor

Non-cigar aficionados think of humidors as just a place to keep cigars. A true cigar lover knows the proper way to set up a cigar humidor so it's not only a place to store fine cigars, but also controls the humidity and retards the aging process of cigars.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Humidor
• Salt
• Plastic bag or plastic container that seals
• Small cap or plastic container that will fit inside the sealed bag
• Couple drops of water

Calibrating the Hygrometer

1. Place 1 teaspoon of salt into a small container, such as the top from a juice bottle.
2. Add 2 or 3 drops of water to the salt, being careful to only add enough water to make the salt damp, like wet sand.
3. Put your hygrometer into a zipper plastic bag or a plastic container with a lid.
4. Set the salt container in the plastic bag or plastic container with the hygrometer.
5. Seal the bag, making sure there's some air inside.

Charging the Humidor

6. Remove the hygrometer in approximately 6 to 8 hours to see if it has stabilized. The reading should be approximately 75 percent. If the hygrometer does not read 75 percent, turn the small screw on the back until the reading is correct.
7. Pour distilled water into the casing dish and then place it into the humidifier. Allow the distilled water to remain in the dish for approximately 1 minute.
8. Pour the distilled water out of the dish, and dry any excess liquid from the casing dish.
9. Lay the casing dish into the humidor.
10. Wipe down the inside of the humidor completely with distilled water.
11. Let the entire humidor dry for several hours and repeat the wipe down process. This is done to re-humidify the inside of the humidor (which is made of wood) to keep the cigars fresh.
12. Make sure the wood is completely dry before filling the humidor with cigars.

Tips & Warnings

• The hygrometer measures the relative humidity of the air.
• There are several different types of humidors including small travel sizes, tabletop types, and larger chest styles. Humidors also come in different types of wood and styles to accent various home decors.
• If your hygrometer shows a drop in humidity after several days, repeat Steps 5 – 7. The wood may have been extremely dry.