How to Keep Humididty Up in Cigar Humidor

Maintain proper humidity in your humidor with a few simple steps.

Humidity is both the friend and enemy of a cigar. When stored in the correct relative humidity (rh) that is about 70 percent, a cigar can properly age and develop in flavor. However, when the relative humidity drops well below 70 percent, the cigar can dry out. This can result in a poor burn and bad flavor. The opposite holds true for high humidity levels. The cigar can become too moist, not burn properly and be susceptible to mold development.

Things You'll Need

• Cigar humidor
• Humidification device
• Distilled water
• Hygrometer

Instructions

1. Properly season your humidor. Pour distilled water onto a new clean cloth or sponge. Wipe the entire inside surface of the humidor with distilled water. Place a small cap with distilled water in the center of the humidor and allow it to sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Open the humidor, wipe down the inside once again with distilled water, refill the cap with distilled water and wait another 24 hours. Following this, the Spanish cedar in the humidor should have absorbed enough moisture to hold cigars.

2. Calibrate your hygrometer so that it is giving an accurate reading. Place a teaspoon of salt in a small cap and add enough water to make a thick paste. Place the cap and hygrometer in a sealable clear plastic bag. Let the hygrometer sit undisturbed for 6 hours or so and then read the hygrometer. The relative humidity will be 75 percent in the bag due to the salt paste. Adjust your hygrometer so that it reads 75 percent.

3. Saturate the foam block of a hygrometer with a solution of distilled water and propylene glycol (ppg). This solution is available from most on-line cigar companies as well as local brick and mortar stores. Allow the wet foam block to absorb as much of the solution as possible and place the block in the plastic or metal holder. Place the humidification device in the humidor and monitor closely for the first 24 hours or so.

4. Place a tube or container of humidifying crystals in the humidor. These crystals are specially designed to be used with distilled water and will maintain the relative humidity inside the humidor at 72 percent. If the rh level falls below 72 percent, more moisture is released into the humidor. If the level increases above 72 percent, moisture is absorbed.

5. Avoid opening the humidor unnecessarily. Only open it to place or remove cigars or for periodic inspection. Each time the lid is opened the atmosphere in the humidor is disturbed and must be established all over again.

Tips & Warnings

• There is some debate among cigar aficionados as to whether the inside wood of a humidor will be warped by wiping with distilled water. However, by following the seasoning method above that involves moistening and not saturating the interior, includes the cap of water and reduces the time between inspection, no warping of the wood should occur.

References

• Cigar Toys: Humidors 101