Learn About Cigars Humidors

OK, let’s assume that you’re wanting to build a nice collection of cigars and you’ve invested in a humidor that meets your size needs and aesthetic tastes. What should you do to set up the humidor the right way so that your prized cigars are protected and remain flavorful over time?

My first suggestion really has to go back to the humidor selection itself. Make sure you buy one that meets your needs from a size perspective. I’ve seen a number of people buy small and cheap and later regret it. You don’t want to overfill a humidor since this can cause a decline in efficiency and thus cigar flavor. Buy the right size for your smoking habit and storage needs.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s look at how to optimize your humidor for maximum cigar protection and smoking enjoyment.

Some impatient people just cut to the chase and fill the humidifier with tap water and immediately add the cigars. No, no, no! You don’t want to do that if you care about your cigar collection or your new humidor.

You shouldn’t use tap water in your humidifier. Instead, you should use a 50/50 solution of propylene glycol and distilled water. This mixture is available commercially or you can mix up your own solution. Propylene glycol is a colorless liquid that provides two benefits for our cigar humidors. First, this compound inhibits the growth of molds and bacteria in the humidifier and, secondly it helps maintain the 70% humidity level that is desirable in a cigar humidor. Distilled water is pure H2O. It doesn’t have impurities that can cause problems with your humidor over time such as mineral deposits and smells.

You begin by adding the solution to the element of the humidor. Over the next 48 hours, observe the humidity inside the humidor using a good quality, digital, hygrometer. If the humidity doesn’t begin to rise to the desired level of 70% humidity, place a small, flat, container of distilled water inside the humidor. Make that you keep the lid closed. You will leave this container in the humidor until the humidity reaches 70%. At that point, remove the container with the extra water.

Another step you can take, only if you made the wise decision to purchase a humidor made from solid Spanish cedar, is to condition the inside of the humidor with a cloth you have wet with distilled water. This seems to open up the pores in the wood and allows them to more readily blend with the cigars when you introduce them to the humidor. Of course, you would not want to do this with a lined humidor or one made with other, less desirable, materials.

Now that you have allowed the humidity inside the humidor to acclimate, you may being adding cigars to it, slowly. Add your cigars gradually and watch the humidity inside the humidor closely. If it drops, you may need to add a little bit of distilled water to the humidifier element and wait before adding more cigars. It is simply a waiting game to insure the balance inside the box is just right for your prized smokes.

You can expect that the new humidor will need extra water during the first few weeks of operation. This allows the inner surfaces of the humidor to absorb the water and season the box. Just make sure that you monitor the humidity and temperature closely during this time, adding distilled water as required. As the humidor matures, you’ll need to add less and less water to it. A mature humidor will be ready to provide a great place to age your prized cigars.