Your package of your brand newhumidor has just arrived, and all you feel like doing is opening it and filling it with your cigar collection. Well, you should resist the urge to do so and ensure that you have seasoned it properly before using it to store your treasured cigars. If your humidor is not seasoned, then you might not as well even own a humidor.
Humidors come normally lined with Spanish cedar. This type of wood is preferable since it resists mold and holds a lot of water. It also has a tight seal that retains your cigars fresh and free of contaminants. In case the cedar is not water saturated already, it lowers the humidity by constantly absorbing water from the air in the humidor as well as the moisture from the cigars. You obviously do not want this to happen.
If the humidor does not have a tight enough seal, then the cigars will not benefit from the humidifier. If you want to keep cigars fresh for when you desire to smoke them, humidors are your best bet. All you have to do is just a bit of preparation to make sure that it is in the best condition and that it maintains your cigars in peak smoking condition.
There are several easy ways of seasoning your humidor. One way is to wet a sponge using distilled water and then wipe it gently along the inside of the humidor ensuring that you get all the walls, the dividers, trays, as well as the interior of the lid. Once you have wiped down the interior, prepare the humidification device and attach or place it on your humidor. Put a wet sponge into the humidor placed in shrink-wrap or a Ziploc bag to keep it from being in direct contact with the wood. Leave it closed tight for at least a full day.
Once the waiting period is over, repeat the process making sure that you wipe all the interior surfaces using distilled water only but this time around, remove the sponge. Allow the humidor to rest for another 24 hours with the humidification device. It is advisable that you use a hygrometer to check the changing humidity levels. While you are conducting the seasoning process, the humidity will probably be higher than you want but it should not be less than 70% Relative Humidity (RH). In case the level of humidity falls drastically at this point, wipe down the interior of the humidor again and let it stay closed for a further 24 hours. Repeat the process, as many times as needed until the humidor attains the desired humidity level that is usually 70% RH.
You should always ensure that you use only distilled water in the seasoning process since tap water usually has pathogens that you do not want growing on your cigars including fungi. If you use tap water then you run the risk of ruining the humidifier with chlorine, salt, as well as other mineral deposits.
A simpler way of seasoning a humidor is buying a humidor seasoning packet that you can get at almost all cigar shops as well as online and let it sit in the humidor for up to 14 days. The number of packets of this seasoning that you will require will depend on the amount of cubic space within the humidor. The seasoning packets are quite convenient, require little work on your part, and leave nothing to chance. You should always remember however that the packets do take longer to reach the desired humidity levels. This means that you may have to seek alternative accommodation for your cigars until the humidor is ready. Seasoning packs come highly recommended by many cigar experts since they are the best way of seasoning a humidor properly.
In case your cigars are under-humidified, you will know it almost instantly since the wrapper will begin to crack and will be hard as a rock to the touch. Cigars that are under-humidified also tend to have trouble burning since they have soaked up a lot of water and are like a sponge. Always store your cigars in a properly seasoned humidor and you will be smoking them just as they were meant to be smoked.
Photo Credit: Dan Iggers
Humidors come normally lined with Spanish cedar. This type of wood is preferable since it resists mold and holds a lot of water. It also has a tight seal that retains your cigars fresh and free of contaminants. In case the cedar is not water saturated already, it lowers the humidity by constantly absorbing water from the air in the humidor as well as the moisture from the cigars. You obviously do not want this to happen.
If the humidor does not have a tight enough seal, then the cigars will not benefit from the humidifier. If you want to keep cigars fresh for when you desire to smoke them, humidors are your best bet. All you have to do is just a bit of preparation to make sure that it is in the best condition and that it maintains your cigars in peak smoking condition.
There are several easy ways of seasoning your humidor. One way is to wet a sponge using distilled water and then wipe it gently along the inside of the humidor ensuring that you get all the walls, the dividers, trays, as well as the interior of the lid. Once you have wiped down the interior, prepare the humidification device and attach or place it on your humidor. Put a wet sponge into the humidor placed in shrink-wrap or a Ziploc bag to keep it from being in direct contact with the wood. Leave it closed tight for at least a full day.
Once the waiting period is over, repeat the process making sure that you wipe all the interior surfaces using distilled water only but this time around, remove the sponge. Allow the humidor to rest for another 24 hours with the humidification device. It is advisable that you use a hygrometer to check the changing humidity levels. While you are conducting the seasoning process, the humidity will probably be higher than you want but it should not be less than 70% Relative Humidity (RH). In case the level of humidity falls drastically at this point, wipe down the interior of the humidor again and let it stay closed for a further 24 hours. Repeat the process, as many times as needed until the humidor attains the desired humidity level that is usually 70% RH.
You should always ensure that you use only distilled water in the seasoning process since tap water usually has pathogens that you do not want growing on your cigars including fungi. If you use tap water then you run the risk of ruining the humidifier with chlorine, salt, as well as other mineral deposits.
A simpler way of seasoning a humidor is buying a humidor seasoning packet that you can get at almost all cigar shops as well as online and let it sit in the humidor for up to 14 days. The number of packets of this seasoning that you will require will depend on the amount of cubic space within the humidor. The seasoning packets are quite convenient, require little work on your part, and leave nothing to chance. You should always remember however that the packets do take longer to reach the desired humidity levels. This means that you may have to seek alternative accommodation for your cigars until the humidor is ready. Seasoning packs come highly recommended by many cigar experts since they are the best way of seasoning a humidor properly.
In case your cigars are under-humidified, you will know it almost instantly since the wrapper will begin to crack and will be hard as a rock to the touch. Cigars that are under-humidified also tend to have trouble burning since they have soaked up a lot of water and are like a sponge. Always store your cigars in a properly seasoned humidor and you will be smoking them just as they were meant to be smoked.
Photo Credit: Dan Iggers