How To Setup A Humidor

If you don’t set up your humidor before storing cigars, it will be a costly mistake. Discover the secrets to seasoning your humidor that every cigar lover must know, so you get it done right.

One of the most important, must-have accessories every cigar lover owns is a wooden humidor. It’s the home for your stogies. And, just like the place where you live, you wouldn’t even think of moving in until the setup is finished and it’s 100% ready for your stay.

Is your humidor drying your cigars out?

Ok, so you have bought your first humidor and you are pretty excited to lay your beloved sticks in and start that ageing process…..But wait, don’t do it!

Putting your delicious cigars in straight away will do the opposite of humidifying your cigars…in fact if you don’t season it properly you will actually dry out your sticks.

HOW TO KILL YOUR CIGARS STORING THEM IN A HUMIDOR BEFORE SEASONING

All decent wood humidors are actually lined with cedar, and cedar wood has the properties of maintaining moisture in the wood. Think of it as extra protection for your cigars.

But the cedar in your humidor starts out dry. If you place your cigars in the humidor without setting it up properly (seasoning the humidor), the cedar will have the opposite effect and actually draw the moisture out of your cigars.

You will notice this by the fact that you will not be able to get the humidity up to the correct level and retain it.

‘SHOT GLASSES ARE FOR TEQUILA NOT HUMIDORS…..’

So you may have seen online where people use a shot glass of water to Season their humidor or a sponge soaked in water to season your humidor…this is a bad idea!

BUT I SAW THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE…IT MUST BE TRUE

HOW TO SET UP YOUR CIGAR HUMIDOR BUT DON’T DO THIS!

When it comes to seasoning your humidor there are a lot of false and bad practices online.

What Shouldn’t I do?

1. Don’t ever use a wet cloth or sponge to try and season your humidor by wiping the cedar on the inside. The reason for this is you run the risk of cracking or warping the cedar and excess moisture sitting on the cedar can cause mould

2. Using a shot glass or a bowl of water in your humidor is a sure fire way to accidentally spill water in your humidor…This would be a disaster!

THE EASIEST & BEST WAY TO SEASON YOUR HUMIDOR

Get yourself a Boveda Seasoning K it– Which is an 84% Boveda pouch. You will need 1 x 60gm pouch for every 25 stick capacity of your humidor (or a 320gm pouch for a 100 sticks plus. So if you have a 50 stick humidor you will need 2 x 60gm 84% Boveda pouches.
Take everything out of your humidor, wipe your humidor out with a dry cloth to remove any dust or tobacco bits (if you are Re-seasoning) from the Humidor.
Place the 84% Boveda pouches in your humidor (remember it is one 60gm pouch for every 25 stick humidor capacity…ie 75 stick humidor is 3 x 60gm Pouches).
Close the lid and wait 14 days. Don’t peak and don’t check on it.

CIGAR HUMIDOR SEASONING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY 14 DAYS?

This is the time it takes for the cedar to slowly absorb all the moisture that it needs (about 50-90gms of moisture)

WHAT IF I DON’T DO IT?

If you don’t season your humidor properly you will never be able to get it up to the desired humidity as the cedar will constantly suck the moisture out of the air.
Your cigars will dry out as the humidity is sucked out of them by the cedar.
Your humidification will last half the time it would normally if it was in a
seasoned humidor (this can be an expensive mistake).

OTHER QUESTIONS

Q. Do I really need to wait 14 Days?

A. Only if you don’t want dry cigars and a humidor that never works properly. Be patient…Cigars are about time…It takes time to make them and time to smoke them and it takes time to get your humidor right.

Q. What do I do with my cigars whilst my humidor is seasoning?

A. Place your cigars in a zip lock bag or airtight plastic container and place a 69% Boveda pack in it. (If you purchased your cigars from CigarBox you can use the Boveda pouch we sent you).

Q. I have seasoned my humidor once, do I ever need to do it again?

A. Ideally you should Re-season your humidor once a year, if you live in a very dry climate and you find your humidor is no longer holding the humidity, this is an ideal time to re-season it.

Setting up a humidor is critical, yet often overlooked by many. If you have not done it yet, stop, season your humidor today, and make a beautiful home, with perfect conditions, for your cigars.

Here’s to your cigar smoking pleasure.

Regards

Joe Box – Your Brother of the Leaf

PS: I do actually use a shot glass when I’m seasoning my humidor, I actually have step 1a in the above. I take the shot glass and fill it with my favourite Tequila and then drink it before I start the seasoning process….but that’s just me…I love tequila!

PPS: When you’re ready, here are 4 ways we can help maximise your cigar smoking experience…

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