Caring for your Cigar Humidor

Cigar humidors are something which can vary in price, whether ranging from relatively inexpensively to thousands of pounds. Whatever the price however, you still have to care for it and make sure that it is properly seasoned.

Many cigar smokers who keep their cigars in a humidor are unaware how to properly season their case, which is understandable, as they don’t usually come with instructions.

The purpose of this article is to tell you the correct way of caring for your cigar humidor, and clear up any misconceptions people may have on it.

Seasoning a humidor is a very important part in caring for a new humidor, regardless of price or quality. The insides of a humidor are most often lined with either Spanish cedar or mahogany. These woods are popular because they are incredibly good at retaining moisture, and have a natural anti-fungal agent, which works to repel mold. The wood would have been kiln dried, and if you only fill up the humidification device, then this kiln dried wood would just soak up all of the moisture.

In order to season a humidor correctly and properly, you need to get hold of distilled water, and a fresh new sponge. Soak the sponge with the distilled water and wipe down the inside of the humidor, making sure that every inch of the humidor’s interior has been wiped generously. Then you should fill the humidification device according to the specifications, and then once again to saturate the sponge, before leaving it inside the humidor, then close the lid and let it sit for around 24 hours. After, take the sponge out, and once more wipe down the interior wood. Refill the humidification device, and your humidor is now correctly and properly seasoned.

This is how the standard desktop humidor works, the Spanish cedar or mahogany retains any humidity, and the humidification device replenishes the moisture to the wood. For this reason you need to make sure that your humidor is properly seasoned in order to ensure that it works. Another point of note, there is a myth regarding variable humidity, that for a drop in temperature, you are required to compensate with an increase of humidity, and vice versa. This is a completely false, yet common misconception. The moisture level always needs to be around 70% regardless of temperature. By taking in these aspects of care for your humidor, you are sure to keep your cigars in the best condition.

Regularly seasoning a humidor and not needlessly tampering with humidity levels will ensure that your cigars are kept at a high quality for years to come, as well as the efficiency of your cigar humidor.