How to prepare your cigar humidor?

Have you just acquired a Cigar Humidor?

It is imperative to prepare it well before storing your cigars in it. Do not store any cigars in it yet. Indeed, you must season it beforehand.

You must not skip this important step.

This can have consequences for both your cigars and the humidor itself!

Thus, proper preparation, or seasoning, will allow:

1. To prevent the wood of the humidor from absorbing moisture from your cigars
2. To reduce the risk of warping and mold
3. To maintain perfect and constant humidity necessary for the good preservation of the taste and flavors of your cigars.

A) Why is this important?

After acquiring one from our Cigar Humidor Collection, you now know that the first thing to do is to season it.

It is crucial never to store your cigars in an unseasoned humidor. Indeed, one of the properties of wood is that it is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture.

Thus, storing cigars in an unprepared humidor, that is, before the wood has had a chance to be humidified, will result in them drying out, because the humidor will absorb the moisture from your cigars.

This drying out will render your Havanas unfit for consumption.

That is why you must be sure that the humidity level is correct before storing any cigars in it.

To do this, we will use 2 tools to ensure this: the hygrometer and the humidifier.

Even if hygrometers are calibrated after manufacturing, it's always good to test them yourself. To do this, simply ensure they provide accurate readings via a hygrometer calibration.

This small test, simple and quick to set up, will require very little material:

• Salt
• Tap water
• A bottle cap
• An airtight freezer bag
• A screwdriver (if analog hygrometer)

First, a little science

It is important to know that if you mix a little water with salt, this mixture will have the particularity of emitting exactly 75% humidity.

Luckily, this is precisely the rate we want inside a cigar humidor.

The purpose of this small scientific experiment is therefore to create a perfect environment for cigar preservation (75% humidity), place our hygrometer in it, and adjust its setting for perfect calibration.

1. Place a teaspoon of salt in a bottle cap.
2. Moisten with a few drops of water without dissolving it. The salt should then have the consistency of a cake. If the salt starts to dissolve, there is too much water. Wash the bottle cap and start again.
3. Carefully place the damp salt and hygrometer in the plastic bag and seal it tightly.

To avoid skewing the results, it is important that air cannot enter the bag.

4. Let sit for 12 hours.
5. Without opening the bag, read the hygrometer.

If the hygrometer reads 75%, it is well calibrated. Otherwise, the settings will need to be adjusted.

Depending on whether the hygrometer is analog or electric, the method will be different:

• Analog hygrometers have an adjustment screw on the back for setting. With your screwdriver, turn this screw until the dial reads exactly 75%.
• For electric hygrometers, a simple click on the "calibrate" button is sufficient.

Your calibrated hygrometer can now be placed inside your cigar humidor!

Properly preparing your Cigar Humidor's humidifier

As mentioned earlier, the humidity in your humidor must be constant, and for that, everything depends on the humidifier!

It is therefore important to soak it using the correct method.

ATTENTION: The following explanations only concern foam humidifiers. Indeed, acrylic crystal humidifiers only require distilled water, and using propylene glycol solution with them could have negative consequences on their performance.

The shopping list for humidifying your humidifier:

• A receptacle capable of holding your humidifier
• A solution of Propylene Glycol (50% Distilled Water / 50% Propylene Glycol)
• A clean cloth

A little science: Propylene glycol is an organic, colorless, non-toxic liquid compound that has two very useful properties for cigar humidors.

Firstly, it is an effective means of preventing the appearance of mold and bacterial contamination.

Secondly, these properties allow your humidor to self-adjust its humidity level. Indeed, when used in a cigar humidor, it coats the wood with a layer of natural enzymes that:

• Absorbs moisture when humidity exceeds 70%
• Emits moisture when it falls below 70%.
• Also prevents the formation of mold and bacterial growth.

When first used, a foam humidifier may take a few days to stabilize the cigar humidor's humidity level to its optimal point. This is indeed the time required for the layer to form.

If you decide to use propylene glycol, make sure it is mixed with distilled water in a 50/50 ratio.

HUMIDIFIER PREPARATION METHODOLOGY

Preparing your humidifier will only require 3 steps:

1. Fill the container with the Propylene Glycol/distilled water solution.
2. Fill the humidifier by totally immersing it in the container. Keep the humidifier face down. Leave it in the water for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Place the humidifier face down on a clean cloth for one hour to ensure it does not leak into the humidor.

Your humidifier is now ready to be placed inside your cigar humidor!

To maintain a good humidity level in your humidor, this operation will need to be repeated in the future when your hygrometer indicates a drop in humidity. An acceptable humidity level for good preservation is between 65 and 75%.

Now that your tools are ready, it's time to move on to the seasoning, or humidification, of the cigar humidor.

• The professional method: Seasoning

Seasoning a humidor is a simple process for humidifying your cigar humidor. It requires little equipment in addition to your hygrometer and humidifier.

THE SHOPPING LIST:

Practical Work: seasoning in 6 simple steps!

1. Place the plastic bag at the bottom of the humidor.
2. Place the sponge in a bowl filled with distilled water or a propylene glycol solution. Wring it out, but not too much J The sponge should be completely saturated but not dripping.
3. Place the sponge in the cigar humidor ON the plastic bag. This trick will protect the wood of the humidor by preventing excessive water saturation.
4. In addition to the sponge, place the following in your cigar humidor:
   • The humidifier
   • The hygrometer
   • The trays or wooden dividers (if you have any)
5. Close the humidor and store it in an undisturbed place and wait 48 hours. During the 48 hours, your hygrometer might show high humidity levels of 80 to 85%, which is completely normal!

Humidity should normally be only 70%, but during seasoning, it is common for it to be higher.

6. After these 48 hours, re-examine the humidity level. An acceptable humidity level is between 65 and 75%. If it is between 72% and 73%, that's very good. Indeed, the cigars you put in your humidor will absorb a little moisture.

Depending on your region's climate and the size of the box, you may need to repeat this process as many times as necessary if the desired humidity level is not reached after 48 hours.

• The impatient method: Wiping

There is a faster method, but it carries certain risks for humidifying a cigar humidor: the wiping method.

It is not as common, but it is faster. Using it will save you at least 24 hours.

The shopping list:

Practical Work: Wiping in 6 simple steps.

1. Place the sponge in a bowl filled with distilled water or a propylene glycol solution. Wring it out; the sponge should be well-damp, but not too wet. Indeed, using too much water can warp the wood.

There are also seasoning wipes available commercially, pre-humidified and containing enough water to wipe down a small to medium-sized cigar humidor.

2. Empty your humidor of its hygrometer and humidifier, then dampen all the interior walls of your humidor. Proceed slowly and carefully to avoid forming puddles. The goal is to leave a thin layer of water on the wood, not to drown it. After humidifying the wood, it should darken slightly.
3. Similarly, dampen the dividers and wooden trays supplied with your humidor, then place them back in your humidor.
4. Close the humidor and store it in an undisturbed place and wait 24 hours.
5. After 24 hours, calibrate your hygrometer and humidify your humidifier according to the method described above. Then install everything inside your humidor and close it again for another 24 hours.
6. After this time, the inside of the cigar humidor should be dry and your hygrometer should indicate 72-73% humidity in the air. If not, close it and give it more time.

As previously indicated, this method is risky because it is an easy way to warp the wood of your cigar humidor.

If done incorrectly, this "shock seasoning" can cause a lot of damage, especially to Spanish cedar cigar humidors, which are particularly sensitive to it because they are more susceptible to shock water absorption.

In case of deformation, the integrity of your cigar humidor will be compromised, especially if the lid no longer closes properly.

Indeed, if the lid is no longer able to provide a solid seal, your humidor will gradually lose its humidity and dry out your cigars.

If you don't yet own your own humidor, don't wait any longer and check out our cigar boxes.

Once this seasoning step is complete, your humidor is now able to store and age your cigars in optimal conditions, provided you refill the humidifier regularly and keep the lid sealed.

The humidity contained inside your humidor will prevent the wood from drying out and preserve your cigars for many years.