Getting Started with Your New Humidor

Lets make sure you have everything your going to need to get your humidor up and running properly. While most new humidors will come with the essentials it doesn’t hurt to have a short check list, which I have conveniently made for you..
1. Humidor
2. Hygrometer
3. Humidifier
4. Distilled water or Humidor Solution


Now lets go over why each of these are important…
1. Humidor. Not all boxes are created equal. A simple wooden box will not work as a humidor because it was not built to hold and protect cigars. Humidors are designed to seal in the good humidified air and keep out contaminates and critters.
2. Hygrometer. This simple tool allows you to see at a glance where the humidity level of your humidor is at. I will address this handy tool a little farther down the page.
3. Humidifier. These can be as simple as a small sponge filled container or as complicated as a self operating, self correcting humidification device.
4. Distilled water or Humidifier solution. I recommend using PG-Sol humidifier solution whenever possible, and if not possible distilled water. Never, and I mean never, use tap water and avoid spring water, these have contaminates in them that you do not want in your humidor.
First things First..
The first thing you should do is calibrate your hygrometer. What you will need is a plastic zip-loc bag (clear so you can see through it), a small plastic cap (like the ones that come on 2-litre soda bottles), table salt, and your hygrometer.
1. Fill the cap about half way with salt then add enough distilled water to make all of the salt damp but not soaked. You shouldn’t be able to see the water, no puddles. If you added too much water, compensate by adding more salt.






2. When you have the consistency right put the cap, and your hygrometer into the bag and seal the bag.




3. Wait until the needle (or digital numbers) have stopped moving. This can take from 1 to 2 hours depending on the size of the bag. Once the hygrometer has stopped the humidity in the bag is at 70% and you can adjust the hygrometer to 70% to reflect this. Now that your hygrometer is accurate it’s time to prepare your humidor.
(Important note for users of digital hygrometers…. If your digital hygrometer does not have a function to calibrate don’t sweat it, if it stops at 65% for instance, then the correct humidity for your humidor is about 65% and anything between 55% and 80% is safe for your cigars.)
(Relative humidity is the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in an air-water mixture to the saturated vapor pressure of water at a prescribed temperature. The relative humidity of air depends on temperature and the pressure of the system of interest.)
Marinating / Seasoning your humidor…
Properly marinating / seasoning your humidor can take some time and patience. I recommend using distilled water and not humidifier solution simply because you will be using quite a bit of it.
1. With a clean cloth, apply distilled water to all of the exposed wood inside the humidor. Do not forget to also dampen the lid, and the lips of both the lid and the base. Once everything is damp (not drenched) put your humidifier and hygrometer into the humidor and close the lid.





2. The next day, repeat step one.
3. Continue the process until when you check the hygrometer the next day it is at 70%, this will mean that the humidifier is now able to keep the humidor properly humidified without the help of your handy cloth and elbow grease.
4. Wait until your hygrometer goes down to about 60% and then repeat step one again.
5. You will know your humidor is ready for cigars when your hygrometer stays at about 70% for four or more days.
I put cigars in my humidor and now it will not stay at the right humidity.
Cigars are like sponges and will soak up every bit of water in the air until the cigars reach equilibrium with the air. Your humidifier will go through quite a bit of water when you add cigars, this is normal and temporary. Just keep your humidifier full and check it at least once a day for the next couple of  weeks.
I can’t seem to get my humidor to stabilize..
Mo  st humidors have a tongue and groove style edge on the lid and base to make the box as air tight as possible. If you aren’t getting a good seal moist air will leak out and dry air will leak in. Part of the process of marinating the humidor I mention moistening these parts of the lid and base, this expands the wood slightly and helps to create a better seal, sometime this will not be enough. If you discover your loosing more moisture than you can account for you just need to seal the lid. A simple and effective way of doing this is with wax. Your basic candle wax will do just fine, but you can also use bee’s wax, or surfboard wax (sex wax). Just rub the wax on the exposed portions of the “lip” to help create an air tight seal. I recommend a common household unscented candle simply because they come in a rather handy shape for this particular application.
I cleaned my humidor and now all my cigars  taste bitter…
Remember I said cigars are like sponges? Well, they will absorb anything in the air including vapor from cleaning solutions, perfumes or colognes, and other cigars. The easiest way to avoid ruining your cigars in this manner is to always keep in mind “If you can smell it, so can your cigars”. The reason you smell anything is because microscopic molecules of whatever you are smelling are entering your nose and interacting with your taste buds. This effect can be amplified in a cigar that has absorbed these molecules once heat has been applied. Clean your humidor with distilled water and a clean cloth.
There is something white growing on my sticks…
If the white specks on your cigars easily wipe off and do not leave a stain you have “plume” which is a very good thing. This happens when cigars age properly. The tobacco excretes oils that crystallizes on the wrapper, it means the cigar has age nicely and is perfect for smoking. If however, the white stuff on your cigar is fuzzy, grey or green, does not come off easily, or leaves a stain then you have mold which is bad. If you have mold, remove your unaffected cigars, clean the interior of your humidor with distilled water and then isopropyl alcohol. Let the humidor dry for a day or two before reintroducing your cigars. Mold occurs when the humidity is too high, lower the humidity in your humidor by 10%.