You've spent months looking for the ideal humidor to keep your prized cigars as fresh as the day they were rolled and finally selected a beautiful cigar humidor to keep on the mantle. But what do you do now? Before you transfer your cigar stock over to your humidor you need to be sure it's correctly humidified so they won't dry out prior to being able to to enjoy them. There's been much talk during the last 100 years on the best strategies for humidifying a humidor but we're going to review the most trustworthy method which produces the best results. It needs a little more work but at the end it'll be definitely worth it as you relax while puffing away on your first cigar of the Spring after a long, cold winter.
In order to get your cigar humidor up to the right humidity level you'll need a few materials including: distilled water, a clean sponge and an accurate hygrometer. It is important to note that distilled water is key as tap water and bottled water both can have impurities and minerals that can cause bacteria to grow in your humidor and undesired-for smells. Purified water is totally free of any bacteria that might harm your cigar collection. A precise hygrometer is very important too as many can be fairly off when they arrive on your front step. We advocate running your hygrometer through a salt test before you put your trust in it.
When you've gathered all your materials collected you can begin the process. Simply pour some of the distilled water into a clean bowl and submerge the sponge so it absorbs the water. You do not want to soak your humidor but instead ring out the sponge so it's damp and gently wipe down all exposed cedar inside your humidor. Once you have completely wiped down all of the cedar and any trays then you can close the lid and let the humidity suck up into cedar. Not many people are aware that cedar is a very porous wood and will soak up water like a sponge.
You're not quite done yet. It's highly recommended that you repeat this process 4-5 times over a 48 hour time period to make sure the cedar is as saturated as it wants to be. Remember not to over saturate the wood with each wipe down as the concept is to not "shock" the wood during the process. During each wipe down make sure you leave your calibrated hygrometer within and keep checking it as you go along. After your hygrometer has been steady between 70%-75% for a minimum of 12 hours then you're ready to start storing your cigars. At that point you can fill your humidification unit unit unit unit unit unit unit with purified water and place it in the back of the humidor and you're good to go.
Properly humidifying a cigar humidor can be a considerably laborious process but completing it right the first time around will save you a load of dry cigars in the future.
In order to get your cigar humidor up to the right humidity level you'll need a few materials including: distilled water, a clean sponge and an accurate hygrometer. It is important to note that distilled water is key as tap water and bottled water both can have impurities and minerals that can cause bacteria to grow in your humidor and undesired-for smells. Purified water is totally free of any bacteria that might harm your cigar collection. A precise hygrometer is very important too as many can be fairly off when they arrive on your front step. We advocate running your hygrometer through a salt test before you put your trust in it.
When you've gathered all your materials collected you can begin the process. Simply pour some of the distilled water into a clean bowl and submerge the sponge so it absorbs the water. You do not want to soak your humidor but instead ring out the sponge so it's damp and gently wipe down all exposed cedar inside your humidor. Once you have completely wiped down all of the cedar and any trays then you can close the lid and let the humidity suck up into cedar. Not many people are aware that cedar is a very porous wood and will soak up water like a sponge.
You're not quite done yet. It's highly recommended that you repeat this process 4-5 times over a 48 hour time period to make sure the cedar is as saturated as it wants to be. Remember not to over saturate the wood with each wipe down as the concept is to not "shock" the wood during the process. During each wipe down make sure you leave your calibrated hygrometer within and keep checking it as you go along. After your hygrometer has been steady between 70%-75% for a minimum of 12 hours then you're ready to start storing your cigars. At that point you can fill your humidification unit unit unit unit unit unit unit with purified water and place it in the back of the humidor and you're good to go.
Properly humidifying a cigar humidor can be a considerably laborious process but completing it right the first time around will save you a load of dry cigars in the future.
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I you're looking for a perfect cigar humidor visit the Humidor Warehouse to find our huge selection. If you want to discover more about humidifying your cigar humidor you'll find more about the topic on their web site.