Expert: James Yee - 1/26/2008

Question
I recently purchased a new humidor and seasoned it following the directions from one of your previous answers. it is rated to hold 60 but i only put 25 fairly cheap cigars in it to be sure that i could maintain it properly before filling it with my favorites. that being said my humidity level is staying around 65%, how do i raise it just a bit? also what are your thoughts on kensington cigars?

Answer
Hi Matt,

The first thing you need to do is make sure your hygrometer (if analog) is accurate and properly calibrated.  Conduct a salt test on your hygrometer to make sure that it reads 75% humidity.  If not, calibrate it accordingly by adjusting the needle mechanism on the back of the unit.  If your hygrometer is working perfectly, then the next step is to thoroughly examine the humidor and make sure that there are no cracks or gaps in the humidor lid and/or corner joints.  It's possible that your humidor may be leaking humidity so make sure the humidor lid has a good tight seal and that the corner joints are well sealed and not damaged.  If your humidor appears fine, then it may be possible that your humidor is not thoroughly seasoned.  Place a wet sponge on top of a sheet of plastic food wrap (or sandwich baggie) inside your empty humidor and allow it to sit overnight.  If the next day, the sponge has lost a considerable amount of moisture, then the humidor is not fully seasoned yet and you will have to repeat the seasoning process.

If the humidor is thoroughly seasoned, then it may just be the humidor requiring time to adjust to the new addition of a large number of cigars; especially if any of them are dry.  What you should do is let your cigars sit in your humidor for a week and see if the humidity eventually returns to 70%.  With brand new humidors, time is sometimes required for the humidor to stabilize in humidity and during this time, the humidity can dip and peak.

It's also important to remember that during winter months (especially if you live in a very cold region), the air can be quite dry so you will need to recharge your humidification device as often as necessary.  During cold winters, it's not uncommon for people to refill their humidification units every 2 weeks or even every week.  It's very possible that your humidor is reacting to the cold environment weather so make sure you constantly check on and refill your humidification device when needed.

Hope this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I'll be happy to help.

Regards,
James