Expert: James Yee - 11/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hey James,

So I'm a novice cigar smoker yet I am completely loving the culture of cigar
smoking. I decided I wanted to purchase something to hold my cigars for
short term. Now, I bought one of these acrylic humidor jars that have some
cedar lining in the bottom. I also bought a DryMistat tube and a digital
hygrometer because the person at the store recommended it to me. I'm
completely new to this whole regulating temperature so I was wondering, to
try and get 70% humidity or around there, do I put the DryMistat tube inside
the jar, close it, and then wait for it to get to 70%? How long do I wait for? I
currently have three cigars in the jar and the humidity right now reads at 59%
but I don't know if I have to season this acrylic jar. Help would be great
because I want to get it at the correct humidity.

Thanks,
Victor

ANSWER: Hi Victor,

First of all, welcome to cigars and cigar smoking. I hope you have fun and enjoy many good cigars for years to come.

When maintaining a humidor, you will need to closely monitor both the temperature and humidity levels inside your humidor/humidor jar.  The ideal levels are 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70% humidity.  To maintain proper temperature, simply keep your humidor/jar in a room that is within the ideal temperature range suitable for a humidor.  The ideal temperature range is between 67 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit.  70 degrees is considered optimum.  Avoid temperatures over 75% as this can cause tobacco beetle eggs in your cigars to hatch.  For humidity, the reasonable range is between 67% to 74%.  The ideal humidity level is 70%.  Avoid humidity levels over 75% as this can cause tobacco mold to form.

As for your acrylic humidor jar, seasoning it really isn't required because the interior is not entirely made from Spanish cedar so all you need to do is charge the drymistat tube with distilled water and make sure your digital hygrometer is running properly.  Drymistat tubes are fairly easy to use.  Simply fill the tube with distilled water so that the crystals expand and then place the tube in your humidor or humidor jar and it should automatically maintain a reasonable humidity level.  It should be able to reach 70% within an hour or two.

If the humidity still has not reached 70% after several hours, see if the cedar component inside the acrylic jar is removeable.  If it is, remove the cedar and saturate it with distilled water.  Allow the water to be absorbed into the cedar and then wipe away the excess before reinstalling it in the jar again.  This is the equivalent of seasoning a proper humidor as you're preparing the cedar wood so that it can absorb and regulate humidity more properly.

Acrylic humidor jars however, have been known to have erratic performances such as high humidity levels and over-humidification so you should consider investing in a proper desktop, Spanish cedar humidor when your cigar collection expands.

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

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,
I was very moderate at putting distilled water on the cedar bottom. I basically
put some distilled water on my fingers and dosed the wood, unfortunately it
is not removable. I did all this and the humidity is still lower than i want it to
be, it is around 62%. Since it is the cedar bottom is not removable, what do
you suggest I do so the cedar bottom can maintain the humidity, because it
seems as if when I have my cigars in there, the cedar bottom absorbs a lot of
the humidity.

Thanks,
Victor

Thanks,
Victor

Answer
Hi Victor,

What you can do is use a clean spray bottle.  Simply spray the cedar lining with distilled water, allow the humidor to sit for five minutes so that the water can be absorbed into the cedar and then wipe away the excess water with a clean sponge.  Repeat this process every 4-6 hours until the humidity level reaches 70%.  (Normally, you would allow the humidor to sit overnight between water applications but this isn't necessary because the humidor is acrylic and contains very little cedar.)

Dosing the wood with your fingertips is also good but you will also need to repeat this method every few hours until the humidity level reaches 70%.

You're basically seasoning your humidor jar with these methods and like seasoning a full size humidor, this method can take anywhere 24-72 hours.

Hopes this answers your question.  As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James