Expert: James Yee - 5/13/2008

Question
Hi James, I'm back from the island with a humidor, the hinges are coming apart but else the construction is good and the lid is tight. I've been preparing it for a couple of days, wetting the inside with distilled water on my fingertips. I have the caliber 3 hygro, and a couple of water pillows. I'm not sure the water pillows are adequate, what should I get? Also, when can I transfer my sticks in?

While I was there, I had the chance to look and smell all kinds of wonderful sticks: Romeo Churchills, Cuabas, Patragas 898, Robainas, several Cohibas, San Cristobals, the mind boggles... and the lady at the hotel was very understanding ;-)

Keep up the good work!
jf

Answer
Hi JF,

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip.  When your humidor's humidity level reaches 70% and holds steady for at least 2-3 days, your cigars are ready to be transferred to their new home. :)

When seasoning a humidor, it's best to use a clean spray bottle and delicately mist the interior of your humidor with distilled water instead of using your fingertips.  By using a spray bottle, you'll have a more even application of distilled water.  Just lightly mist, allow the humidor to sit for a few minutes (so that the cedar will absorb the water) and then wipe up any excess water with a clean sponge.  

Normally seasoning a humidor also involves leaving a wet sponge soaked with distilled water inside the humidor (on top of a sheet of plastic foodwrap) overnight but considering you've already been seasoning your humidor for two days, the wet sponge is not necessary.  The wet sponge will greatly speed up the seasoning process but it's not mandatory.

If the humidor is 200 count or less, a Caliber III and two water pillows should be more than enough.  If you have a larger humidor, you may want to consider upgrading your humidification device to a larger size or adding more water pillows.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James.