Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 6/26/2008

Question
Hey Bill, lot's of good info on this site. But I still have questions. I have a 30 cigar humidor w/ a glass top and the hygrometer is mounted through a hole in the front. I did a one-step calibration for 75.5%RH and the hygrometer was right on the money. I then poured the PG solution in the humidifier, put it in the humidor and closed the lid. My current RH is 65% after 2 days. I understand now that I should spray the inside w/distilled water and wipe the excess with a damp sponge. My question is that I also have a "One-Step Seasoning" packet and don't understand how to use it. If you could answer that question, I think I will be on my way to having my cigars safe & sound. I do believe that the spray bottle & sponge will be very helpful. Also, how often should the humidifier be refilled? I would think you watch the RH and if it starts to fall then filling the humidifier w/PG would be the solution. Thanks for any help you can give me. I really do enjoy my cigars and the humidor was a fathers day gift from my son. Thanks again, Ron

Answer
Ron,

First, you need to know that you won't be able to raise the humidity very high in an empty humidor - you need cigars in it to absorb the humidity. It is impossible to humidify that much air space with a small evaporative type humidifier.

Next, you need to decide what your target relative humidity is. If your room temperature is 70 degrees, then you should shoot for 70% RH. However, if your room temperature is higher, your target RH is lower (remember you are measuring humidity relative to temperature). I've used these figures for years and found them to be quite accurate:

temperature     relative humidity
70              69%-70%
71              68%-69%
72              67%-68%
73              66%-67%
74              65%-66%

For new humidors, we suggest they be "seasoned", which basically means that you should wipe down all of the Spanish Cedar interior with a damp (not wet) cloth. All you are trying to do is add a little moisture to the wood so that it doesn't take moisture from the cigars when you first put them in. I don't suggest that you spray it with water because if it gets too wet you could experience some warping of the wood or even loosening of the joints. After you wipe it down let the humidor sit with the lid closed for about 24 hours to let the moisture absorb in to the wood, and you should be good to go.

As far as the one step seasoning packet goes, I don't know what that is. I assume it is just some type of humidifier, but if you follow the steps above I think you'll have good success with your new humidor.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
Bill