Expert: James Yee - 8/25/2008

Question
Hi James,

I recently purchased a 100 ct glass top humidor which arrived today. It came with the analog hydrogmeter (which is right in the front of my humidor) and the rectangular humidifier with some self-stick magnets to attach it inside. How do I properly go about setting it up? I know it normally takes a couple of days but I just want to make sure I do it correctly the first time to ensure not ruining any cigars. Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hi Rob,

The first thing you should do is test the hygrometer to make sure that it is accurate.  It's important that you test the hygrometer now because you'll need it for the next step when preparing the humidor.  Because your hygrometer is mounted to the front of the humidor, it may not be removable so check the documentation that came with your humidor (if any) to see if the hygrometer can be removed.  

If the hygrometer is not removable, take a digital hygrometer and place it inside your humidor along with a small wet sponge (placed on plastic bag or sheet of plastic food wrap) or dish of water.  Let the hygrometer sit for several hours and then compare the reading on the digital hygrometer to the reading that the mounted hygrometer shows. If their readings are identical, your analog hygrometer is accurate.  If they're not identical, calibrate the analog hygrometer accordingly.  (Sometimes new hygrometers are out of sync so it’s important that you test it first.)  There should be a calibration pin or knob on the back of the analog hygrometer.  Again, check any user guides that came with your humidor on how to calibrate that specific hygrometer.

If the hygrometer can be removed, you can conduct a salt test on the hygrometer to test its accuracy.  To conduct a salt test, take a small bottle cap and fill it with a teaspoon of regular salt.  Add some distilled water and stir the salt until it becomes a "crumbly paste".  Now place this bottle cap of salt and your hygrometer in a sealable Ziploc bag or Tupperware container and let it sit for at least 6 hours.  Don't let the salt water touch the hygrometer as it can damage it.  After six hours, the humidity reading should read 75%.  If not, calibrate the hygrometer accordingly so that it does.  Your hygrometer is now accurate.

Next, you'll need to season your humidor.  Seasoning will prepare the humidor's interior wood so that can absorb and regulate humidity more effectively.  Technically, you can use the humidor without seasoning it but it may create erratic humidity levels or require more frequent humidifier refills.   I should also point out that seasoning is only necessary if your humidor interior is made from natural cedar.  Humidors with acrylic, plastic, foam or laminate wood interiors do not need to be seasoned.

To season your humidor, you will need the following:

-   1 clean, sterilized sponge (preferably brand new)
-   1 clean, sterilized spray bottle
-   Distilled water or bidest water (double-distilled water)
-   1 sheet of plastic food wrap or a small, clear plastic bag such as a sandwich bag
-   The humidor’s hygrometer
-   The humidor’s humidification unit

First, use the spray bottle and spray the entire interior of your humidor with distilled water.  Allow the water to set for a minute before wiping up any excess with the clean sponge.  (Don’t worry, this won’t warp or damage the wood.)  Make sure you spray every inch of the humidor including the trays, dividers, drawers and/or compartments.  

Next, take the humidification device and fill it with distilled water.  If you have a bottle of 50/50 pre-mixed humidor solution, you can use that instead.  Place it in your humidor.  Take the sponge and saturate that with distilled water and let it sit in the middle of your humidor.  Let the sponge sit on a sheet of plastic food wrap or plastic baggie to prevent direct contact between the wood and the wet sponge.  Close the lid now and let the humidor sit for 24 hours.  After 24 hours, check your humidor. If either the sponge or humidification device has lost a lot of moisture and feel somewhat dry, recharge them with more distilled water and repeat the seasoning process.  Once the sponge and humidifier can sit overnight without losing much moisture, you can remove the sponge and your humidor will be ready to use.

Alternatively, most cigar stores will sell moderately priced seasoning “bricks” which you just leave inside your humidor overnight and your humidor should be seasoned.  These are usually designed to season a humidor of a certain size so if you decide to use this method, you will need to check the packaging’s fine print and make sure it’s right for your humidor.  If not, you may need two or more seasoning bricks to sufficiently season your humidor.  Using the spray bottle method that I mentioned however, is inexpensive (especially if you already have all the necessary tools) and allows you to be more thorough with the seasoning process.

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