Expert: James Yee - 2/13/2009

Question
QUESTION: James, I have been seasoning my humidor the "slow" way with only my humidifier of propylene glycol and a shot glass of distilled water for 4 days now.  I got a bit anxious and just today took a cloth with distilled water to the inside of the humidor to make sure my sticks won't dry out when I put the cigars in it.  I guess I didn't trust my original seasoning method.  Anyhow, after I finished rubbing down the inside and closed the lid, I couldn't easily open it.  In fact, it takes both hands now to open the lid with some force.  Is my humidor going to recover and dry out?  I realize the lid is swollen, how long does that last?  Should I leave the lid open or will it rectify on its own?

Any advice would certainly be a huge help!

-Nick

ANSWER: Hi Nick,

Yes, your humidor will indeed recover from the swelling so don't worry.  This is very common when seasoning a humidor and usually a humidor will be back to normal about a week or two after you complete the seasoning process.  However, once your humidor is properly seasoned, you should still expect the humidor lid to stick a little bit due to the humidity.  It won't stick to the point where you will always need two hands to forcefully open it but you should still feel a slight resistance when opening it.  This is perfectly natural.

The humidor will lose the swelling on its own so you don't need to leave the lid open.  If however, your humidor lid continues to tightly stick long after you've finished seasoned it, the interior cedar panels may be too snug (some humidor manufacturers forget that wood swells with humidity) so you may need to lightly sand the lip of the interior panels with sandpaper.  Don't sand too much; just one or two quick passes with the sandpaper should be enough to improve the fit.

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

Regards,
James

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

QUESTION: James,

Thank you. The next morning it has already gone back to normal.  My humidor has been seasoning now for 5 days, and humidity is in line.  When can I start putting my cigars in it?  How do you recommend separating different kinds of cigars in the humidor (I always just put them together with no discretion).  Would it be wise then to also put the drier cigars on the bottom of the humidor to rejuvenate them slowly?  Do you recommend the use of a digital hygrometer?  I was considering a hygroset II.

Thanks again, James.

ANSWER: Hi Nick,

When your humidor is able to sit for 24 hours (with lid closed) without losing much water in the humidification device, your humidor will finally be seasoned and ready to use.  If the humidor's humidification device continues to lose a lot of moisture overnight, refill it with distilled water and continue seasoning it.  (If you need detailed, step-by-step instructions on seasoning a humidor, just search my question archive or feel free to ask me and I'll post them for you.)

It's perfectly fine to store premium cigars from different countries together but if you prefer to keep them separated, use Spanish cedar dividers.  It's very easy to cut thin Spanish cedar wood planks (Untreated Spanish cedar shingles are excellent for this.) and insert them into your humidor as dividers.  For proper airflow, be sure to make the dividers lower than the humidor wall and/or drill numerous holes into the dividers so air and humidity can pass through them.  (IMPORTANT: Be sure to only use Spanish cedar.  Other cedars, such as American Red, are extremely pungent and can ruin your cigars' natural aroma.)  As an alternative, you can also use the thin cedar sheets found in most cigar boxes as dividers.  If you don't have any of these cedar sheets, you can get them from cigar stores either for free or for very little money. (Cigar stores will have these from the empty cigar boxes so they usually have them on hand if customers need them for lining humidors or using them as cedar spills.)

For drier cigars, placing them at the bottom or furthest away from the humidification device is best.  This will allow the cigars to rehydrate slowly.  If you have extremely dry, brittle cigars, it's best to keep them in a separate humidor at a lower humidity.  For super-dry and brittle cigars, humidify them at around 65% until them become firm enough to handle.  When they firm enough to be handled, increase the humidity to 70%.

As for hygrometers, I definitely recommend upgrading to a digital unit.  Digital hygrometers require little or no configurating and are extremely accurate.  Many are factory pre-set by the manufacturer and do not require any calibration.  Some units also display temperature which is a bonus.

Hopes this answers your question.

Regards,
James

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

QUESTION: Thanks for the info.  I am using Propylene Glycol right now to get to 70% and maintain for as long as it lasts.  I have heard that PG lasts 2 years!  Is this true? I have always used distilled water in my previous humidifiers, this is my first go with PG in the new humidor.  Can I put distilled water into my humidifer that has/had PG in it or will that be harmful?

-Nick

Answer
Hi Nick,

Yes, Propylene Glycol (PG) can last a long time in a humidor and on average, will last around 2 years before it loses its effectiveness and needs to be replaced.  To properly use PG in a humidor, you need to combine it with distilled water.  Add a 50/50 mixture of distilled water and PG to your humidification device.  The PG will separate from the water and limit the amount of humidity that is produced by the water.  It's perfect for humidors that have high humidity levels.  A 50/50 mixture should generate exactly 70% humidity which is perfect for your humidor.  If after adding the mixture, the humidity is still too high, fine-tune the mixture by adding a few more small drops of PG.  If the humidity is too low, dilute the PG by adding a bit more distilled water.  After your initial dosage of 50/50 mixture, the humidity may dip and peak wildly for about a week before it stabilizes so please be patient.

Regards,
James