Expert: James Yee - 4/25/2009

Question
i've smoked cigars before, but i'm a bit of a newcomer to keeping cigars in a humidor. i wa given a humidor as a gift with a wide range of cigars inside, but i don't know  if it was seasoned before and i didn't really know that i should put moisture into the humidification device. if the cigars get too dry can i rehydrate them by putting them in a seasoned humidor. and how long will they last before they are garbage. thanks for any info in advance

Answer
Hi Keith,

Don't worry, your cigars can still be saved.  As long as the dry cigars aren't damaged (ie: broken, cracked or split wrapper leaves), you can restore them by simply letting them sit in a humidor for a certain period of time.  In a properly maintained humidor (70% humidity, 70 degrees Fahrenheit), your cigars should sit for at least 2-3 months before you attempt to smoke them.  This will allow your dry cigars to thoroughly rehydrate.  If the cigars are extremely dry and brittle, they may need more time in your humidor.

Seasoning a humidor will allow the humidor to absorb and regulate humidity more effectively.  You usually only need to season your humidor just once and then constantly maintain the humidification device to ensure that your humidor is kept in good working order.  (If your humidor becomes dry due to longs periods of inactivity, you will need to re-season it.)  Also, seasoning can only be done on humidors with a Spanish cedar interior.  Acrylic, laminate or glass interior humidors can not be seasoned.

To season your humidor, you will need the following:

- 1 clean, sterilized sponge (preferably brand new)
- 1 clean, sterilized spray bottle (preferably brand new)
- 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 (if possible, upgrade to a digital hygrometer)
- The humidor’s humidification unit
- 50/50 pre-mixed humidor solution or Propylene Glycol (optional)

First, take all your cigars and relocate them to a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container.  Next, use the spray bottle and spray the entire interior of your humidor with distilled water.  Be sure to also cover the humidor's interior walls 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 the now charged humidifier 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 a 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, 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.  Otherwise, you may need two or more seasoning bricks.  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.

Once your humidor is seasoned, all you need to do is add distilled water to the humidification device whenever the humidity begins to drop or whenever the humidification device feels a bit dry.  Check your humidor periodically to monitor the humidity level.  (For most humidors, refill time is usually every 30-45 days.)  If the hygrometer displays a humidity level or 65% or less, refill the humidification device with distilled water.  If you are not using a digital hygrometer, you should consider upgrading to one.  Digital hygrometers are more accurate than analog hygrometers and they also do not require any calibration.  

If your humidity level is too high (75% or higher) and you didn't use a 50/50 pre-mixed humidor solution yet, you will need to add a 50/50 dosage of distilled water and propylene glycol to the humdification device and this will balance the humidity at exactly 70%.  Propylene Glycol lasts a long time in a humidor (on average 2 years) so you only need to add this just once.  Afterwards, simply add distilled water when needed.

Your humidor should now be properly seasoned and ready to store your cigars.  Again, you should let your dry cigars sit in your humidor for at least 2 months before you attempt to smoke them.

Hopes this answers your question. I know this response is a bit long but it's important that you properly set up your humidor so that your cigars can be properly maintained.

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

Regards,
James