Expert: James Yee - 8/2/2011

Question
Hi James,

I just bought a thermoelectric wine cooler (28 bottle capacity) to store my cigars as my apartment is usually very hot in summer (about 30 celsius). I started storing my cigars in their original boxes with a CigarSpa device to regulate humidity but humidity levels were shifting dramatically in very short lapse of time (e.g. from 60 percent to 80 percent in an hour). I therefore decided to put all the cigars in humidors (Daniel Marshall) and to store the humidors in the wine cooler (instead of the original cigar boxes). My rational is that humidors offer a much more insulated environment than the original cigar boxes. My questions are:
1. Will the wine cooler humidity level rapid shifts affect the internal humidity level within the humidors?
2. If average 3 days humidity is about 70 percent, does it matter if humidity frequently shifts? In other words, is it average humidity or humidity at a particular point in time that matter most?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Vincent

Answer
Hi Vincent,

Is the 60% to 80% shift occuring on a regular basis?  If yes, this would indicate that your wine cooler may be leaking humidity and causing your CigarSpa to constantly activate.  What you can do is lower your desired humidity level on the CigarSpa so when it does activate, it doesn't generate humidity near 80%.  Humidity shifts during the course of a day can be normal but if the humidity is constantly reaching 75% or higher, you'll need to correct this before mold appears.

Storing your humidors inside the wine cooler will indeed prevent excess humidity from entering your humidors but sometimes it may prevent too much humidity from reaching your cigars.  (It all depends on the build quality of your humidor.)  If the humidity level inside your humidor is too low, try leaving a small gap in the humidor lid to allow more humidity to enter.  (A toothpick or small piece of wood works best.  Just place it in the gap of the lid to slightly elevate the lid.)

Constant opening and closing the wine cooler may also cause the dramatic humidity shift.  If this is the case, just open your wine cooler only when neccessary.  If your wine cooler has a glass front, avoid storing your wine cooler in direct sunlight as it will cause your humidor's temperature and humidity to frequently shift.

Constant humidity shifts is also a common problem with unseasoned humidors so what you can also do (if you haven't done it already) is line the interior of your wine cooler with Spanish cedar panels and season the cedar.  Once the Spanish cedar is seasoned, it will absorb and regulate the humidity inside your humidor more effectively. The seasoned cedar will maintain a proper humidity level so your CigarSpa will not need to activate as frequently.  

As with all large capacity humidors and wine coolers, it's also best to have two digital hygrometers installed.  Have one close to your humidifier and another hygrometer placed in the furthest area from your humidifier and this will provide an overall reading throughout your humidor/wine cooler. (For example, if you have your CigarSpa placed at the base of your wine cooler, add a second hygrometer to the top section of your wine cooler.  This way, you'll know whether or not your humidity is circulating properly through your wine cooler.)

I hope this helps.

Regards,
James