AboutJames Yee Expertise My main area of expertise is Cuban cigars but I can also assist you with cigar etiquette, humidor maintenance and troubleshooting. Unsure of a certain cigar brand? Wondering what a certain cigar tastes like? Have any questions about Cuban cigars? Just let me know! I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. (NOTE: My main focus is on premium, hand-rolled cigars and not cheap, machine made, convenience store cigars.) IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT PROVIDE CIGAR OR CIGAR-RELATED APPRAISALS. If you have a vintage cigar item and you want to know if it's worth something, please contact an antique dealer that specializes in "TOBACCIANA".
Experience I currently have 15 dedicated years of cigar smoking (an average 4 cigars a day) and counting. I have smoked every brand of Cuban cigars and most reputable non-Cuban cigar brands on a regular basis so I know a fair bit about taste profiles, cigar etiquette and other fine nuances to cigar smoking. For 5 years, I studied with Cuban torcedores (rollers), catadores (taste testers) and revisadores (inspectors) on every aspect involving the production of the Cuban cigar and I am currently writing a book that will help beginners understand everything they need to know about cigars and cigar smoking.
I just got a new humidor. I broke it in like I was told by charging the humidifier with distilled water and leaving a small cup full of distilled water in the humidor for 24 hours. I didn't wipe down or spray the inside with distilled water due to fear of warping the wood. After 24 hours the humidor got up to 75 or so. I then took out the cup of water and re charged the humidifier again and let it sit for another 48 hours. After that time the humidor stabilized at 70 and I introduced 3 cigars (my humidor holds 50). Over the next couple of days I monitored the humidity at it went up to 72 but was pretty stable. On the 3rd day I went to grab a cigar to smoke and noticed the cigar were very dry. Any idea why? The humidity was always at 70 or so during the whole time I had the cigars in there. How do I fix this problem?
Answer Hi Mike,
This problem is quite common and often occurs in humidors that have not been fully seasoned (ie: spraying and wiping it down with distilled water). What happens is that the wood is still dry and as the humidification device constantly provides humidity, the wood will constantly absorb it; leaving little or no moisture for your cigars. Even though the hygrometer is providing a proper reading in the 70’s, all the humidity is being absorbed by the cedar wood and none is left for the cigars. (The reason why cedar absorbs the humidity first is because there is more cedar than cigars inside the humidor. Because the cedar interior has a large surface area, it’ll act like a big sponge and soak everything up first.)
To correct this, you will have to season your humidor. Light spraying and wiping down your humidor interior will not warp the wood and instead, will prepare the wood so that it can properly absorb and regulate humidity and make your humidor perform more smoothly. Seasoning will only take at most, a few days and if done properly, will not harm your humidor and improve its performance.
To season your humidor, you’ll need a clean and sterilized spray bottle, a clean, unscented sponge and a bottle of 100% distilled water. Do not use commercially bottled, drinking water (ie: Evian, Daisani, Aquafina, etc.), tap, boiled tap water or filtered water (ie: Brita or Pur) as they contain mineral salts that can clog your humidification unit.
The first step you should do is gently spray the entire humidor interior with distilled water. Don’t flood the humidor but instead, lightly spray an even layer of water all over the interior. The interior should be “glistening” with water. Also be sure to spray the interior trays, dividers and drawers if your humidor has them. Let the humidor sit for a few minutes (with the lid open) so that the wood can absorb the water. After a few minutes, any remaining “puddles” or wet spots must be wiped up with the clean sponge. Saturate the sponge with distilled water and let the humidor sit overnight with the wet sponge and fully charged humidification device inside. (Place the sponge on top of a sheet of plastic food wrap so it doesn’t directly touch the wood.)
Check the sponge and humidifier in the morning. If both have lost a lot of moisture and feel dry, add more distilled water to both, repeat the spray process and let the humidor sit for another day. Once the humidor is able to sit overnight and not lose any moisture in the sponge and humidification device, your humidor will be seasoned and ready to use.
After you’ve seasoned your humidor, the humidity level may be slightly higher than normal. This is normal and you will need to let your humidor sit for another day or two to allow the humidity to stabilize. If after a couple of days, the humidity remains extremely high (75%+), let the humidification device evaporate most of its water and then add a 50/50 mixture of Propylene Glycol (PG) and distilled water to it. It may take up to two weeks for the humidity to restabilize after you’ve added the 50/50 mixture but afterwards, the humidity will remain perfectly level at 70%. (You only need to add the PG mixture once and afterwards, simply add distilled water to the humidification device when needed.)
You humidor is now ready to store cigars. :)
Hopes this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask.
