Expert: James Yee - 8/14/2007

Question
Hello,
I purchased a new humidor (150 cigars, cedar wood 3 drawers, "spirit of st. louis" brand, analog display, and foam receptacles for water). I saturated the foam with distilled water, as instructed (no instruction about seasoning required in the manuals) and kept it overnight, empty, the humidity remained around 58 to 60%. It's been a few days now, every morning I check the foam, it is still saturated (veery slight loss of water), but the humidity does not raise more than 60%.
Now I have placed my cigars inside, because I have no other place to store them. I don't know what to do next. Can you help me please ?
Regards,
Elie

Answer
Hi Elie,

If your humidor does not need to be seasoned, then what you can do is add a 50/50 mixture of Propylene Glycol (PG) and distilled water.  PG will automatically balance the humidity out at 70%.  You will have to figure out how much water your foam humidification device(s) can hold and then add an equal mixture of ½ part distilled water and ½ part propylene glycol.  Propylene Glycol lasts a long time inside your humidor (on average 2-3 years) so you only need to add this mixture just once.  After this, only add distilled water to the humidification device(s) when needed.  Propylene Glycol is available at most tobacconists as well as large drug stores/pharmacies.  If you’re having trouble finding PG in your area, you can also order it on the Internet.

After adding this mixture to your humidor, it may take between 1 to 2 weeks for the humidity to stabilize.  During this time, the humidity may act wildly so it’s best to move your cigars to a temporary storage container such as a brand new Tupperware container.  As an alternative, you can also purchase a humi-pouch for your cigars. These are Ziploc-style bags that have a humidified lining inside the bag that can properly humidify your cigars for 3 months.  These bags are available at most tobacconists/cigar stores and can hold anywhere from a few single cigars, to whole boxes.  (They’re intended for short-term cigar storage and travel.)  Depending on the size, they sell for between $5 - $15 a bag.

If after you’ve added the 50/50 mixture and the humidity is still slightly off balance, you will then need to fine tune the mixture by adding either a very tiny bit more of PG (if the humidity is still high) or a bit more water (if the humidity is too low) until you reach the desired humidity level.  When fine-tuning with PG, remember that a little PG can go a long way so be sure to add very small amounts.

Hope 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