Expert: James Yee - 4/17/2007

Question
QUESTION: is the oasis cigar humidifier a good system to use for this mini cabinet of mine.? oh and thanks for the answer about the 45 degree angle shelve.. thank u.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
hi, James
I ve just purchased a new small cabinet humidor outside dimensions are 13" x 11" x 23" and all my trays are at a 40 degree angle. im using this humi. for ageing my cigars but, ive read on one of your answer that vertical are not a good ideal should I return this and get the horizontal style trays.. also I have the cigar oasis humidifier what's your opinion on these and would this humidifier do the job for this humidor.

thank you in advance...

-----Answer-----
Havert,

A 40-degree angle is perfectly fine.  A lot of tobacconists and cigar stores do use humidors with 40-degree angle trays/shelving.  It doesn't interfere with the aeration of humidity plus it provides a natural, comfortable viewing of your cigars at eye level.  When I mention "vertical cigar storage", I refer to the novelty humidors that store cigars at a 90-degree angle.  Though these humidor manufacturers consider this to be an innovative and contemporary approach to cigar storage, storing cigars in this method is less effective and could ruin your cigars due to lack of aeration and over humidity in certain areas.

It should be noted however, that cabinet humidors with 40-degree angle shelving are intended for commercial and personal display.  Technically speaking, it’s perfectly safe to age your cigars in it but if you plan to age a lot of whole boxes, a humidor cabinet that allows you to stack the boxes more conveniently on a level surface will work even better.

Hopes this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James

ANSWER: Havert,

Yes, the cigar oasis humidifier should be fine.  If you find that it's not circulating the humidity well enough to certain parts of the humidor interior, you could invest in a second unit or even better, a larger, commercial humidifier but I think it should work just fine in a humidor with the dimensions that you specified.

Use it for a month and see how your cigars are at the end of the month.  If they're a bit dry, consider upgrading to a second unit.

Regards,
James

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

QUESTION: hello james,
         right now i have mu cigars in 72 humidity environment, but im think about lowering it down to 69. should i gradually set it down to 69 or can i go ahead and make the change immediately with doing any harm to the cigars.. and also how often should i season my humidor.. the humidor im referring to i only had about 6 months give a take..

Answer
Hi Havert,

A 3 degree drop in humidity is not bad so you can go ahead and change the humidity immediately.  If you properly maintain your humidor, you should only need to season it just once; when you first received it.  After you've seasoned your humidor, the constant humidity from the humidifier should keep the interior cedar well humidified.  If you've stopped using your humidor for more than 3 months, the interior wood may be bone dry so you will want to re-season it.  Under normal circumstances, a properly maintained humidor will only need to be seasoned just once.

Hopes this answers your question.

Regards,
James