Expert: James Yee - 10/6/2007

Question
HI James,

I've put my cigars in a large plastic container, with a tight fitting lid. I've got the Caliber III hygro, and use a "water pillow" with demineralized water. There's also a cedar "tray" for holding five robustos, although I removed the cigars from the holders. I can't get a stable humidity level inside.
Here's what happens: I put the water pillow in, and the next day the humidity level is well above 80%. I remove the pillow and the humidity will slowly go sown, however that bottoms to 72% no matter what. I have no control over the temperature in my appartment.

What's going on? Is this normal? Are my sticks in danger?

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Jean-Francoise,

This is a common problem when storing cigars in plastic storage containers or Tupperware containers.  What happens is that if the lid is fully closed, the humidity will not vent properly and instead, build up and have nowhere to go.  In most cases, the humidity can rise as high as 90% humidity so if the container isn’t vented, cigars will become soggy, grow mold or split from the sudden increase in humidity.  

What you should do to correct this is to allow the lid to rest “loose” and not tightly sealed.  In a plastic humidor container (or “tupperdor” as most people call them), there isn’t a substantial amount of cedar to absorb and regulate humidity.  Plastic containers are also almost airtight and the plastic is a strong vapor barrier so you will need to compensate this by venting the container manually.  Simply store you cigars in the container but seal only 3 of the 4 corners.  Allow the 4th corner of the lid to rest loose.  This should allow the humidity to naturally vent yet keep your cigars free from dust.  What you should also do is instead of using a water pillow, use a foam-based humidification unit (the same kind you would use in a small humidor) and a 50/50 mixture of distilled water and propylene glycol (PG).  The PG will limit the humidity to 70% perfectly.  It will form a layer over the water and allow just the right amount of water to pass-through and turn to humidity.

The good news is that your cigars aren’t in any danger yet but you should reduce the humidity immediately before any damage is done.

Hopes this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I’ll be happy to help.

Regards,
James