Setting Up a new Humidor

Welcome to my new blog dedicated to my enjoyment of Cigars and Pipes.



Afghanistan 2008

I decided there was no better way to start this project than with a tutorial on how to set up a new humidor.  This information comes from my personal experiences and a lot of reading.  There are many opinions on what can be used to keep your cigars at optimum humidity for an enjoyable smoke.  This tutorial will address the minimalist approach to get a new aficionado going with a desk top humidor using readily available commercial products versus some of the very unique custom methods that are out there.

I am currently in the military and deployed overseas.  The below method is geared toward my fellow service members as to what can be done in a deployed environment relatively inexpensive to ensure your prized smokes last even in harshest conditions of a deployed environment where humidity levels can be brutal to cigars.  The RH reading in my room is currently 35% which will quickly dry out a cigar.  I now own a total of four humidors and have used this basic process for all of them including the one pictured below.

Obviously, the first step is to acquire a humidor.  There are many options out there for desk top humidors that vary in price and size.  I would encourage someone just starting out to do their research and decide what they think is best for them.  Above all you need to know that price does not necessarily mean quality.  There are many affordable options out there if you know where to look.  The humidor pictured below was purchased for $30 and included 10 premium cigars as an introductory offer from a very popular online vendor that I found in the back of a magazine.

A humidor has three primary components:

1. The Humidor-air tight wood box usually lined with Spanish cedar.  No matter how nice it looks, the most important feature is that it is airtight and has a good seal.

2. Humidification device -provides the appropriate level of humidity for your cigars usually 65-70% RH

3. Hygrometer-Device that measures the relative humidity.  There are many makes and models including both analog(dial) and digital.  Do not assume the hygrometer that comes with a humidor is accurate or works properly.  There are ways to check which I will describe.

Once you have selected the humidor that is right for you and bring it home you will need to take the time to properly set it up and "charge" your humidor.  The time you take now will ensure your humidor will provide years of enjoyment.

New Humidor

When your humidor arrives or prior to purchase if doing so in person ensure that the humidor itself is not damaged if it was shipped and that it does the basic job of providing a air tight compartment to store your cigars.  If you are buying in person you will want to perform a visual inspection.  This will include making sure there are no visible gaps and that the lid appears to tightly seal.  You can take this a step further by performing the dollar bill test.  Lay a dollar or piece of paper on the edge of the humidor and close the lid on it.  Then try to pull the paper out.  If it pulls easily a tight seal does not exist.  Do this on all sides.  Ideally the dollar will be difficult to remove and feel like you might tear it.

SALT TEST

The first thing you will want to do is make sure you have a properly calibrated working hygrometer.  If you already own one that has been calibrated you can move on the charging you humidor.  If this is your first humidor you will need to calibrate the hygrometer and make sure it works.  The most common method to verify a hygrometer is called the salt test.

Salt Test

1. Secure a common bottle cap from a plastic soda bottle
2. Fill the cap to the top with table salt
3. Place several drops of water in the salt so that the salt is completely saturated, but does not drip
4. Place the hygrometer and the cap in a sealed plastic zip-lock bag
5. After 6 hours the hygrometer should read 75% RH
6. If it does not there is usually an adjustment screw in the back of an analog hygrometer that can be turned to make it 75% or a calibration button on a digital hygrometer that you will need to press and hold.
7.  Your hygrometer is now calibrated and ready to use.

As mentioned earlier there are many styles of hygrometers both analog and digital.  The key is to ensure yours works properly.  Many prefer digital, but they are not required and I also use analogs once have verified they work.  The key is to think about how much you plan to spend on your cigars and decide if spending an extra $15-25 is worth protecting your collection of cigars.

CHARGING



Charging Humidor

 Once your humidor is unpacked and you have a working hygrometer you will want to charge the humidor.  To do this place a small glass or container of distilled water in it along with a calibrated hygrometer and close the lid.  This is where patience will be important as you will need to leave it like this for 24-72 hours.  When humidors are constructed they use kiln dried wood.  When you receive it the wood is very dry.  Placing the distilled water in it and sealing it will allow the wood to absorb the water rehydrate.  Within 72 hours the wood will be come saturated and you should get a constant reading of 70% on the hygrometer.  Skipping this step could be very detrimental to your cigars.  If you immediately place your cigars in a new humidor or one that has not been maintained the humidor will likely dehydrate your moist cigars as the dry wood absorbs the available moisture.  The other note is once you set the water in and close the lid walk away and forget it for at least 24 hours.  Continuing to open the lid and checking it will only delay the process and make it take longer.

MAINTAINING HUMIDITY

Once you achieve a constant reading(70%) you can remove the container of distilled water and place your charged  humidification device in the box.  I suggest you leave it this way for another 12 hours to ensure the device you are using will keep the humidity at the proper level.  Most humidors come with a foam style humidifier device.  These will work, but is is very important that you only use distilled water or better yet a propylene glycol solution as the foam humidifiers are prone to mold issues.  A step up from the standard foam humidifiers are ones filled with beads designed to better hold solution and release moisture over time.  The other readily available humidifier I chose to use are humidity beads that are formulated regulate the humidity at a pre-determined % for a certain size humidor based on keeping them moist.  I chose to use ones that come in a jar (2oz or 4oz) made by Xikar.  With these you simply unscrew the lid and place the jar in the humidor periodically checking the fluid level.

STOCKING

Once you are confident the humidor is ready you can start to stock it with your favorite smokes.  I would suggest you only fill it to about half capacity initially to make sure your humidification device can keep up especially if you are using a foam model that typically comes with a humidor. 

Over the next week or so continue to monitor and stock the humidor  up to the capacity you intend to keep on hand.  Again, try to avoid constantly opening the lid as this will cause fluctuations.

Most importantly enjoy your new humidor and treat yourself to a good smoke.

If you want to read more on this or other cigar related topics I encourage you to read as well as search the web and visit sites like puff.com where I obtained much of my knowledge over the years.

Puff.com forums:

http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/

Until Next time.....