Cigar 101: Humidor Seasoning
Aside from the cigar itself, a must have for any cigar smoker is the humidor. A quality humidor is a necessity for any cigar smoker because they ensure that cigars are in an environment that will preserve their quality.
Every humidor consists of three parts; the box itself, which is often lined with Spanish Cedar, a hygrometer, which monitors relative humidity, and the humidifier, which creates the humid environment inside the box.
Before any cigars can be stored inside a humidor, the cedar inside must be seasoned. The act of seasoning a humidor means that the wood is at the appropriate humidity to create a stable humid environment of cigars. If cigars are placed into an unseasoned humidor, the cedar will rob the cigars of moisture, which will cause the cigars to lose its flavor. There are two methods to season a humidor, both methods need 2-3 weeks. The first method is using distilled water or propylene glycol. For this method, fill the humidifier with either propylene glycol or distilled water, place the humidifier inside the humidor, and close it. As time passes, regularly check fluid levels of the humidifier. Once the humidor reaches a stable humdity range (65%-72%), cigars can be placed inside. The second method is to use Boveda packs. A Boveda pack with a relative humidity of 84% will slowly introduce moisture into the wood. After two weeks of using Boveda packs, the humidor should be in the proper range (65%-72%) to begin storing cigars. The advantage of using Boveda packs over distilled water or propylene glycol is that Boveda packs do not require regular monitoring.
Whichever method is used, it is always best not to use regular tap water because the impurities in the water can lead to mold and bacteria growth inside the humidor. It is also important to never wipe down the wood inside the humidor. Wiping down the wood with water will cause the wood to absorb moisture too rapidly, which will warp the wood and potentially weaken the seals that are essential to maintaining a stable environment within the humidor.
One of the hardest decisions a cigar connoisseur must make is which size and style humidor is best for them. As a rule of thumb, it’s best the smoker to get a humidor a size bigger than what they think will be best. Getting a size larger ensures that they will able to comfortably store all of their favorite cigars.
In terms of appearance, there are humidors available to suite any smoker’s personal preference. From glass top humidors to traditional wooden top humidors, there are brands available to meet anyone’s budget. Savoy makes a great line of quality humidors in a wide range of sizes and finishes. Diamond Crown humidors are considered a luxury humidor that will last a lifetime. All of these humidors are available at our five locations as well as emersonscigars.com
The next step in cigar storage is hygrometer calibration, which will be covered in a later installment of Cigar 101.
