Cigar Humidification

How to Season a Humidor: The Complete Guide

Reading Time: 8 minutes

THE FULL SETUP GUIDE TO SEASONING A HUMIDOR

Updated October 2022

One of the hottest topics we’ve been asked about since Cigar Advisor opened its virtual doors is how to season a humidor. Now some may call it boujee, but there’s something very traditional about storing cigars in a Spanish cedar-lined wooden humidor. Certainly, there are other ways to keep premium cigars fresh and many of them work very effectively. But if you’re interested in owning a wooden humidor there are a number of things you need to know.

I’ve written about this subject on several occasions; I’ve even done a couple of videos on how to season a humidor. (One of them is in this article.) That said, there are some things covered in this text, including lots of useful links, that may not be covered in the video. Be sure to check them out, and when you bring that beautiful new humidor home, it will all come together nicely.

HOW DO I PREPARE MY NEW HUMIDOR?

Preparing your humidor for seasoning is actually pretty easy, but you’ll also need some patience. Some things take a little more time than others. So, let’s start with what materials and tools you’re going to need:

Materials Needed for Seasoning a Humidor:

  • The hygrometer that came with the humidor (yours may vary)
  • The humidifier that came with the humidor (yours may vary)
  • Boveda 75% hygrometer calibration kit
  • Small flathead screwdriver
  • Fine point permanent marker
  • 8 oz. bottle of humidor solution, a.k.a., 50/50 solution.
  • 1-gallon bottle of distilled water
  • New kitchen sponge, preferably made with natural materials and not pre-soaped.
  • Large stainless steel or glass bowl
  • Plastic sandwich bag or wrap
  • Paper towels

 

Humidifier & Hygrometer Placement

Most of the better cigar humidors come with a humidifying system. So, the first thing you want to do is hygrometer and humidifier placement. First adhere the base for the humidifier on the underside of the lid in the center. Next, place the base for the hygrometer about an inch or two above the humidifier.

 

Humidifier & Hygrometer Placement in Glass Top Humidors

If you’re thinking about getting a glass top humidor placing the humidifier and hygrometer in a glass top humidor is done a little differently. Check out this link which explains it all in detail, including many other things you need to know about glass top humidors.

 

Prepping the Hygrometer

Always make sure your hygrometer is as well-calibrated as possible. Because they’re not perfect, unless you’re working in a high-tech research lab, this is where the Boveda 75% hygrometer calibration shown below kit comes in. It will tell you the accuracy of your hygrometer and the instructions in the kit are easy to follow.

Boveda One-Step Calibration Kit

cigar advisor how to season a humidor - boveda one-step calibration kit at famous smoke shop

Note! This process will also take a number of hours to complete.

Once calibrated, the hygrometer should read 75% RH (Relative Humidity). If it’s off by +/- 2%, leave it. If it’s more than that and your hygrometer has a calibration screw in the rear, use the small screwdriver to turn it until it reads 75%. You can also place the hygrometer back in the calibration bag for another half hour to see if it’s holding at 75%. If the hygrometer doesn’t have a calibration screw, simply note the number of points higher or lower. Then, using a fine point permanent marker write the difference on the back of the hygrometer, for example: +4%, -6%.

 

Prepping the Humidifier

There are only two things you should ever use in your humidifier: distilled water or a wetting solution (50% polyglycol/50% distilled water) as prescribed by your humidor’s manufacturer. If you’re not sure, use distilled water.

If the humidifier is the “old school” round or rectangular green oasis foam filled humidifier, place the humidifier in the bowl, shake the bottle of wetting solution and add solution until the humidifier is so saturated the solution is spilling out of it. You want to get the humidifier as soaked as possible, especially the first time. Let it soak up the solution for at least 15 minutes.

If you have a crystal type humidifier, fill it to the top of the screen either with distilled water or the manufacturer’s preferred solution. (FYI: Crystal type humidifiers are also preferred over green oasis foam models because they absorb more water, last longer, and are resistant to mold.)

Famous Smoke Shop Humidior Solution

cigar advisor how to season a humidor - famous humidor solution at famous smoke shop

Once the humidifier is completely saturated, turn it upside down and shake it over the bowl or a sink to ensure all of the water has been absorbed.

 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR A HUMIDOR TO BE SEASONED?

Using the following method, it can take up to several days or more. It takes time and patience, but the end will justify the means. So, now for the fun part.

 

Seasoning a Humidor: Old-School Method

Empty the bowl of water/solution you used for the humidifier and replace it with clean distilled water. You won’t need a lot.

Take the new kitchen sponge, place it in the bowl of water and squeeze it several times to see if any soap-like bubbles appear. (Even non-pre-soaped sponges will do this.) Once you’re certain the sponge is clear, dump the water and again add fresh distilled water to the bowl. You can even add some wetting solution. Wet the sponge with the water, not too heavily, and neatly wipe the entire inside of the humidor, including the underside of the lid. (You can also use a clean 1½” paint brush.)

Note! Do not oversaturate the wood.

If the humidor came with dividers and/or a top tray, coat them, too. Put the humidifier and hygrometer in place, then put in the dividers however you like.

cigar advisor how to season a humidor - hygrometer reading 81%
Seeing a high hygrometer reading, even upward of 80%, is normal during the seasoning process. Don’t worry…it’ll come back down soon!

Next, soak the sponge and squeeze out just enough water so the sponge is still saturated and heavy, but not dripping. Put the plastic sandwich bag on the bottom middle of the humidor and place the sponge on top of the plastic sandwich bag. If you plan on using the top tray, put that in next. Otherwise, close the humidor, then put it somewhere it won’t be disturbed.

Let the box sit for at least three full days. As the sponge evaporates, the cedar walls will absorb the moisture. Also, the longer you keep the sponge in there, the more water will be absorbed, and the better seasoned it will be. Try to let it sit like that for a week, if you can, and check the sponge daily. If it’s getting dry, that’s all she wrote.

By that time, the hygrometer should be reading somewhere in the mid to high 80% range. That’s good! Remove the sponge and the plastic bag, close the lid, and let the box settle down to about 70% RH. Now, you can finally put in your cigars. Your cigars are now ready to enjoy.

 

WHAT IS THE FASTEST WAY TO SEASON A HUMIDOR?

There’s also a new school way to season your humidor quickly and effectively. The big difference is you won’t need most of the materials listed above. To learn how to use this method see How To Season a Cigar Humidor with Boveda by Cigar Advisor writer, Paul Lukens.

That said, like a master carpenter who can also build without power tools, it’s good to know the old school method.

 

HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR HUMIDOR

Once you’ve prepped and seasoned your new humidor you have to maintain it. The good news is a well-seasoned humidor generally requires pretty low maintenance. Following are some tips that will help keep your humidor in top shape.

  • Never place the humidor in a room that’s prone to wide sweeps in temperature. Also keep the box away from direct sun or lamp light that can raise the temperature and humidity to risky levels. A cooler, shaded spot is ideal.
  • Try to keep your humidor at least 50% full, but no more than 75% to 80% capacity. Cigars need air circulation and by not overfilling, the ebb & flow of humidified air will be distributed more consistently and evenly.
  • Your RH should average about 67% but note that some cigar smokers like it lower or higher. Likewise, as you continue to smoke cigars, you’ll find the RH level that’s best for you. When the hygrometer dips below 64%, it may be time to recharge the humidifier. Add more distilled water or wetting solution, but don’t overdo it. You may only need a little bit to get the RH back to where you want it.
  • Try to keep the inside humidor temperature at about 65 to 70-degrees and try to not let it go higher than 75-degrees. If the temperature gets as high as 80-degrees, the cigars can become very spongy.
  • Check your humidifier and hygrometer at least once a week.
  • When recharging green oasis foam models, use distilled water only. Using wetting solution with each charging will eventually clog the unit.

Also, make sure your humidifier and hygrometer are reliable and the right size for your particular humidor As mentioned earlier, many humidors like the Colibri Heritage below come with a good quality humidification system.

 

Colibri Heritage Humidor

cigar advisor how to season a humidor - colibri heritage humidor at famous smoke shop

For humidors that come with lesser quality factory humidification systems, they can be replaced at a pretty reasonable cost. Here are several options for you:

 

Boveda 320 Gram Humidity Pack – 69%

cigar advisor how to season a humidor - boveda 69% humidity pack (320 gram)The Boveda 320 gram pack offers enough 69% RH to cover 100 cigars. Boveda has become the new humidification standard for a lot of cigar smokers. They last up to several months, but eventually have to be replaced. For smaller humidors, the individual Boveda packs are also very reliable. And all Boveda packs come in a wide range of relative humidity percentages.

 
Xikar Crystal Humidifier – 50 count

cigar advisor how to season a humidor - xikar humistat humidifier at famous smoke shopFor smaller humidors that come with a round oasis foam type humidifier, this small round crystal humidifier from Xikar, for up to 50 cigars, makes a great replacement.

 
Xikar Digital Hygrometer

cigar advisor how to season a humidor - xikar digital hygrometer at famous smoke shopAs for hygrometers, digital is the way to go. Not all are adjustable, but they tend to read within a margin of +/- 2%, so they’re very reliable and can be used in any size humidor. This accurate rectangular hygrometer from Xikar is one way to go. In addition to RH, it also clearly displays temperature. Xikar is known for their quality and back their products for life.

Finally, there are many other humidification devices available to you depending on your preference and budget.

 

HOW TO RE-SEASON A HUMIDOR

Now that we’ve gone through the entire humidor seasoning process, there are going to be times when your humidor needs to be re-seasoned. This begs the following question…

 

How often should I season my humidor?

If you’ve done it right the first time, you shouldn’t have to season it again for a number of years—or ever. This depends on where the humidor is located, the mean temperature year-round, how often the humidor is monitored and maintained, and last but not least—the quality of the humidor itself.

 

Re-seasoning your humidor

Generally speaking, if you know your humidor has a good seal and that the hygrometer is accurate, but you’ve been refilling the humidifier a lot more often, it could be that the Spanish cedar walls are beginning to dry out. That would be one reason to re-season.

Re-seasoning is just like seasoning minus the prepping of the hygrometer and humidifier. So you should follow the steps laid out above. However, the best method for re-seasoning is to follow the steps for seasoning your humidor with Boveda.

If you’ve read this far, now you know just about everything that goes into seasoning and maintaining a humidor. If you’re serious about keeping your cigars in right off the factory floor condition, I hope you found this article helpful and even worth sharing with your cigar smoking friends.

Subscribe
Notify of
8 Comments
Oldest
Newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Tyler D. Perez
6 years ago

I liked this post because it was very in depth and detailed, and then i also read this other page ( https://humidormentor.com/how-to-season-a-humidor/ ) because it was just straight forward. either way, my humidor is at 70% lol.

Jose N
4 years ago
Reply to  Tyler D. Perez

What happens when your environemmt is constantly above 75° F? More like 29° C? And humidity is also high. I live in SEAsia.

John Carey
3 years ago
Reply to  Jose N

I bought freeze packs… I put in a few (experiment to see how many necessary to bring temp down to acceptable level and for how long) and then swap for frozen ones when played out.. keep swapping when in hot weather. Most of the time unless in REALLY hot humid area’s bringing down temp will also bring down relative humidity. Also.. relatively full (but still allowing circulation) larger humidors are easier to steady.. smaller humidors or those with only a few contents will swing faster and more. I have a 750 cap. end table (Silly number.. unless you have very many of very few types it’s unrealistic) and I use four (two at a time) 10″ X 10″X3/4″ freezer packs.. keeps me 65-72 deg and 63-68 humidity… in N. Ga. June-Sept. Trade out once per day.. Experiment. Cheaper than junking exp. cigars! ENJOY!

gary korb
1 year ago
Reply to  Tyler D. Perez

Thanks for the positive feedback Tyler. I trust your humidor is still doing fine.

Cigar Advisor Review: NewAir 250 Count Electric Cigar Humidor Wineador 
4 months ago

[…] fait, c’est plutôt sympa, but they’re not in there, either.) Not a big deal: we know how to season a humidor, and most of that knowledge is transferable to this NewAir […]

Top Winter Humidor Maintenance Tips | Cigar Advisor
2 months ago

[…] however, need constant care. If you’re smoking less—even not at all—during the cold snap, the cigars in your humidor still need seasonal maintenance…especially during winter months. Let’s talk about […]

Gary Korb

Gary Korb

Executive Editor

Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.

Show all Gary Korb's Articles
cigar advisor news – aganorsa supreme leaf adds box-pressed rothschild – release – cover

Cigar News: Aganorsa Supreme Leaf Adds Box Pressed Rothschild

Reading Time: < 1 minute One of the world’s classic cigar shapes is the Rothschild, and Aganorsa Leaf wants you discover this more modest-sized format. So, they’re adding a box-pressed Rothschild to their Aganorsa Supreme Leaf line. Read all about it here.

Read More
cigar advisor my weekend cigar review h. upmann banker daytrader - cover

My Weekend Cigar Review: H. Upmann Banker Daytrader

Reading Time: 3 minutes A spinoff of H. Upmann’s popular Banker selection, the Daytrader line was also blended by the Grupo de Maestros. In this video, Gary reviews the Daytrader Robusto which he called, “tangy and refreshing.” For even more details, watch now.

Read More
cigar advisor #nowsmoking villiger de nicaragua edicion limitada 2022 - cover

NowSmoking: Villiger de Nicaragua Edición Limitada 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes One year later than expected, the Villiger de Nicaragua Edición Limitada 2022 has arrived and Gary’s got the goods on this all-new blend crafted at Villiger’s Nicaraguan factory. Check out his review here and see if it was worth the wait.

Read More
#nowsmoking eiroa dark cigar review eiroa dark natural cigars Cigar Advisor Cover

#nowsmoking: Eiroa Dark Robusto

Reading Time: 4 minutes What’s Gary #nowsmoking today? Check out his EIROA Dark cigar review: Distinguished by its bold blend of high-priming, Honduran Jamastran Corojo tobaccos, this Robusto comes with its share of savory surprises. . .

Read More