Q. I purchased a 5-cigar Cigar Caddy which provides an airtight and waterproof environment for the cigars. I placed 4 cigars in the Caddy without adding water to the humidifier, and the humidity was 85% after 24 hours. I added one DryMistat stick (after adding distilled water) and the humidity remained at 85%. I even noticed a wet spot on my last cigar. I then tested using a DryMistat stick (still dry, without adding water) and the humidity came down to 73%. Is this common for airtight containers like Cigar Caddy, because there is no airflow to let some of the humidity from the cigars escape?
– Hector in Gilbertsville, PA
A. I’m not sure if I can explain exactly why the humidity dropped from 85% to 73% based on your test, other than the fact that the dry DryMistat stick in the second test was dry. But I can tell you this: Airtight, waterproof cigar cases like the large capacity Cigar Caddy and X-Treme brand travel humidors (shown) have a pressure release valve. The valve permits air to escape due to pressure build-up when the case is left closed for long periods of time. So, if yours doesn’t have this feature, I’m not surprised the RH got so high, so fast. Coincidentally, the X-Treme 5-cigar travel humidor and X-Treme 10 cigar travel humidor do not have a release valve, and the same goes for the same size Cigar Caddy models. (BTW, both brands are virtually identical.)
Since you’ve found a way to get the humidity to a more “normal” level, my advice would be to use the Caddy “as-is” until you eventually find it necessary to add water.
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.
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