Should i season my humidor

A large bowl or container for the water A plastic sandwich bag or cellophane Paper towels or a clean rag How to season a humidor To get the best results and make sure your cigars are well stored, take your time and make sure that all steps are followed. Using paper towels, a dry rag or a clean dish sponge, first wipe down the inside of the humidor with distilled water. You just need to cover the inside with moisture and not saturate it. If your humidor smells of chemicals leave the lid open for approximately one day to allow it to dry.

Now you need to set up the humidifier. Fill the humidifier with distilled water then turn it upside down and shake it. Hold it over a sink or bowl until it has stopped dripping.

Put it inside the humidor, ideally on the underside of the lid towards the center. Before you put your hygrometer in the humidor, you should calibrate it first. This can take up to 6 hours and you can buy kits to help you test it. Once it has been calibrated, put it in the humidor, either next to the humidifier or in one of the corners of the lid.

Put your plastic sandwich or cellophane in the bottom of the humidor. Fill a clean bowl with distilled water and put your kitchen sponge in it. Make sure it is good and saturated. You can add distilled water to the humidification unit, in addition to the propylene glycol, at the end to ensure the unit soaks up plenty of moisture. Once full, shake the humidification unit over a sink so that the excess solution is drained off.

Place your humidification unit in the humidor. NOTE: If you are using a crystal-based humidifier , you can use distilled water in lieu of propylene glycol.

Make sure this type of humidification unit is also completely saturated. After filling it up, shake the unit over the sink to make sure the water has been fully absorbed. NOTE: In the case of a standard foam unit, many feature a magnetic backing that mounts to the inside of the box, usually on the underside of the lid. The magnets will affix to a dry surface much more easily than after the box is humidified.

Now that your humidification unit is full, you may be eager to get the box up to speed as fast as possible. Soak your sponge in cold distilled water. Ring the sponge out slightly, but not all the way. You want the sponge to retain a good amount of moisture, but not so much that it is completely dripping wet. Set a plastic Ziploc bag inside the humidor. Set your sponge on not in the plastic bag. The bag simply provides a barrier so that the sponge is not in direct contact with the wood interior of the box.

This way, the shelf itself will absorb humidity as well. Close the lid on your humidor. Leave the lid closed for at least 3 to 5 days with the wet sponge and humidification unit inside.

Some cigar lovers will wait up to 2 weeks to fully humidify a new humidor. In the meantime, your newly calibrated hygrometer can go in the box.

The hygrometer will be necessary for measuring the humidity. After 3 to 5 days or more have passed, check the humidity level in the box. This is a little higher than the desired range for storing cigars normally, however, your cigars will draw in a lot of the excess initial moisture once placed inside.

NOTE: Humidors that are manufactured with a solid hardwood interior, as opposed to a cedar lining, will take a little longer to fully humidify. You may have to refill your humidification unit with propylene glycol solution and re-soak your sponge in distilled water after a couple days and continue to wait until the box has absorbed the appropriate amount of initial humidity.

We recommend filling the box at least to half of its total capacity and keeping it half full in order to maintain consistent conditions on the inside. For a number of cigar lovers, a good amount of time can pass between the occasions you have to smoke a cigar. However, it truly depends on the size of your humidor as well as the environment where your humidor will be stored. Make sure your humidor has enough time to soak up as much moisture as the Spanish cedar wood needs. If you have some new cigars on deck that need to be seasoned, you may want to pick up a Bovada humidification pack and a ziplock bag so that you can take your time seasoning your humidor without having to worry.

Otherwise, they should be fine for a few days. Does it smell like real cedar wood or do you sense a chemical smell?

If your humidor smells faintly like glue or a chemical smell: simply take a paper towel and wet it slightly. Do not make it dripping wet, you may even want to wring it out just to make sure. Now, simply wipe the entire interior down of your humidor with one layer of the damp cloth. Now, leave the humidor lid open for at least a day until all the moisture is completely dried up from the humidor. How do I Find the Perfect Seal?

If the dollar comes out, then you need a better seal! Where Should I Store my Humidor? How Long do Cigars Last in a Humidor? Cigars can last for years in a properly maintained humidor. Related Articles. Comments Comments are closed. What's trending now Popular this week. What's New. Related to Items You've Viewed. Contact Us JRCigars.

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