Cigar humidor humidity

Is it at least half full?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It may well be that the cedar is too dry..in steps take a terri towel and moisturize the wood with distilled water..in extreme cases you can leave a clean new kitchen sponge in a soup bowl of distilled water and leave it inside for 3 days until the wood saturates...
If it is a cheap humidor at $24.00...discard it and use a tupper wear container..

 

And you might need to wipe the whole inside, including the sealing surfaces with the distilled water. I need to do that if mine gets a little dried out.

George

 

75% RH is high in my opinion. You risk getting mold on your cigars. I would aim between 66 and 70 % RH tops. You can get gel pucks that you fill with glycerin solution and will maintain 70% RH. Any reputable cigar shop sells them. Also, it helps to keep the humidor as full as possible. Another trick is to place your humidor in a sealed plastic container. That will help keep moisture in, but leave out any wet sponges etc...

 

Whisky, in order for the box to sustain level of humidity you need to have it filled with cigars at least half or even 3/4 full
When you drop the wet sponge in the box you see the level shoot up to 80%. Same concept...fill up the box with cigars, drop in the gel tubes it will work. Cigars need to absorb n retain the humidity box is just box to seal it.
As a rule of thumb distilled water is preferred since there is no chlorine or other chemicals to alter the flavor of the cigar.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The analog hygrometers that come with most low end humidors frankly suck.

Skip the hydrometer, skip distilled water or PG solution and just get Boveda packs. You'll need 1 pack per 25 cigars, the packs will be good for 3-6 months of maintenance free humidification.

75% would be quite a bit high. 72% would be more inline with recommendations, however I keep my desktops at home between 65-69%.

 

Did you calibrate the hygrometer? For a small humidor like your I like the suggestion of the Boveda packs. Simple and safe, you just toss it in and leave it.

If you haven't calibrated the hygrometer it could be WAY off. Is it analog or digital? You can buy really simple digital ones cheap. That's what I used while I had mine in my "tuperdor".

Boveda Humidification Packets - Cigars International
HUMI-CARE Black Ice Round Digital Hygrometer - Cigars International

 

I have heard that the easiest way to calibrate the hygrometer is to wrap it in a soaked paper towel for 5 minutes then check the reading. If is not at 100%, then adjust the screw dial to set it to 100%. When you replace it in the humidor most likely it will settle around 70-75%

 

If only a few sticks the best thing is tupperwre with a couple pieces of thin cedar from a box of cigars. Use a Bovida humidipak, 62%-65% is best for cuban cigars.

 

Close but no cigar. Sorry I couldn't resist that one.

Here is a simple procedure......https://www.neptunecigar.com/tips/how-to-calibrate-your-hygrometer

Just like others mentioned wetting the inside cedar with distilled water will certainly bring the humidity level up. Once you do that it should be pretty easy to maintain.

 

You definitely need to season the humidor before it will work properly (Seasoning Your Humidor | Weekly Tip)

You need to use only distilled because there are a ton of deposits in tap water. Think about the water spots that result from a tiny drop of water that you don't dry properly on a car. There is a LOT more water than a few drops used in the humidifying element and it will be ruined by deposits in short order if you use tap water.

You don't want too much humidity -- 70 percent is about max. If the humidity level gets too high, beetle eggs in the cigars will hatch and it's pretty gross. Mold is also a risk with too much humidity.

If you can't get it to maintain humidity after the humidor has been thoroughly seasoned, then one of these will do the trick -> https://www.amazon.com/Visol-Products-VAC700-Humidifier-Humidor/dp/B000PUWHJC/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1467817468&sr=8-11&keywords=humidifier+humidor

I've tried a few different humidifier units and the above is the only one that worked really well and it is very well made (despite the low price).

 

+ 1. I love the Bovida humidipak. Easy peasy , no-brainer.