Seasoning your Humidor

     Seasoning your humidor is simply the process of getting it conditioned and prepared to maintain a consistent internal humidity. The wood in your new humidor is currently dry as a bone and would draw out any moister that is in your cigars. So, how do you season? You can go just about anywhere on the web and learn how to do this, however there are some serious DO's and DON'Ts that I've learned in my experience. I have tried many different ways of seasoning but below is the best way that I have found through trial and error.

[NOTE: If you have the metal adhesive disks that come with the Hygrometer and Humidifier, stick them to one of the inner side walls of your choice before you start seasoning.]  

1. Wiping down your Humidor: (optional)

    Despite what some will say, it is perfectly OK to wipe down the inside of your humidor. I personally like doing it to remove any dust and manufacturing residue. Now if you do wipe it down with your Terry cloth (4.), make sure the cloth is ever so lightly moistened with distilled water ONLY (9.). Just enough that when you do wipe down the wood, it darkens only slightly but not drenched. The wood should feel cool to the touch once you are done.

2. Initial Saturation: (50 to 150+ count Humidors)

    If you have LIGHTLY wiped down all of the wood inside of the humidor (or not), it's time for the initial saturation. Take your florists foam or sponge (6.) and soak it with distilled water. Shake it lightly to rid the excess water, you don't want puddling in the dish. Then take the Small dish and two toothpicks (11.) placing the two toothpicks parallel to each other inside the humidor resting on the bottom, about an inch or two apart. You will place the dish with wet foam/sponge inside the humidor resting flat and even on top of the toothpicks. This is so moisture can pass underneath the dish while the humidor sits over night. Once you have the dish and foam/sponge sitting in the humidor on toothpicks, close the lid (with digital hygrometer inside, optional) and let sit for 8 hours or over night.  

 3. Humidity Check 1 and Stabilization: (50 to 150+ count Humidors)

    Now check your progress. You may notice the wood inside the humidor has darkened slightly more then the night before. This is because the wood has naturally absorbed the moisture from the foam/sponge and is now saturated. If you put a digital hygrometer (1.) in the humidor over night, it may read 85 to 90% RH (for 50 count or less). Check to see if the foam/sponge is dry. If so, add a bit more water to it. Now you can included a humidifier (3.) that has been charged with Probylene Glycol (2.). Place it next to the dish or on the side where it's mounting plate is. Close the lid and let it set for another 8 hours or for the entire day up until the next morning.

4. Humidity Check 2: (50 Count Humidors)

    You should see your hygrometer very close to 90%+ RH. Remove the dish and toothpicks. (For 150+ humidors, leave the dish in and go to step 5) Close the lid with the hygrometer and humidifier still inside and allow the RH to drop just below 75%. At this point you can place your cigars (10.) inside. 

WARNING: Make sure your cigars have been well humidified during seasoning and have not dried out before dropping them in the humidor (keeping them in a Ziploc bag with a lightly damp paper towel works). If they are dry, your humidors RH will plummet and you may have to re-season.

     Now the reason I suggested you buy a cheap over-run cigar bundle is because a well seasoned humidor must be at least 3/4 of the way full in order to maintain a stable RH. If it's less than 3/4 full, you will see large fluctuation in humidity levels.

5. For Large 150+ humidors:
    If you happen to have a larger humidor and have done the steps above (excluding the step where you put your cigars inside), you may notice the RH is not very high. This is because your humidor has two to three times more wood to saturate. Because of your humidors size, you may have two humidifiers as well. So at step 4 you would leave the dish inside along with your first humidifier and then place your second fully charged humidifier inside. Close the lid and let the humidor sit another 8 hrs to a day.

6. Humidity Check 3: (150+ count Humidors)

   Check and see that your large humidors digital hygrometer has risen above 75%. If not, allow another 8 hrs of saturation/stabilization. If the RH is above 75% however, remove the dish with sponge and toothpicks, leaving everything else inside. Close the lid and allow the humidors RH to drop. Once you see the RH hit closer to 75%, throw your cigars in. 

7. Patience and Care: 

    Once your cigars are in place, it's time to let your humidor settle in. Over the next few weeks... you may notice RH levels go up and down often. Just recharge your humidifier as needed. However, if you notice that the RH plummeting, do the seasoning steps again without wiping down the inside. The wood is just acclimating to a moist environment and takes time to relax. Now, if you have problems with rising RH levels, you need to reduce the size of your humidifier and/or add raw Spanish Cedar strips (12.) to help absorb the moisture. My humidor took a month or so to finally settle and maintain consistent RH levels. 

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