Seasoning a cigar humidor can be one of the most challenging and intimidating aspects of cigar smoking.

If you get it right, however, you will be rewarded with an evenly moistened and delicious-tasting collection of stogies that are ideal for smoking at any time.

Here is how to season a humidor using six simple steps to help you stay on track and enjoy the process as much as the cigars themselves!

 

What You Need

1. Distilled water.
2. A cloth.
3. Shot glass.
4. Propylene glycol solution.

How to Season a Humidor - Quick Steps

A humidor is used for the storage and aging of cigars. There are many benefits to aging your cigars in a humidor, including reducing the likelihood of mold and preventing cracking.

One of the most essential steps in maintaining a humidor is seasoning your cigar collection before use.

You can do this process as often as once a year or every two years, depending on how often you use cigar humidors and how long you store your cigars inside.

The following steps will give you an idea of what is involved in this process:

Step 1

Fill the cigar humidifier with distilled water (50%) and propylene glycol solution (50%).

Step 2

Wipe the inside walls of your Spanish cedar empty humidor with a cloth or wet sponge until they are damp with distilled water mixture.

Step 3

Let the humidifier sit in the cigar humidor overnight.

Step 4

In the morning, take out your humidifier and check if it needs more water.

If not, put it back into your cigar humidor; if so, fill it with room temperature distilled water again and let it sit overnight.

Step 5

Repeat this throughout the day until you find that one day works best for providing moisture to your cigars while preserving their quality.

Step 6

Once you know that there is no need for further maintenance in terms of humidity, then close up your humidor lid tightly without sealing it shut so that some air may circulate through periodically to keep cigars fresh.

You may also wish to lightly mist your humidifier at least twice per month using distilled water only.

Other Consideration

You should note that during seasoning process, the goal is to mimic the conditions found in nature, providing about 70% relative humidity all year round.

It is also worth noting that another great way to maintain your humidor desired humidity level is by monitoring its contents closely.

Dry tobacco loses its natural oils, which are responsible for holding onto water vapor. Conversely, moist cigars hold onto water vapor much better than dry ones, so making sure that you rotate between different premium handmade cigars helps maintain a balance of these oils within each cigar stored in your own humidor.

As you smoke cigars from your humidor, keep them rotated with new ones so they all have an equal chance of becoming well-seasoned over time.

You will want to ensure that the humidity level remains constant after the initial seasoning and cleaning of your humidor.

Some people who are constantly smoking prefer a lower level because it means fresher smoke but others like a high level. After all, it means smoother smoke.

To achieve consistency, buy an analog hygrometer/thermometer combo with both measurements listed on the same dial.

Then use these measurements as guidelines to determine whether or not adjustments need to be made.

Note: Use Distilled Water Only!

Distilled water is the best type of water for humidors. When you are seasoning a humidor, you will want to use distilled water over tap water or other types of bottled water.

Tap water may contain minerals that can leave deposits and residue on your humidor's walls which will cause them to produce less humidity.

Distilled water, on the other hand, will not contain any minerals and will evaporate into the air, which helps in preventing mold from growing within the humidor and on your cigars.

Season a Humidor with Boveda Packs – Quick Steps

It is time to season your new humidor before you put in your cigars with this straightforward process.

1. Remove all the cigars and store them somewhere else with 69% Boveda.
2. Place a seasoning pack from Boveda (preferably 84%) into your unfilled wooden humidor to give it that rich flavor.
3. Now that the lid is closed, you will want to ensure it stays that way for at least two weeks, regardless of your hygrometer reading.
4. After fourteen days, remove the Boveda pack inside. You only need one per humidor, so use a new one for each time you need to season a humidor.
5. Put your cigars back inside your well-seasoned humidor.
6. Finally, add new Boveda packs to your desired RH.

 

Why Should I Season a Humidor?

Seasoning your humidor is one of the most essential steps in caring for your cigars. When cigars are initially rolled, they are tightly wrapped in either a natural or synthetic leaf, which seals the cigar's flavor and moisture.

As time passes, the leaves will dry out and lose their ability to maintain humidity.

While you cannot completely replace a cigar's original wrapper with one that is airtight, you can use Boveda packs throughout your humidor to keep your cigars at the perfect humidity level while preserving their original wrapper.

Do I Unwrap Cigars in a Humidor?

It seems like a big deal, but unwrapping cigars before putting them in your humidor is an important step.

The wrappers protect the tobacco inside and prevent it from drying out or coming into contact with anything that will impart an unpleasant flavor.

Unwrapping your cigars also lets you inspect them for damage or imperfections that might have gone unnoticed when they were still wrapped.

You can use two methods to unwrap your cigars: either with a guillotine cutter or by hand-rolling the cigar up and then removing the wrapper from the other end.

Can I Use Tap Water to Season a Humidor?

Tap water can work in a pinch, but it has some drawbacks. Tap water is usually chlorinated, affecting the flavor of your cigars.

Chlorine can also cause corrosion on metal pieces inside the humidor.

If you only have access to tap water and need to season your humidor in a hurry, use filtered or distilled water instead.

Conclusion

We hope you now feel a little more confident about seasoning your humidor. It is not hard, but it does require some time and patience.

You will have the best luck following these three steps: cleaning, seasoning, and maintaining.

It takes a little effort on your end, but the payoff of great tasting smokes is well worth it.

Happy smoking!