Setup and care instructions for your humidor

Introduction

Congratulations on the purchase of your new humidor! Please follow the steps detailed here to setup and condition it before placing your cigars inside. This procedure does not take long and if followed correctly will ensure optimum humidor performance. Your humidor should be ready to store cigars in a few days.

We understand that you may be keen to store cigars in your new purchase straight away, but until the humidor is operating at the correct humidity you run the risk of ruining your fine and expensive cigars! With any new humidor the Spanish cedar wood interior will be relatively dry as it has not yet been conditioned to reach the ideal balance of temperature and humidity. If you place your cigars inside, the moisture content of the cigars will quickly be absorbed by the wood, dehydrating the cigars. The humidor must be brought up to the correct humidity before use!

Preparing your humidor

To prepare your humidor for cigar storage:

• Place an espresso cup or shot glass filled with distilled water in the bottom of your humidor. (Tip: Heating the water in a microwave will accelerate the process of conditioning your humidor for first use.)
• Prepare the humidifier (using the instructions below) and place inside the humidor
• Place the hygrometer inside the humidor
• Close the lid and store your humidor in a suitable location, away from draughts and radiators, and not on a window sill where it may be exposed to direct sunlight. Protect it from fluctuations in temperate and humidity by carefully choosing the location where you will store it.
• Check the hygrometer reading daily. When the hygrometer is reading 68-72% the humidor has been properly stabilised and is ready for use.

A certain school of thought recommends wiping the interior humidor surfaces with a damp cloth. We do not recommend this. You might ruin the wood and introduce bacteria! Likewise, we do not recommend spraying water onto the inside surface of the humidor. Any excess water or puddles of water may cause the wood to expand, crack or warp.

Occasionally, some humidors might not reach the optimum humidity (68-72%) without the introduction of cigars. If this is the case, introduce cigars slowly into your humidor over a period of time until your humidor environment has stabilised and check the hygrometer regularly.

Hygrometer

Whilst it is generally accepted that a humidor environment of 70% humidity and 70° fahrenheit (70/70) provides optimum cigar storage conditions, the acceptable range, (and often individually preferred range), is somewhat wider. If your hygrometer does not show an exact 70% reading, it is not broken. Variations exist between different humidors and only the most expensive hygrometers are accurate to 1-2%. A humidity range of between 65% and 75% is perfectly acceptable. In fact, some smokers like their cigars quite moist while others prefer them to be a little drier. This is all down to preference and over time you will learn how you prefer to maintain your cigars and can always adjust the humidity range. eg. using a higher propylene glycol to distilled water ratio with a traditional oasis foam humidifier.

The hygrometer needs room to breathe and is best mounted on the humidor lid, placed on a tray or an area within your humidor where it can receive a flow of air around it.

Although your hygrometer will have been supplied pre-calibrated, (either at the factory or by us), it may require re-calibrating after shipping. (NB. Not all hygrometers can be calibrated. Some are factory sealed. Does your hygrometer have a small hole in the rear surface? Through the hole can you see a slot or screw head to adjust it? If not, you can always add or subtract the required percentage offset during day-to-day usage, which can be obtained from carrying out the calibration procedure. eg. If the hygrometer reads 90% after being wrapped in a damp cloth, when it should read 95%, during normal use add 5% to the reading shown on the dial to arrive at the actual humidity. Likewise, if it over-reads, subtract the required offset.)

If the hygrometer needs to be calibrated:

• Remove the hygrometer from the humidor
• Wet a cloth, squeeze out the excess water, and wrap it around the hygrometer
• After 10 minutes, unwrap the cloth and remove the hygrometer. The hygrometer should show a reading of 95%
• If the hygrometer requires adjustment, take a small screwdriver and use it to move the screw in the rear of the unit until it reads 95%
• Dry the hygrometer and put it back in the humidor

Humidifier

The humidifier is the component which maintains the humidity within your humidor. To prepare your humidifier for use:

• Remove your humidifier from the humidor and packaging
• Use either distilled water or preferably, a humidification solution (50% distilled water and 50% propylene glycol) and squirt into the humidifier through the openings on the front face
• The humidifier should be moist but not soaked. It will not regulate if saturated.
• Wipe any excess water or solution from the humidifier
• Place the humidifier back into the humidor

It may take a while experimenting with your humidifier to achieve the right humidification level. Generally, add distilled water if the humidity drops or add the humidification solution if the humidity is too high. The humidification solution should be used sparingly.

Caring for your cigars

Cigars, like wine, mature over time and will continue to improve with age. Having said that, most cigars peak. Once they hit their peak, they will not benefit from further storage and may in fact decline. Our opinion is that generally 90% of any aging benefit is obtained in the first 5 years. Try a cigar that has been aged for 5 years and compare it to a more recent one of the same type. 6 months storage on a "green" cigar will practically transform it.

As you grow in experience and confidence you will be able to "feel" a cigar and know the humidity it is being stored at without reference to a hygrometer. Cigars which feel soft and spongy have been over-humidified and those feeling hard and brittle means they are under-humidified. Ideally, cigars should feel firm but springy.

Bloom can sometimes appear as grey/white dust on the wrapper of your cigars as they age in the humidor. Not to be confused with mould, it is a good thing and the result of the cigars oils seeping to and drying on its surface. It can be removed from your cigar by gentle brushing.

Cigars also need to breathe and you should periodically open your humidor and allow air to circulate around your cigars. You should also try to regularly rotate your cigars so that those cigars at the bottom are rotated with those at the top.

It is advisable to keep certain cigars separate from one another to avoid the marrying of flavours. Some heavy bodied or strong cigars may marry their qualities with milder or weaker cigars.

Look after your humidor and it will reward you by looking after your cigars. Your humidor is an investment for your cigars if set up and maintained correctly. Keep it clean, regularly check the hygrometer and maintain the humidifier when necessary.

Finally

If you have any questions, please contact us. We are always happy to be of assistance.