Allow me to address a regular question I am asked and perhaps one of the most important: How to properly maintain your humidor?
We all spend a small fortune on our love of premium cigars, but how do we also insure they are properly cared for? If you are someone who owns a humidor than this information may help. I would like to tell you about a humidification system that I have been using for close to a year, and have had tremendous success with. My personal cabinet humidor houses anywhere from 600 to 800 cigars, with a capacity to hold up to 1500.
Seasoning:
Whenever you purchase a new humidor , you MUST season it! Never place your cigars into that humidor the same day!! Allow plenty of time for the cedar to condition, it's a bit of a babysitting practice, but normally it takes anywhere from 3-6 days for humidity and temp to be right. Time with also vary depending on your local climate conditions, size of humidor and the type of humidification you use. What I have always done with a new humidor is to take a clean cloth with distilled water (not soaking wet, just damp) and lightly wipe down the lining of the humidor. Read the care instructions that come with your humidor, as there are some that tell you not to moisten directly on cedar. However, I have always done this and never had any warping issues. Using the damp rag helps to acclimate the cedar to higher humidity level. Remember that in the very beginning, your humidor with absorb a lot more water just because it is not yet used to the added humidity. You will also want to take either a small bowl of distilled water, or a wet rag with distilled water and place it in your humidor. Be sure if using a wet rag that you lay it on either a piece of cellophane, or a inside an open ziploc bag as you DO NOT want to place the wet rag directly on the wood. If you have a larger cabinet humidor, then you can use a small bowl or shallow dish, again making sure the water is never directly poured onto the wood. This helps to speed up the process slightly and create an even humidity throughout, especially on the larger cabinet humidors. Be patient as this process may take a few days, be sure to have an accurate hygrometer, I actually have 2 digital ones in my cabinet humidor just because its so large. You will want to keep checking the humidity level until it rests in the range of 68%-72% before adding any cigars into the humidor.
Humidification:
Immediately upon purchasing my larger humidor I installed a Cigar Oasis Magna humidification system. The CO Magna is an electronic cigar humidifier, which precisely controls the humidity in larger cabinet humidors. It features internal and external fans to distribute continuos air flow throughout your humidor and a distilled water reservoir in the lower section of unit. The device is easy to set up and ready to work once filled with distilled water and plugged into an electrical outlet. The digital readout shows 3 day averages of humidity, low water/low battery alarms, wi-fi capability as well as text and email alerts. What I loved most about this product aside from the easy to use unit, is that it came complete with wifi capabilities so that as I travel, I can still check in on my precious babies! Please watch the video below to see the full process.
Storage:
Make sure to keep your humidor is a cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight. Also take into consideration sources such as ceiling vents/fans, fireplace, or artificial heaters that may alter temperature. Check your humidity and temperature levels a minimum of every 2 weeks. Maintain humidity level of 68%-72% with a temperature no higher than 72 degrees. Make sure your cigars are not blocking any fans or vents inside humidor. Position cigars to receive maximum airflow. Check your cigars regularly if you notice any dry cigars or mold, you may want to change location of humidor, or test the calibration of your hygrometer for accuracy. Always use distilled water to season, and anytime you add water. These tips and best practices have worked for me up to date.
Whether you have a smaller desktop humidor, a large cabinet or anything in between, Cigar Oasis has the perfect, accurate humidification system for you!
