subject: Understanding Humidity And Cigars [print this page] Anyone who has purchased cigars from a tobacconist's shop will know that they are usually stored in specialized cabinets that maintain a balanced temperature and steady level of humidity. Basically, such a cabinet or container is just a commercially sized humidor which operates in many of the same ways that the smaller, cedar boxes do. These individually sized containers often provide remarkably efficient ways to age and maintain cigars under optimal conditions, but they do require some regular effort and care.
People who use humidors will usually have a few that are not in active service. This means that they are empty and are not being monitored for their levels of humidity. Before putting such a box back into service, the owner is going to have to re-season it and ensure that the wood lining the box is in good condition. It is significant to note that the cedar wood lining the humidor is very soft and prone to losing its moisture rapidly. If you place cigars into a humidor which has not been in use, the wood is likely to pull some moisture out of the cigars, and a balanced environment will be very hard to obtain.
The solution is to first use the right equipment and accessories to get the box into working order, and only then should the cigars be added. The best tool for measuring the condition of the box is the device called a hygrometer. This will indicate the current dew point inside of the humidor, and the ideal level is around 70%.
The owner must put the boxes where they will be stored permanently, which should be in a somewhat controlled area out of direct sunlight. They should then close the box and put the hygrometer inside of it. This should be left alone for several hours to get an accurate reading. Anything less than 70% humidity means that the box itself will need to be re-humidified before cigars can be safely added. This is done by adding the humidifier and leaving the box alone until the right levels are obtained.
It is important to note that many boxes will need upwards of a full week to become fully restored, and a cigar owner is going to have to become quite proficient at managing their humidifying devices. This is because they will need to balance the distilled water and the Propylene Glycol formula (or PG) that allows water to escape at a much slower rate of evaporation, thus humidifying the environment properly.
