Last episode we addressed a question asked by Rock in Utah about properly seasoning a Spanish cedar humidor.
First things first. If you want your cedar humidor to hold a consistent humidity, you MUST season it.
What exactly is seasoning a humidor?
The seasoning process creates a regulated moisture barrier in the cedar so it is not fighting for moisture when new cigars are introduced to the environment.
If you do not hydrate the cedar, you will have issues maintaining proper humidification in your humidor.
There are a few ways you can go about seasoning your humidor for the first time.
The most simple is to purchase an 84% moisture pack for Boveda that is the appropriate size for you specific application. Stick that pack in your humidor, and forget about it for two weeks.
After two weeks has passed, your humidor should be ready to hold some cigars. Throw away the 84% pack, and replace with your preferred humidification device.
If you prefer a more hands on approach, you can take a clean sponge, and some distilled water, or a propylene glycol solution pre-mixed for humidors, and lightly wipe the inside of your humidor.
Be careful not to over-moisturize or you may accidentally warp your cedar lining.
Do this for three consecutive days, while leaving the damp sponge inside your humidor on something non-porous so you don’t damage the cedar.
At this point, you should be able to add your preferred humidification device, and fill up your humidor with cigars.
Another important thing to note is, to get proper consistency long term, your humidor should remain at least half full of cigars.
As you store and age your cigars you will be able to note subtle changes in their flavors, and smoke-ability.
Have fun experimenting with your favorite sticks, and notice how their flavors mature. Send your own questions in to [email protected] and get featured in our next show.