Cigars stored in a humidor taste 100% better than those stored in, say, a drawer. So, if you have yet to buy a humidor, do it ASAP. Then, you should learn how to season your humidor because…

• Seasoning prepares the wood in a humidor to release moisture when it gets too dry.  
• A seasoned humidor performs well for longer than an unseasoned one.  
• The humidity in a well-seasoned humidor stays consistent when you open it, even when you open it regularly.  

If you’re new to storing cigars in a humidor, it’s good to know how a humidor works. They aren’t complicated, but a little know-how goes a long way. Then you’ll be a pro, ready to season your new cigar humidor and enjoy plump, savory stogies for many years.  

What Do Cigar Humidors Do? 

Stored in a desk drawer or kitchen cabinet, cigars have no protection from changes in humidity, nor changes in the temperature of the room. They will dry out, get brittle, or even crack. Dry cigars do not smoke evenly.   

Cigar makers cure and store the tobacco in the humid climate where the tobacco grows, so it’s best to store them yourself in a similar environment. Cigar humidors create that environment, allowing cigars to stay moist, no matter where you live. Keep the relative humidity in your humidor at 65% to 70%—like the humidity in the tropics. 

You need three things to support consistent humidity: a humidifier, a thermostat, and a hygrometer. 

Humidifiers 

Humidifiers continuously emit moisture into the humidor. Sponges soaked in water are the simplest humidifiers. If you use sponges, wet them with distilled water (not water from the tap) to avoid releasing mold or minerals into the humidor.  

The Flying Cigar Company recommends Boveda Humidification Packets for desktop humidors. This amazing product keeps humidity in the humidor within two degrees of the temperature you set it to.  

Some people use floral foam for humidifiers. The downside of using foam is that it absorbs cigar odors. Others use small crystal gel beads, which hold up to 500 times their weight in water and release moisture into the air of the humidor.  

Electronic humidifiers work best for large humidors.

Hygrometer 

Hygrometers measure the humidity level in a humidor. They come in digital and analog styles. Electronic humidifiers have built-in hygrometers. Check your hygrometer every one or two weeks to manage the humidity level in your humidor.  

Thermostat 

A steady temperature helps keep the humidity consistent in a humidor. Keep the temperature inside a humidor around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (Temperatures between 60 and 72 degrees are fine.) You can use a household thermometer to track the temperature, too, and some humidors have built-in heaters or coolers with their own thermostats. 

Need to Find a Good Humidor?

Humidors come in many sizes to meet the needs of all cigar smokers. Humidors in stock at the Flying Cigar Company include the Herf-a-Dor travel humidor, the stylish Adirondack humidor, and the mahogany Havana Foot Locker. 

Why Season a Cigar Humidor 

When it comes to storing cigars, nothing matters more than seasoning your humidor. Seasoning pumps moisture into the humidor wood, preparing it for stressors like dry air, door-opening, and the addition of more cigars.  

Unseasoned, or dry, humidors might have some moisture in them, and humidifiers can add moisture, but nothing beats a seasoned humidor. Humidors have Spanish cedar linings. Spanish cedar holds moisture and releases it over time. When you season the cedar, you bolster its moisture level and extend the time it will help the humidor.  

How to Season a Cigar Humidor 

Seasoning a cigar humidor is simple when you have the right directions. (There is information floating around that will hurt your humidor more than help it. Follow our spot-on directions to season your cigar humidor the right way.)  

The supplies for seasoning your cigar humidor are: 

• The wood trays and hydro trays that come with the humidor.  
• Liquid humidor solution. Humidor solutions are made of propylene glycol and water. You can find propylene glycol at the grocery store, but please do not try to mix your own humidor solution. 
• Crystal gel humidifier, also called crystal gel beads. 

Once you gather the supplies, it’s time to start seasoning. 

Prepare the Humidor 

1. Level the humidor. If you don’t have an actual level, download a level app on your phone and use that. Check to see if it’s level from front-to-back and from side-to-side.
2. Place the wood tray at the bottom of the humidor. Then, take the lid off the hydro tray and place it on the wood tray.  
3. Add humidor solution to every quadrant of the hydro tray. The quadrants do not need to be full, and you do not want to overfill them or spill the humidor solution.  

Humidification 

4. Close the lid of the humidor, and then wait 12 hours. The levels on the hygrometer will move around during this time, mostly showing the humidity increasing. Be patient and do not open the humidor.   
5. Check the hygrometer regularly over the next couple of days. You’re watching for the humidity to reach 68% or higher for 12 hours or more. This may take three to five days.  
6. Once the humidity stays at 68% or higher for 12 hours straight, open the crystal gel humidifier or beads. Sprinkle some solution into each quadrant. Then add more solution to ensure every crystal is moistened.  
7. Wait six to 12 hours after applying the crystal gel or beads. Then check the humidity level on the hygrometer.
8. When the humidity is 70%-75%, put the lid on the hydro tray, and then take it out of the humidor. Next, remove the wood tray. Then put the hydro tray at the bottom of the humidor, trying not to spill the solution. Place the wood tray on top of the hydro tray.  
9. Adjust the humidity to 67%-75% to allow for cigars soaking up some of the humidity.  
10. It’s time to place your cigars in the humidor! We recommend setting the humidity somewhere between 67% and 75% because the cigars will soak up some humidity.
11. Set the humidity level to 67%-72%, once the humidity level stabilizes after seasoning,

and keep it there.  

Now that you have a good place to store cigars, stock up on your favorites and try some new ones. Flying Cigar Company ships Premium Cigars right to your door. 
If you have questions about seasoning a cigar humidor or which humidor is right for you, contact us at Flying Cigar Company. We will gladly answer your questions. Call us at 855-585-0711 or email [email protected].