Selecting and seasoning your cigar humidor

Over the past few years I have become a cigar enthusiast. One of the things I quickly found was that I had to learn how to properly store my tiny investments. There are wrongs and rights for handling and caring for cigars so I started out by gathering as much information on the topic as possible. As one might guess, there are many resources out there for learning the tricks of storing cigars but I wanted to give a few highlights that can get even the utmost beginner pointed in the right direction. Some people may say to throw your cigars in the vegetable drawer of your fridge but that is by no means a good long-term storage option. You’ll want to get an actual humidor if you plan on collecting and storing cigars effectively over time. It is important to start by choosing a suitable humidor. You’ll find that older “antique” humidors will be lined with copper and may not keep a great seal, while newer “modern” humidors can be constructed of various woods but will likely be lined with spanish cedar. The seal is really the important thing to note here because it will determine how efficient your humidor is in terms of holding humidity. Once you’ve picked the right humidor for you, resist the urge to throw your cigars in. There are a few more steps to take to properly ready your new humidor for regular use. (side note: even if you are buying a used humidor you should always season it properly first. if you buy an antique with copper lining the seasoning process will not be necessary.) The first thing you will need is distilled water or propylene glycol solution. I prefer the later because it is the same solution you should use to fill the humidifier you place in the humidor. AVOID TAP WATER! You’ll want to start by dampening a sponge with the solution and using it to wet the spanish cedar interior of the humidor. Once you have all of the interior saturated, you should re-saturate the sponge and place it on top of a plastic ziploc bag inside the humidor. This should sit for around 24 hours and the interior should be dry to the touch before placing cigars in the box. This simple process allows the wood to soak up moisture prior to the humidifier being installed so that it won’t rob your cigars of the moisture they need to stay fresh. The last thing to do is stop by a cigar shop and pick up a humidifier or gel canister, fill it with the propylene glycol solution, and place it inside the humidor. This will ensure that your cigars will always be provided with the proper storage environment. These steps are all it takes to start enjoying collecting and storing cigars. Use the contact me button to the left if you have any questions.