New Humidor - How Slow Is Normal?

the cigars would be better in the ziplock. if you are worried about em being dry in there get a slightly damp paper towel and put that in some seran wrap and add that to the ziplock. dont let the damp towel actually touch the cigars though. I find most cigars will be ok in a ziplock for about a week to ten days.

it is normal for it to be that slow. my first 50 ct humidor took almost a week to season. to help in the proscess you should put a bowl of distilled water in there. I wiped my first humi down but i have not wiped any other humidor that i have. there is a small chance that adding that much moisture that fast could crack or warp the humi and the seal would not be tight any more.

be patient.

if after a week you cant get the RH up then you have a different set of issues. Cross that bridge when you get there.

good luck!!

Welcome to the forum!

Okay, here's what I suggest:

1. Get a digital hydrometer. Analog hydrometers don't work. Make sure you "Salt Test" the hydrometer http://cigar.ambackforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8228

2. Get hydrating beads. http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=14The standard humidifiers that come with humidors don't work.

3. You can season your humidor with a shot glass or a small bowl filled with water. I wouldn't let water actually touch the cedar lining. This should take about a week (give or take a couple of days.)

4. Plan on getting a larger humidor (a much larger humidor.) This hobby will soon become a life style. :wink:

Good luck!

Brenda said:

1. Get a digital hydrometer. Analog hydrometers don't work. Make sure you "Salt Test" the hydrometer http://cigar.ambackforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8228

2. Get hydrating beads. http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/products.asp?cat=14The standard humidifiers that come with humidors don't work.

Click to expand...

she hit the nail on the head with that. they are a bit more expensive, but worth it.

Cory,
First off let me welcome you aboard to the best doggone forum on the planet! You will not believe the folks on this board, if you plan on staying(and we hope you do), I'd STRONGLY recommend fortifying your front porch and/or mailbox. Gigantic mystery packages have a habit of appearing at your door in there here parts, causing major structural damage to homes across the country!! :wink:

Now, to the matter at hand...

First, I want you to take a deep breath, cause everything is gonna be alright...
OK, go ahead and put your smokes back into a plastic baggie, trust us, they will be fine. If you leave them in the humi now, they will end up being unsmokeable, and there is no worse fate for a cigar than that.

Now, you need some supplies. I use a brand new sponge, like a kitchen style jobbie, no need for a scrubber or anything, just a plain little sponge. You will need a smallish plastic container, and a gallon of DISTILLED water, it's .79 cents or so everywhere. Please don't try to cheat and use tap water...remember the sad, unsmokeable cigars out there whenever you think about cutting a corner!
Your instinct was pretty good, but we need to get some real moisture into the wood of the humi...so pour some distilled water into the container, wet down the sponge, and then wring it (mostly) out. Go ahead and wipe down the entire interior, no puddles now, just a good wiping down.
Now Close it and leave it for a few hours....
I will typically start this process in the evening after dinner say, then repeat morning before work.... I do this for 3 days hand running. The hardest part of this process, you may ask...not opening the darn thing up all the time to see how it's doing.
Leave it alone! (rememer those sad cigars...)
This will pretty much get your box up to speed. We can tweak it later if the RH is too high, don't worry. :wink:

NOW....(you thought you were done didn't you..LOL) :lol:

We need to see how accurate that hygrometer is...that towel test is rubbish..we need to SALT TEST!

Ok, Supplies Needed
-gallon plastic bag
-small container that will fit in bag
-table or Kosher salt
-bit of water (distilled or tap)

Pour some salt into the small container, and add water so you get a paste like consistancy(stir with a toothpick). Then slide the container and your hygrometer into the bag. Leave it alone for as many hours as you can stand.
Again, I do this before work, or at night before going to bed. Your Hygrometer should read 75% after the salt test, if not, you may be able to calibrate the needle (there is sometimes a small dial for moving the needle). If not, you need to WRITE DOWN the variance (i.e. - 6%, +12%, etc), cause we all forget!
Put the now accuraized hygrometer into your humi, let's say after day 2 of your seasoning experiment. Which will allow you to have a real idea of how it is running after that 3rd day...
There is some discussion of the CORRECT temperature and humidity conditions, but if you can get that sucker between 65 and 70% you are doing well.
We will be convincing you in a few weeks that a digital hygrometer with both temp and humidity readings is a necessity. In about a month, we will also tell you that a 300 count humi is too small.
In both cases, you will think we are insane. :shock:

In 3 months you will think we are geniuses..... :wink:

Keep us posted on your progress!

Figures Brenda would beat me.....

Cory Dee said:

-try my best not to peak in every couple of hours. now I understand why people get glass tops, and why ovens have windows on the front.

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If you plan on buying a new digital hygrometer, there are wireless ones that work very nicely just for his purpose. Radio Shack sells them as well as other places.

No, they are wireless to a base unit that you can keep somewhere else. I keep mine on my head board so I can check on them before i go to sleep. LOL

Chris my friend, you are a sad, strange man!!

:wink:

What's wrong with that? I have mine there too. You mean everybody doesn't? :lol:

BTW, welcome to the forum Cory. If this thread goes off the tracks, don't take it too hard.

The salt test can't be done in a matter of a few hours. It may take many hours just to get to the 75%. Let it go for at least 24 hours, averaging out your readings after it peaks.

Rushing won't help anything. A bowl of distilled water in your humidor for an extra day or two won't hurt anything, nor will leaving your cigars in a bag or container for a while.

Well, I've been wandering the internet for a while now and have finally come upon a wireless hygrometer that I like. Shockingly it was from radio shack. I know that you guys all said that but i figured I'd still look anyway.


That's the base unit and it's very simple, very large readouts and only the necessary information. It's atomic so I never have to set the clock. The only downside is that both the sending unit and the base(receiver) station are both battery power so I'll have to see what kind of battery life I get out of them. Here's the actual thermometer and hygrometer.


I have another digital in there with is so that I can see how accurate it is because I salt tested the one I already had. Oh and the white unit is the wireless unit, not the little black one. It just so happens that I received a new humi for this past holiday season so I'm seasoning it at this time so it's a good opportunity to test out the new unit. Also, the base unit can read up to three remote sensors.