Storage
How to season a humidor
Season a humidor by raising the moisture in its cedar lining before any cigars go in, usually with high-humidity packs or a dish of distilled water in the closed box for about two weeks.
Cedar drinks water first
Seasoning is the process of bringing dry wood up to the same moisture level as the air you want inside the box, so the wood stops absorbing water. A new humidor arrives kiln-dry. Put cigars in it straight away and the cedar wins. It pulls moisture out of the leaf until the two match. Your cigars lose.
Spanish cedar, the usual lining, holds a lot of water for a wood. That's the point of it. Once full, it acts like a sponge in reverse, giving moisture back when the air dries and taking it in when the air gets damp. Empty, it's just thirsty.
There's a mechanical reason too. Wood swells a little as it takes on water. A seasoned lid seats tighter against its lip, and a tight seal is what holds humidity in.
Three ways to season, compared
The three common methods are high-humidity packs, a dish of distilled water, and a light wipe with a damp cloth, and they differ in speed, risk and effort.
| Method | How | Time | Risk | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84% two-way packs | Packs sit in the closed, empty box | About 14 days | Very low: they can't over-wet the wood | Easiest and safest |
| Dish of distilled water | Shallow dish or sponge on a plate, lid shut | Days to two weeks, checked often | Low, if the sponge never touches wood | Cheap and reliable |
| Damp cloth wipe | Lightly wipe the cedar, then add a water dish | Faster start | Real: warping, raised grain, mold | Only with a barely damp cloth, if at all |
Packs cost more. They also remove guesswork. Boveda, for one, sells 84% packs for this job and tells you to use one Size 60 pack for every 25 cigars the humidor is built to hold.
The pack method, step by step
The pack method means sealing high-humidity packs inside the empty humidor and not opening it until the time is up. Here's how it runs with Boveda's instructions.
- Empty the box. No cigars. Park them in a sealed container with a 65% to 72% pack while you wait.
- Unwrap the 84% packs and set them inside the empty box.
- Close the lid. Leave it. Boveda says 14 days, no peeking, no matter what the hygrometer shows. Every opening lets the moisture out.
- Pull the seasoning packs on day 14. Boveda says they aren't reusable.
- Switch to maintenance packs at your target humidity, add the cigars, and watch the hygrometer for the first week.
Want a calendar? The humidor seasoning planner builds a day-by-day schedule for your box size and method.
How do you season with distilled water?
Water seasoning means putting an open container of distilled water inside the closed humidor so the cedar can absorb moisture from the air. A shallow dish works. So does a clean new sponge sitting on a saucer.
Two rules. Use distilled water only. And never let anything wet touch the wood. Pooled water marks cedar, raises the grain, and can lift the veneer or warp the lid so it never seals again. Top up the dish as it drops, and check every couple of days.
Some people wipe the walls with a barely damp cloth first. It speeds things up. It also causes most of the warped lids you hear about. If you try it, wring the cloth until it's almost dry, wipe with the grain, and never wet the outside finish.
How do you know the wood is ready?
A humidor is seasoned when its humidity holds steady for several days after the water source comes out or switches to maintenance packs. That's the test. The number on day one means little, because the air reads high long before the wood is full.
Run a quick check. Remove the seasoning source, add your normal humidification, and close up. If the reading drops sharply over the next few days, the cedar is still thirsty. Keep going. If it holds within a couple of points, you're done.
Trust the hygrometer only after you've tested it. The usual home check uses a saturated salt solution, which holds the air near 75% relative humidity in a sealed bag. If the meter reads 70 in there, it reads 5 low everywhere.
Re-season when the box dries out
A humidor needs seasoning again whenever its wood has dried out, after months empty, a move, or a dry winter with the humidification gone flat. The signs are the same as when it was new: the humidity drops fast and won't recover.
Dry climates and heated winters drain cedar faster. A humid coastal house may never need a second round. Watch the numbers. They tell you.
Not sure how many packs the box needs once it's running? The humidity pack calculator sizes that. And if your room runs warm or cool, the 70/70 calculator shows what humidity to aim for.
Humidor seasoning questions
How long does it take to season a humidor?
Count on 14 days. Boveda tells you to leave its 84% seasoning packs in a closed humidor for 14 days, whatever the hygrometer says in the meantime.
Can you season a humidor with tap water?
Use distilled water. Tap water leaves minerals in the wood and in any humidifier, and it can encourage mold.
Do you need to season a humidor again?
Sometimes. A humidor left empty and dry for months, or one in a very dry climate, needs another round. The test is simple: if the humidity drops fast and will not recover, the wood needs another round.
Why does my new humidor keep dropping in humidity?
The cedar is still absorbing water. Until the wood reaches equilibrium it pulls moisture from the air, so the reading sags. Keep seasoning, and keep the cigars out.
Where the seasoning figures come from
- How do I season my humidor with Boveda?, Boveda
- Humidor: Spanish cedar and seasoning, Wikipedia
- Cedrela odorata (Spanish cedar), Wikipedia