How to treat a new humidor

Great! You have a new humidor! The first thing to do is season your new humidor before storing your beloved stogies. This is also true for any other humidor that hasn't been used in a while. The cedar inside of a humidor is part of the humidification system, and aids in providing humidity (and flavor) to the cigars, along with the humidification device. If the cedar has not been seasoned, then the wood will actually rob moisture from the cigars, and dry them out

Before you begin the seasoning process, make sure to read any directions that may have come with your new humidor. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions so you do not void your warranty. If your new humidor has no instructions proceed as indicated below.

What you will need:

- A New Humidor

- Distilled water

- A clean unscented sponge or cloth

- A Humidifier

- A Hygrometer

IMPORTANT- Do not use tap water in place of distilled water.

TAP WATER CONTAINS CLORINE, FLUROIDE AND OTHER MINERALS WE DON’T WANT THE CIGARS TO ABSORB.

Start by dampening the sponge or cloth with the distilled water, then wipe down all the cedar wood inside of the humidor, including the lid and any trays. To avoid damaging the humidor, do not overly saturate the interior wood with water. Do NOT spill the water inside the humidor (and then try to spread it around). WE want to dampen not flood it.

Put the wet sponge on top of a piece of cellophane (or plastic bag) and place inside the humidor. Make sure that the sponge is not overly saturated, and not touching any wood.

Fill your humidification device with either distilled water or a humidifying solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure that the device is not overly saturated by letting any excess water drip out (into a sink), then wipe off any drops of water on the outside of the humidification device, and place the device inside the humidor.

Now comes the hard part, close the humidor for 24 hours and wait. The next day, repeat the wipe down procedure using distilled water and the sponge, but do not leave the sponge inside this time, and wait another 24 hours

On the day after the second treatment, it should be safe to use the humidor as long as you cannot feel any dampness on the cedar. If so, then wait one more day before storing your cigars. If you have a hygrometer inside the humidor, ignore any higher-than-normal readings during the seasoning process. However, if the humidity is lower than 72% on the day after the second treatment, then repeat the wipe down procedure for a third time (you may also need to test your hygrometer or recharge your humidification device).