Humidor - High RH Issue
Hello fellow cigar enthusiasts, I hope everyone is safe and well. To preface this discussion, I am new and did try to find this discussion myself before asking in the forum but I do still need some advice from the experts please.
I received my 25 cigar humidor last week and seasoned it for a full 24 hours using distilled water, my digital hydrometer showed 68 RH so I reasoned it again and left it closed for approx 6 hours.
I received my cigars the same evening and as excited as I was placed them in the humidor. My humidor w/cigars have had a constant reading of 76 RH for the past 2 days. I even tried Boveda 72% RH and still did not help.
Last night I removed the cigars and let the humidor sit and it showed 80 RH this morning, I now opened the humidor and let it air out for the past 5 hours and still showing about 77-80 RH.
What should i do here, have i over seasoned the humidor and ruined it? Should i let it air out more?
Thank you in advance,
Mo
Comments
Why did you re-season it if it is showing 68%? Also, what is the ambient rh?
You didn't ruin the humidor, it is just going to take a while to come to its senses.
@silvermouse I think I overanalyzed what everyone on different sites and youtube said would be best RH for someone in NY - lots of people said try to aim for 72 so I think i made a mistake to over season. Humidity in NY is around 80-90% today and averages 55-60% this season.
Do you recommend I leave it open and let the moisture out longer or leave it closed w/humidification device and put the boveda back in?
I appreciate your response!
With drier air coming soon you probably didn't overshoot by a whole lot. Put the boveda in, close the lid and don't think about it for a week or so. It should stabilize at or near your target rh. Be prepared for your wooden humidor to develop a relationship with the ambient rh and don't get too wrapped up in keeping it at a precise rh. I aim for anything between 62-68 rh but it is easy since I use plastic tubs for storage. Much over 70% and warm temperatures invite problems.
Okay I will try that, thank you again for your help. Very insightful and I appreciate your time.
Most will recommend that you season a wooden humidor for two weeks and resist the temptation to open and check the humidor until it's done. It takes a while for the wood to absorb and stabilize. Many of us use tupperdors, coolers, plastic weathertight crates, winedors, etc. because it's so much easier.
Good luck.
What everyone else said about tupperdors/coolers.
With the cooler temps and lower rh we had last couple of weeks, I figured I would add some rh to mine since it dropped to 61%. I guesses we were over the hot wet days of summer......I guessed wrong, been hot and wet this week and now it's up to 69-70%...Cold dry days are coming soon, so I'm not worried. Plus it gives my Bovedas a chance to recharge.
@Yakster @ForMud I am just looking into Tupperdors, I very much regret not finding this out sooner, this was all i really needed. Looks like a 10x easier way to store the cigars without all of the science and nuance of seasoning a wooden humidor. Thank you for this, think i might just switch over the cigars to fresh tupperware I have in the house.
Do you have spanish cedar in your tupperdores or do you strictly have the cigars + boveda packs and your digital hydrometer?
Spanish cedar not needed. Boveda and hygrometer.
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
Rubbermaid Brilliance
I have a wood humidor much like yours, but without the glass top. Which will leak.
The thing drove me crazy and I put all my cigars in tupperware with boveda packs.
Several months later the 68% bovedas did their job and rh was perfect and has stayed level for a couple years now. I did add a rubber seal all the way around the lid also.
I have two glass top humidors similar to the one you have. I seasoned for two weeks ( like @Yakster said set it and forget it). After the two week period I filled with sticks and added 72rh bovedas and they stay consistent at 69rh which is fine. The tops leak but I don’t want to go through the hassle of sealing them. The whole 72 thing is overrated IMO
If you want to bomb me send it to Tony @0patience
If you are a newbie I got Dem nachos....
They have a nice veneer, they are nostalgic and they practically give them away free with a bundle of cigars, but the online cigar retailers take advantage of general presumptions that desktop humidors are required for storage and basically effortless. They let you believe it's gonna be 1-2-3, keep an eye on the hygrometer and zippity do da, happy happy. The money wasted isn't even the worst insult, what's very insulting is the frustration they put you through in the attempt to season it.
65 % rH > 70 % rH!
🤦♂️
Rubbermaid Brilliance
I created the tupperdor yesterday and it has been god sent, so simple and i am sitting at 68% RH as of the last day. I should've went this route much sooner.
@ForMud @ShawnOL @Yakster Just an update, i transferred all of the cigars to the newly created tupperdor and put in a 69% boveda pack. Such great advice by you all, the cigars are sitting at 68% RH and 67 degrees, i am very happy with this.
Thinking about just leaving them in there even after humidor is fully seasoned, thank you guys very much again!
Seasoning and maintaining a Wood Humidor can be a lot of fun and feel nostalgic but I think the times are changing and we will start to see a stronger influx away from the standard wood to acrylic or wineidors or whatever we call them now..
@Mo_Harris
Welcome to the forum. Many cigar enthusiasts end up here just like you, they deeded to ask a question. (Yes, often it is a question on storage difficulties.) This is a great forum for camaraderie, for sharing, and educating one's self on all things concerning the cigars we love. Stick around. Do a newbie trade. Have fun. Enjoy.
Thank you for the warm welcome Bob, I appreciate it. Also happy to know I wasn't the only one with a humidor difficulties!