Humidors to the Rescue: A Necessity For Every Cigar Smoker

Perhaps the movies are to blame. All those scenes where the
powerful businessman or politician says to the ingenuous hero,
"May I offer you a cigar," then--without missing a
beat--brandishes a gold-embossed cigar case. A case with no
humidity controls. A case that is not a humidor.

Whatever the reason, many casual cigar smokers--and even fairly
committed lovers of premium cigars--don't realize how important
it is to store your cigars in a humidor.

In fact, if you're like many smokers, you're asking yourself
what a humidor is, and why you should use one. A humidor is,
basically, a box that's designed to maintain your cigars at a
certain level of humidity (near seventy percent) and a proper
temperature (seventy degrees or below) when you're not, you
know, smoking them.

Why exactly is that near-seventy-percent humidity figure so
important? To answer this question, we have to remember what a
cigar is--a set of cut, dried, cured, fermented, rolled-together
leaves. When the cigar maker picked these leaves, allowed them
to dry, and cured them, etc., it put those leaves on a process
that ends in the death of the leaves, and the death of their
flavor. In the open air, these leaves can easily dry out
completely, and the cigar loses its taste. In a too-humid
environment, on the other hand, they get moldy. Basically, the
moment you purchase a cigar, you are in a war with the elements;
your job is to keep the cigar's flavor alive, while the elements
(air, bacteria, etc.) want your cigar to be spoiled.

Humidity is your ally in that battle. The tobacco plant has
evolved to thrive in an environment near seventy percent
humidity--the condition in which you'll most often find it in
nature--and if you can replicate that humidity, your cigars are
in good shape. The best humidors use Spanish cedar or Honduran
mahogany to trap that moisture, and they have a hygrometer--a
device that controls and allows you to monitor moisture levels.

Now that you know why you need one, here are some tips on the
care and feeding of humidors. First of all, new humidors need to
be "seasoned." When you buy your humidor, before using it, wipe
the interior wood with a moist cloth, then leave a small, closed
container of water inside the humidor for 12 hours. After those
twelve hours are up, check to see how much of the closed vial of
water the humidor has "drank." If it's nearly empty, then repeat
the process for another twenty-four hours. Repeat this process
until the water stops evaporating; now the humidor is ready for
your cigars!

You'll also need to fill the hygrometer (the device controls
humidity levels). Use distilled water--or a humidifying solution
(the humidor should come with instructions regarding this
choice). Let the excess water drip from the hygrometer into a
sink, and wipe off the outside of the device. Put it in the
humidor. Another option should you choose not to use a
hygrometer, is a new product that many veteran keepers of the
stick have turned to: Bóveda Packs. Bóveda Packs are an amazing
invention. Each pack is rated for a certain humidity level,
either 72%, 69% or 65%.

Simply place the correct number of Bóveda packets inside your
humidor to maintain a precise relative humidity. Each Bóveda
packet consists of a specially prepared saturated solution of
pure water and natural salt. This saturated solution is
contained within a water-vapor permeable reverse osmosis
membrane. Within a closed desktop humidor Bóveda maintains a
predetermined level of (RH) by releasing or absorbing purified
water-vapor--as needed--through the membrane. Boveda Packs are
only to be used once, they are not refillable. They become very
stiff when the contents are spent. These amazing packs last
around 2 months in an average humidor.

Another recommendation: don't keep your humidor near any home
appliances that tend to affect home humidity, or any places in
the home where these appliances tend to be stored. These might
include heaters, air conditioners, vents, fans, and windows.
Keep it away, also, from sustained direct sunlight; pay
attention to the way that sunlight exposure changes throughout
the seasons, too, because some "safe places" in your home might
be less safe during the summer, when the sun's rays creep
further in and stay longer.

And lastly, know what to do if, in spite of all your
preparations, your cigars suffer an attack of tobacco beetles.
This irritating species preys on tobacco and, in some cases, can
bore through a humidor. First of all, remember not to let the
temperature in your humidor go too high--tobacco beetles
flourish at temperatures over 75 degrees. (So a tobacco-beetle
infestation means you haven't monitored that humidor carefully
enough!) Take out the cigars that have been infested and keep
them in your freezer for 48 hours. Refrigerate them for another
day after that. Now they should be safely returnable to the
humidor--which, in the meantime, should be thoroughly cleaned,
checked for structural integrity, and if necessary, replaced.
Spanish-cedar humidors, by the way, are slightly better for
keeping these nasty beetles out in the first place.

About the author:
CigarFox provides you the
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include cigar brands like Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, H
Upmann, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Gurkha and many more. Choose
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Zippo Lighters.