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Best Way To Season?

EliWaynne

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2022
Messages
259
Hello,

New to the forums, and fairly new to cigars. I've smoked cigars in the past, but never really got into them as I'm doing now. I was a pipe smoke for a little while.

Anyways, at the moment, I'm using an acrylic humidor and a Boveda bag system to store the remainder of my cigars.

Recently, I bought 2 humidors from Cigar International (Humidor I bought link) and am trying to find a good way to season them. I've never seasoned a humidor before so I am lost. I see so many different methods, and am getting a bit lost.

I'm hoping a little help can point me in the right direction on what needs to be done, how to do it, and some of the best methods to accomplish the goal. Preferably, the cheaper way the better right now for me.

Thanks,

Eli
 
Really, tupperware container works that well? I had read that some people did that, but I wasn't sure how well it worked.

Unfortunately, I bought 2 of them 😀😞. I liked the way they looked, and the reviews seemed good enough. They were also large, and I needed some place to keep my cigars. I went a little crazy on my first order and bought a couple samplers and a box to boot.

Do you still put they hygrometer in the Tupperware to keep track, or is it pretty much good to go? I've been having bad luck on my hygrometer. I bought a Lotus and Xikar, but the Xikar won't seem to read correctly. Lotus seems to work great though. Need to take the Xikar back and exchange it for another Lotus.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out! And I'll make my way over to the Intro forum.
 
It's not rocket surgery, but maybe my experience will save you some time and head scratching. The news here is it'll take some time to do it right, but trust me, it's worth it. I do NOT recommend wiping the inside of the humidor; just too easy to get things too wet and cause warpage. Even a slight warp can ruin the seal of the box, so I don't risk that.

Get some NEW synthetic sponges from the grocery store, and a gallon of distilled water. Cut a 2-3" square of the sponge, and put it in the middle of a small saucer. Soak it well with distilled water, and put it in the humidor. Goal here is the increased surface area of the sponge will facilitate evaporation and speed up the process. Put it in there, and leave it; opening the lid to "check on things" only slows the process down.

While this is in process, get a good hygrometer. I can't recommend the Govee products high enough. They are inexpensive, and you can read them with your phone with the lid closed. I've got one in my "dry" humidor and it's great:


This is the "basic" model with Bluetooth connectivity, but for most of us it's fine. If you want to get one that will talk to the internet and give you remote monitoring capability, they're available, but at a slightly higher cost.

One of the best things about these is they are easy to calibrate, which is important. Mine (Govee and SensorPush) were all within a couple points when I checked them, but I'd recommend either a salt test or a Bovida Cal Kit. I like the salt test as, well, I've always got salt and distilled water. For the salt test, I really recommend using a mason jar or double bag the test environment for best accuracy. Set it up and leave it alone for at least 24 hours. You can then zero the cal with your app on your phone, easy peasy.

Once calibrated, you can put your hygrometer in your humidor and see how things are going. It may take a few days to a couple weeks for things to get where you want them to be. Once things get to your set point, maybe a point or two higher, then you can remove the sponge and you should be set.

Happy to answer any Q's you may have. Good luck...!!
 
Tupperware seals very tightly, and works fine. Usually, guys using tupperware or other plastic containers get by just fine with a couple Bovida packs and just replace them when they dry out. If you want some Bovida's, I've got a ton of them in storage. Happy to send a few along if they'd help.
 
It's not rocket surgery, but maybe my experience will save you some time and head scratching. The news here is it'll take some time to do it right, but trust me, it's worth it. I do NOT recommend wiping the inside of the humidor; just too easy to get things too wet and cause warpage. Even a slight warp can ruin the seal of the box, so I don't risk that.

Get some NEW synthetic sponges from the grocery store, and a gallon of distilled water. Cut a 2-3" square of the sponge, and put it in the middle of a small saucer. Soak it well with distilled water, and put it in the humidor. Goal here is the increased surface area of the sponge will facilitate evaporation and speed up the process. Put it in there, and leave it; opening the lid to "check on things" only slows the process down.

While this is in process, get a good hygrometer. I can't recommend the Govee products high enough. They are inexpensive, and you can read them with your phone with the lid closed. I've got one in my "dry" humidor and it's great:


This is the "basic" model with Bluetooth connectivity, but for most of us it's fine. If you want to get one that will talk to the internet and give you remote monitoring capability, they're available, but at a slightly higher cost.

One of the best things about these is they are easy to calibrate, which is important. Mine (Govee and SensorPush) were all within a couple points when I checked them, but I'd recommend either a salt test or a Bovida Cal Kit. I like the salt test as, well, I've always got salt and distilled water. For the salt test, I really recommend using a mason jar or double bag the test environment for best accuracy. Set it up and leave it alone for at least 24 hours. You can then zero the cal with your app on your phone, easy peasy.

Once calibrated, you can put your hygrometer in your humidor and see how things are going. It may take a few days to a couple weeks for things to get where you want them to be. Once things get to your set point, maybe a point or two higher, then you can remove the sponge and you should be set.

Happy to answer any Q's you may have. Good luck...!!
 
Really, tupperware container works that well? I had read that some people did that, but I wasn't sure how well it worked.

Unfortunately, I bought 2 of them 😀😞. I liked the way they looked, and the reviews seemed good enough. They were also large, and I needed some place to keep my cigars. I went a little crazy on my first order and bought a couple samplers and a box to boot.

Do you still put they hygrometer in the Tupperware to keep track, or is it pretty much good to go? I've been having bad luck on my hygrometer. I bought a Lotus and Xikar, but the Xikar won't seem to read correctly. Lotus seems to work great though. Need to take the Xikar back and exchange it for another Lotus.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out! And I'll make my way over to the Intro forum.
Paging Mr. @CigarStone. Mr. @CigarStone, you have a phone call at the front desk...
 
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Really, tupperware container works that well? I had read that some people did that, but I wasn't sure how well it worked.

Unfortunately, I bought 2 of them 😀😞. I liked the way they looked, and the reviews seemed good enough. They were also large, and I needed some place to keep my cigars. I went a little crazy on my first order and bought a couple samplers and a box to boot.

Do you still put they hygrometer in the Tupperware to keep track, or is it pretty much good to go? I've been having bad luck on my hygrometer. I bought a Lotus and Xikar, but the Xikar won't seem to read correctly. Lotus seems to work great though. Need to take the Xikar back and exchange it for another Lotus.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out! And I'll make my way over to the Intro forum.
First, you now have a great smoking paraphernalia container, and a great dry box (search around here for the dry box thread -- it's invaluable).

Next, get yourself a digital hygrometer; you can find decent ones for under $20 (it sounds like you have done this). Spend a bit now for long-term peace of mind. Don't depend on the cheap analog ones that come with most humidors. Look up "salt testing" here (I think it's a sticky). Absolutely critical for setting up a humidor.

Next Next, you may want to skip the tupperware and go straight for the cooler; you are going to quickly outgrow whatever storage method you think is already overkill. Hear me now. Believe me later. Again, look up "setting up a coolerdore" on here.

Welcome to CigarP Ass.
 
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Great advice as usual, at $35/ea for those desktops you bought you could get 2 Igloos (Walmart) and 2 Govees (Amazon).

You're going to just end up buying them anyway. Take the plunge and welcome aboard!
 
I have two Daniel Marshalls just to hold cigars that are ready to smoke. One for CCs and the other domestics.

Unfortunately only one of the Daniel Marshalls works well. The other only holds 62% humidity even with 8 of the 72% Boveda packs in there as the seal is rather loose.

There is really no reason to buy these fancy wooden humidors any more.

Truth be told, because I had an infestation in one of my larger "Tupperdoors" I am now storing just about everything in ZipLock bags: One box per bag with a boveda pack. I don't recommend Daniel Marshal humidors or any wooden humidor anymore.

They look nice if you're a CEO and want to impress the people that come into your office by having one on your desk. But they are not as functional as one might think, despite the high price compared to coolers and tupperware.
 
I have a Daniel Marshall and it holds my Habanos for smoking. I keep it at 65% and the cigars are ready to smoke. Sorry for your issue.
 
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