gids

How to season and use a humidor

4 min read 11 October 2026 Rokersbenodigdheden

The short answer: keep the humidity in your humidor at around 70% and the temperature at about 20 to 21 °C. Cigar Aficionado gives 70 to 75% at 20 to 21 °C (68 to 70 °F). Boveda, a maker of humidity packs for humidors, recommends 69% for a wooden humidor. Season a new humidor first, otherwise the dry wood soaks up the moisture.

Why a new humidor needs seasoning

A humidor is usually made of wood, often with a cedar interior. New wood is dry. If you put something in straight away, the wood draws the moisture towards itself. Seasoning lets the wood absorb moisture first, so the humidity stays stable afterwards.

Seasoning a new humidor: two methods

Method 1: with a sponge and distilled water

Take a new sponge with no scent and no soap. Wet it with distilled water.
Wipe the interior wood lightly. Use little water: wood that gets too wet can warp, and then the lid no longer seals properly.
Wet the sponge again and place it on a plastic bag inside the humidor, so it does not touch the wood.
Prepare the humidifier according to the maker's instructions and close the lid.
Leave the humidor overnight. If the sponge is fairly dry the next day, wet it again.
After one more night, remove the sponge and the bag. Your humidor is ready.

This method comes from Cigar Aficionado.

Method 2: with 84% humidity packs

Place special 84% seasoning packs in the empty humidor. Boveda uses 1 size 60 pack per 25 cigars of humidor capacity.
Remove the wrapping from the packs and lay them side by side.
Close the lid and do not open the humidor for 14 days, whatever the hygrometer shows.
Remove the packs after 14 days. They cannot be reused.
Then switch to maintenance packs, which Boveda puts at 69% for a wooden humidor.

Humidifier and hygrometer

The humidifier releases moisture into the air inside the humidor. Fill it with distilled water, unless the maker says tap water is fine. Tap water contains minerals that clog the humidifier over time.

The hygrometer measures the humidity. According to Cigar Aficionado, analogue hygrometers are often off, sometimes by 10% or more. A digital one is usually accurate to within 2%. A separate digital meter for humidity and temperature is the Bookwill hygro and temperature meter.

Checking your hygrometer with salt

Put a bottle cap of table salt with a few drops of water in a sealed container or bag, together with your hygrometer. Leave it for 24 hours. Damp salt paste keeps the air at about 75% humidity. If your meter shows something else, note the difference and add or subtract it from every reading.

How often should you check your humidor?

In the first weeks after seasoning, check the hygrometer every few days. Once the reading stays stable, once a week is enough. How often to refill the humidifier is in the instructions: Cigar Aficionado mentions every 30 to 60 days, depending on the maker. Keep the lid closed as much as possible and keep the humidor out of the sun and away from the radiator.

Which humidor suits you?

If you want to see the humidity inside at a glance, choose a humidor with a built-in hygrometer, such as the Bookwill humidor for 50 cigars with hygrometer. Looking for a humidor that also stands out on the shelf? See the Siglo humidors, such as the Koi Fish, the Knight, the Year of the Dragon and the Stingray travel humidor.