How to Calibrate a Hygrometer

Digital  or Analog  hygrometers are used to measure humidity levels inside of humidors. Digital hygrometers are usually more accurate and reliable than analog. Regardless of what kind, it is important to maintain a humidity level of 68% to 72% inside of a humidor to properly preserve and age cigars. In order to monitor and adjust the humidity level inside of your humidor, the reading on the hygrometer must be somewhat accurate (plus or minus 2%).

How to Test and Calibrate a Hygrometer

Fill a milk bottle cap or other small container with salt, and add a few drops of water (not enough to dissolve the salt).

Put the cap inside of a baggie or plastic container along with your hygrometer, and seal the bag.

Wait 6 hours, then check the reading on your hygrometer without opening the bag (or immediately after removing). If the reading is 75%, then your hygrometer is accurate and no adjustment is required.

If the reading is not precisely 75%, then adjust the hygrometer to 75% by turning the screw or dial on the back. This must be done immediately after removing from the bag or container, before room conditions cause the reading to change.

If there is no screw (or dial) to recalibrate your hygrometer, then you will just have to remember to add or subtract the difference between the test reading and 75%, in order to determine the actual humidity level inside of your humidor. For example, if your hygrometer test reading was 80%, then subtract 5% from the readings you get inside of your humidor, to determine the actual levels of humidity (e.g. a reading of 70% inside your humidor equals an actual humidity level of 65%).

Hygrometers should be tested at least once a year, and recalibrated if necessary. When I tested two of my analog hygrometers at the same time (see photo), the cheap plastic one measured 12% under while the better chrome model measured 2% over. Although I recalibrated both models, I plan to replace the cheap one with a new digital hygrometer. If you invested in a good humidor, do not risk storing and aging your cigars improperly by relying on a cheap or faulty hygrometer.<

How to Charge a Humidifier - Cigars

To keep your cigars at the best humidity and temperature, a humidor is a must! It prevents mould, drying out and encourages ageing and maturation of the leaf. Inside a humidor you will find a small round or square device (like below) that holds humidor solution. The solution ensures the humidity inside the humidor is consistent. If it is too moist, the solution absorbs, if too dry, the solution releases. Simple right?

     

There is really no trick to the solution itself. There are many different 'types' on the market advertising the latest and greatest, where reality is they are all the same. (see below for how to make it). The important part is how it is stored and how freely it can absorb and release. So in comes the humidifier. 

The humidifier comes in various shapes and sizes and usually has a ‘grate’ type look at the top.

To charge the humidifier follow these easy steps.

    1. Remove the humidifier from the humidor.

    2. Squirt our awesome Humidor Solution onto the grate.

    3. Be sure NOT to overfill, you want the humidifier to be wet, NOT soaking.

    4. Use a cloth to wipe off any excess liquid from the front

    5. Re-attach the humidifier into the humidor

EASY!

Some personal tips and observations.

The first time you charge your humidifier will require more solution. I found that while experimenting with our awesome Humidor Solution, the humidifier needed filling about twice in one week. I thought this was strange, however after doing some research, the reason is that the humidor and cigars need to adjust to the humidity and as such require more of the solution to stabilize.

After this initial period, I check the hygrometer at least weekly, (sometimes daily... such nice cigars!) and top up the humidifier every 3-4 weeks. Some suggest filling the humidifier with distilled water in between those weeks, however I have found it easier to just keep using solution.

Remember that when you put new cigars in the humidor, they will need some time to stabilize, so make sure you check the humidity regularly, and you may need to fill the humidifier a bit sooner.

A 250 ml bottle of humidor solution should last a 50-100 cigar humidor about a year in normal conditions.

I make the humidor solution myself using a 50/50 mix of Propylene glycol and Distilled water. I fill the humidifier up with the solution every 3-4 weeks if needed. In the warmer weather i tend to fill up 2-3 times with distilled water only and then the 4th time again with the solution. Reason being that the Propylene Glycol doesn't evaporate as quickly as the water.

How To Restore Dry Cigars

It has happened to all of us at one time or another. You simply forgot about that nice box of stogies you had in the trunk of your car for 3 months...well, hopefully not that long. I always get asked what you can do to restore dried cigars.

The most important thing to remember is that restoring a dried cigar takes time--lots of time and patience. Don't be in a hurry to get the job done.

Step 1:

Put your cigars in a non-humidified humidor. If this doesn't exist, then you can use a Ziploc bag with some holes poked in it. You want to bring the cigars to a steady humidity level that is much less than 70 percent. Let them sit in this environment for about 2-3 days.

Step 2:

Dampen a fresh, clean sponge with distilled water. Place it inside the Ziploc bag, and allow it to sit there, not touching any cigars, for at least one more week. This will slowly add humidity to the cigars at a rate that will prevent the wrappers from bursting.

Step 3

After two weeks, your cigars should start to look a lot healthier. Put them in your charged, maintained humidor at this point. Don't smoke them yet. Let them rest for while. I would suggest a month or two, just to make sure things are back to normal. Then you can feel free to smoke to your heart’s content.

This has taken me some time to perfect, and i still play around with it from time to time, however following the above steps will increase your chances of resurrecting that dried out cigar..

Cigar Bloom and Cigar Mold

This post deals with Cigar Bloom and Cigar Mold. 

Bloom refers to the slow rising of "essential oils" to the surface of a cigar. It first shows up as tiny (almost microscopic) crystals on the surface, and can eventually make a cigar look slightly "dusty" with a whitish finish on the surface. It's harmless; in fact, some prefer to see a little bloom as an indication of strong taste. (Partagas anyone?)

Mold, however, is a fungus, growing on overly humidified cigars. You will recognize it as white, gray, or blue-green "fuzzy patches," with a definite dimension to them. Mold spreads by spores, so it's important to get rid of any moldy cigars immediately, before they contaminate your other cigars or the mold gets into the wood of your humidor. Mold appears when the humidity passes 85 percent. Hence the importance of keeping your cigars at the correct humidity. Something our own Awesome Humidor Solution does very well!

Saving the moldy cigars is going to be tough. Wipe off the contaminated cigars (contaminated ones only! Don't spread the mold!) with a clean paper towel, slightly moistened with distilled water. Separate the contaminated cigars from the others. 

Make some kind of temporary humidor for those contaminated ones (Tupperware works well), and put it in the refrigerator. Refrigeration will dry them out without a source of humidity. After some time (depends on the effected cigar and amount of mold) the mold should be gone. Re-humidify them as you would new cigars (ie for about a week - month). Make sure you do this in a separate container. If using the same Tupperware container make sure you give it a very good wash first.

I haven't had any moldy cigars, however have opened some cigars to see them with the white and fluffy patches. The first time you may freak out a bit, however this is perfectly normal (the freaking out that is) as the fluff seems to be an unnatural addition to a nice cigar.