How to season a new humidor

Every guide agrees that a new wooden humidor needs moisture before it gets cigars. After that, they split on how to do it, whether to touch the wood, how long it takes and what the hygrometer should say at the end. Most of those guides come from companies selling the supplies, and two of them pay this site a commission. I haven’t timed or measured any of these methods, so this is what I found when I read them side by side.

Cigars are for adults 21 and over. Nothing here is a health claim.

Why a new box needs it

Cigar Aficionado’s 1998 storage guide says most humidors are lined with untreated Spanish cedar, which has to be seasoned. Refined Traditions, a humidor retailer that pays this site a commission, explains why: dry cedar acts like a sponge and pulls moisture out of your cigars. It also warns that a hygrometer can read high while the wood is still dry.

Check three things first

• The maker’s instructions. Cigar Aficionado says some boxes have varnished or finished interiors that don’t need seasoning. Northwoods Humidors, a seller, says some high-end makers advise against wiping, and that improper care could void a warranty.
• The return terms. Sellers often want items back unused, so read the terms and test the seal before you start. I’d ask whether a seasoned box still counts as unused.
• The hygrometer. Refined Traditions calls an uncalibrated hygrometer the leading cause of “failed” seasoning, though it gives no data for that. Cigar Advisor, from the retailer Famous Smoke Shop, also calibrates before seasoning. My hygrometer guide covers how to check one.

The pack method

Boveda, which sells the packs, gives these steps:

1. Use one 60-gram (Size 60) 84 percent pack for every 25 cigars the box is designed to hold.
2. Take off the clear overwrap and put the packs in the empty box.
3. Close the lid and don’t open it for 14 days, whatever the hygrometer says.
4. Throw the packs away. Boveda says they aren’t reusable.

Cigar Aficionado describes the same count and the same 14 days for a box that has dried out. Refined Traditions and Holt’s, a retailer, give two weeks as well. Bespoke Unit, a site that links to products on Amazon, says to take them out on time, because too long can make the wood swell and potentially crack. None of them shows a test behind the number.

The appeal is that there’s little to get wrong and nothing to wipe, and the trade-off is the wait.

You can buy the 84 percent packs from Boveda, which doesn’t pay this site anything. I didn’t find them as a separate product at Refined Traditions or 1st Class Humidors, the two humidor stores here that pay this site.

Some boxes come with packs, which saves buying them separately. These two listings from Refined Traditions say so, and I haven’t used either box. The Ironside is labelled for 25 cigars and comes with one pack, which matches Boveda’s count. The Florence is labelled for 20 to 40, so check how many it comes with against that count. My comparison of small humidors has more on these.

The sponge method

This is the older approach, and the details vary. The core is a damp sponge left inside a closed box:

• Water. Use distilled. Cigar Aficionado says tap water has minerals that can destroy most humidification systems, and Holt’s warns against it too.
• The sponge. Cigar Aficionado says to use one that’s unscented and free of soap, and to avoid paper towels or cloths that fray. Cigar Advisor suggests squeezing a new one until no suds appear.
• How wet. Cigar Advisor says saturated and heavy, but not dripping.
• Where it goes. Set it on a plastic bag, or in a small glass bowl as Refined Traditions suggests, so it doesn’t touch the wood.
• The humidifier. Cigar Aficionado says to fill it by the maker’s instructions, wipe off the excess and let it rest on a towel for about 30 minutes. Then it goes in with the sponge.

1st Class Humidors, a retailer that pays this site a commission, offers a variation with no sponge: a shallow dish of distilled water, refilled until the water stops evaporating. Bespoke Unit describes something similar and says it isn’t very effective in larger humidors.

My own box is a small COOL KNIGHT, a gift from my wife. Its listing doesn’t mention seasoning packs, though it comes with a water dropper, so the listing alone doesn’t settle which method to use.

Should you wipe the wood?

This is the sharpest disagreement, and sellers are on both sides.

For a light wipe: Cigar Aficionado’s 1998 guide wipes all exposed wood, including trays, dividers and the inside of the lid. Cigar Advisor does too, and tells you not to oversaturate it. Holt’s care guide also says to wipe it down.

Against: Refined Traditions says wiping raw cedar can make the grain raise, buckle or crack. Boveda’s listing says a wipe-down provides only 2 percent of the moisture the wood needs, a figure it doesn’t explain, while selling the alternative.

Refined Traditions doesn’t quite agree with itself. Its buying guide suggests 3 to 5 days with 84 percent packs or distilled water wipe-downs. Its seasoning guide says to avoid the wipe-down and to wait the full 14 days with packs.

Several of the sources who wipe warn against too much water. 1st Class Humidors says excess can warp the wood, and Bespoke Unit adds that swollen seals can make the lid hard to open. Northwoods says not to pour water in and spread it around.

Skipping the wipe looks like the lower-risk choice to me, since a sponge or packs can add moisture without touching the wood. That’s my opinion from reading these, not something I’ve tested. If the maker says to wipe, or says not to, go with the maker.

How long it takes, and what it should read

The sources don’t line up on either question:

Source	Method and time	The reading it wants
Boveda	Packs, 14 days	Ignore it during seasoning; about 65% afterward
Holt’s	Packs, 2 weeks	Lower to mid-80s afterward
Holt’s	Sponge, 3 to 5 days, up to 2 weeks	75–80% before cigars
Cigar Advisor	Wipe and sponge, 3 days to a week	Mid-to-high 80s, then settling to about 70%
Northwoods	Wipe and sponge, 2 to 7 days or more	65–70% before cigars
Refined Traditions	Sponge, no time given	About 5 points above your target, then 24 hours closed
Cigar Aficionado, 1998	Wipe and sponge, 2 nights	None given
1st Class Humidors	Dish of water, 12 to 24 hours at a time	None given; until the water stops evaporating

Before the first cigar

Once seasoning is done, the box still has to come down to storage conditions:

• Change the packs. Holt’s says 84 percent packs are for seasoning only and warns that too much humidity can split wrappers. Boveda lists them for seasoning too. For ongoing use, Boveda’s help page suggests 69 percent, its listing mentions 72, Holt’s names 65, 69 or 72, and Cigar Aficionado says anything from 62 to 75. My humidity guide goes through those targets.
• Let it settle. Cigar Advisor says to take the sponge out, close the lid and wait for about 70 percent. High readings are normal during seasoning, it says, and they come down.
• If it stays too high. Refined Traditions says to open the lid for an hour or two if it’s above 75 percent, then recheck four hours after closing. Holt’s warns against leaving it wide open overnight.
• Add cigars gradually. Refined Traditions suggests small batches over 48 hours, because a large dry collection can pull the humidity down.

Will you have to do it again?

Probably at some point, but the sources are far apart on how often. Cigar Advisor says a well-seasoned box may not need it for years, or ever. Bespoke Unit says once a year for the first four years. Refined Traditions recommends a light re-seasoning once or twice a year, often going into winter.

The signs are more useful than the schedule. Cigar Advisor says to suspect dried-out cedar if the seal and hygrometer are fine but you’re refilling the humidifier much more often. Refined Traditions adds a lid that has lost its soft whoosh, and readings that keep dropping below 63 percent with fresh humidification.

If the humidor is a gift

Seasoning is part of the gift, because the box usually can’t hold cigars right away. On Boveda’s schedule, a box opened on Christmas morning isn’t ready until early January. If cigars come with it, they’ll need somewhere else to wait, since an unseasoned box can dry them out.

If you’re giving one, I’d tell the person about the wait and include whatever the maker recommends. My gift guide has more on what to check before you buy for someone else.

Where that leaves a beginner

• Read the maker’s instructions first, and check the return terms before you add any moisture.
• Check the hygrometer before you trust it.
• If you can wait two weeks, packs look like the simplest option to me. If you can’t, use a sponge that isn’t touching the wood, with distilled water.
• Go easy on the water. Several sources warn that too much can damage the wood.
• Don’t store cigars with 84 percent packs. Change to a storage-level pack or a humidifier first.
• Don’t expect one correct number at the end of seasoning. Look for a reading that holds steady near your target before you add cigars, and add them a few at a time.