The joys of a new cigar and a new humidor that you bought at BnB Tobacco are something many men enjoy and you are one of them. Getting new things is a lot of run, but when it comes to that ideal premium cigar, there is just something about opening that humidor to release the wonderful aroma. But, if you have a new humidor, you don’t want to put the cigars in just yet. A new humidor should be properly seasoned before putting any cigar inside. Without proper seasoning, the cigars can lose their flavor and overall use faster than desired.
Steps to Seasoning
There are actually proper steps to seasoning a humidor that are highly recommended and should be followed anytime you are using a new humidor or one that hasn’t been used in a long time. Adding cigars to an unseasoned humidor actually can make the cigars dry out, because the wood will draw out the moisture in the cigars. So, seasoning is very important and here are the steps.
- What You Will Need – To properly season it, you will need a clean sponge, distilled water, hygrometer (only if you have one), something to keep the sponge from resting on the wood (recommend a plastic bag), and a few days.
- Wet the Sponge – Take the sponge and soak it with the distilled water and then ring it out, but make sure it is still damp. Wipe down the interior of the humidor, including any and all wood, from the inside of the lid, the trays, and everything else. Do not use too much water and make sure there is no puddles of water anywhere. If there are, wipe them up at once.
- Place Sponge Inside – This is important and one thing to mention is you will rinse the sponge out with distilled water and then make sure it is damp, not soaked, and place it on top of a plastic bag, or something that will prevent the sponge from resting on the wood. This is extremely important to remember. If you place the sponge on the wood, you potentially run the risk of damaging the humidor beyond use.
- Fill the Humidification Device – Every humidor should have one of these and follow the instructions that came with it from the manufacturer. Some will say you can use distilled water or humidification liquid. Fill this device to their specifications and then place inside the humidor. Close the lid.
- Wait – This is hard to do, but not only important, it is a key crucial step. The seasoning process takes time to do correctly. You will want to wait 24 hours for it to finish, then you open it up.
- Wipe It Down Again – Crazy? No, not at all. This is a step that must be followed and wipe down all the wood once again. This time, you do not leave the sponge in, but you do fill the humidification device as instructed.
- Wait A Second Time – Yes, you must wait another 24 hours before you can proceed to the next step. This is not a quick process, but a small time-consuming process that will benefit you and your cigars. Don’t skip this step.
- Check for Dampness – Once the second 24 hours has passed, check the interior of the humidor for dampness. If there is any, then more waiting must be done. If there aren’t, you can then place your wonderful stogies inside. This is where your hygrometer can also come into play. If you have ever used one, this will help you monitor the inside. Just a bit of advice: It will register high after the second day. Ignore that and watch it for a day or two after that. If it hasn’t gone down, then adjust.
That is all the steps. Pretty simple to do, but so important if you really want your cigars to last longer and be enjoyable as well. A good stogie can be something that makes the day better as you wind down after a long day. Keep it in the best condition it can be, by seasoning your humidor the right way, so you can enjoy every stogie until its last puff.