The first modern-style cigar humidors we see today have been around since the late 19th century. They are there to prevent a cigar lover’s worst nightmare – a dry cigar collection. However, a cigar with too much moisture can be just as bad to smoke as a dry one.
Here at Cigar Amigo, we’ve taken the time to solve the problem of excess humidity inside a humidor. By the time you finish reading, you’ll know exactly what to do if your humidor has too much humidity.
Let’s solve the problem of finding your humidor humidity too high to keep your cigars fresh.
What Happens if Humidity Is Too High in the Humidor?
Have you ever been somewhere where it’s extremely humid? If so, you can probably remember feeling the wet air causing you to sweat out every last drop. Humidity levels can also drastically affect tobacco products, especially premium cigars.
From the surface, you want a high humidity level to keep your favorite cigars nice and fresh. However, excess humidity will do more harm than good over time.
Cigars are made up of two main ingredients: water and tobacco. Dry cigars will burn quickly, make loud cracking noises, and taste extremely bitter. However, a cigar that’s too moist will also taste bitter and feel extra soggy and unpleasant. Furthermore, they won’t stay lit and are more prone to developing mold.
Many die-hard cigar lovers will claim that an over-humidified cigar is worse than an under-humidified stogie.
Does Humidity Rise or Fall in a Humidor?
Humidity tends to rise inside a humidor, especially when you add new cigars. This can be a cause for concern if you’ve just bought a new box of stogies, but still have some leftover in your collection.
The new cigars come already moist. While the Spanish cedar wood will help absorb excess moisture, some of it will absorb into the rest of the cigars inside your humidor.
If you’re just placing the new cigars in for a few hours or even a few days, this might not be a concern. However, it can affect the quality of your cigars long-term.
How to Lower Humidity in Humidor
To lower the humidity level in your humidor, remove the humidification device for a day or two. You should also leave the humidor open for a few hours to let some of the humidity escape. For faster results, leave it under direct sunlight for around 90 minutes.
You can also remove some of the distilled water from your humidifier, or stop refilling it as often. If you keep adding distilled water to your humidification system, you’re going to constantly have a high humidity level.
Moreover, you can also pick up some humidor beads at your local cigar store or smoke shop. These come in handy if you’re struggling to regulate the humidity level in a new humidor.
Humidor Humidity
Maintaining ideal humidity and temperature conditions for your cigars is vital. Not only will you enjoy smoking your cigars more, but it will also ensure that you can keep your favorite stogies stored safely for years.
Modern humidors typically come with a hygrometer and a humidification device. The hygrometer lets you know how humid your humidor is, and the humidifier is there to keep the container filled with enough water.
The first step is to make sure to calibrate your hygrometer. Most hygrometers will come already calibrated, but you’ll want to double-check to make sure. If you don’t calibrate your hygrometer, you can’t know the internal conditions of your humidor.
Be sure to always monitor your hygrometer and humidifier every couple of weeks, and adjust them accordingly.
Is 80 Percent Humidity Too High for Cigars?
The plants harvested to make cigars grow in places that are naturally humid (Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, etc.). The humidor is there to mimic the same conditions to protect a cigar’s freshness and flavor.
Therefore, an ideal environment for cigars is somewhere between 68-74% humidity. The temperature should also be somewhere around 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Cigars that sit in these conditions will taste better, last longer, and burn properly.
Given that 80% humidity is well out of the “golden zone”, chances are your cigars won’t smoke as good if kept in those conditions.
Is 72% Humidity Too High for Cigars?
A humidness of 72% is perfect for cigars. Combine that with the right amount of heat and your cigar wrapper will taste outstanding. That said, 72% is really close to being too humid. As a result, any small changes to your humidor could affect your cigar collection.
For example, let’s say one of your friends wants you to help store some of his new premium Cuban stogies. Putting them inside your container could eventually create too much humidness for the contents inside.
Conclusion
Every cigar lover knows that taking care of your humidification device is an integral part of being an aficionado. From faulty humidifiers to cooler winter weather, there are countless variables that could impact the freshness of your beloved stogies.
As long as you take the time to ensure your humidor has the right humidity and temperature, you should be able to age your cigars without any problems.
