Cigar World’s Guide to Cigar Humidity

Newcomers to the cigar community often find out the hard way that poor humificiation can ruin even the most decadent cigar. Unlike other luxury products like high-end whiskey, for example, cigars must be stored in a specialized container called a humidor. Properly maintained humidors regulate temperature and humidity in a controlled environment, and they allow cigar lovers to safely store their favorite smokes for years (or even decades). 

Here, we’ll explain everything you need to know about cigar humidity — why it matters, how to set up your humidor, and how to ensure your cigars are always in peak smoking condition.

Why Do Cigars Need to be Stored in Humidors? 

Premium cigars are natural products; they are crafted from tobacco leaves, which, like any other leaf, will eventually dry up and crack over time. Leave a cigar on your mantle for a week or two, and it will whither, crack, and lose most of its flavor profile. In some instances, you can rehydrate dried-out cigars, but it’s a time-cosuming process, and if left at too low humidity for too long, a cigar will eventually become unsmokable. 

What is the Ideal Cigar Humidity and Temperature?

The short answer to this question is to follow the 70/70 rule: according to conventional wisdom, cigars should be stored at 70% humidity at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, there are caveats. Some cigar enthusiasts prefer to store their cigars at a slightly lower humidity level — 63-66%. While others prefer it slightly more humid in their humidors — 73-74%. 

Note that straying too far from the 70/70 rule can lead to trouble. 

What Happens When Humidity for Cigars is Too High? 

When cigars are stored at too high a humidity level and temperature, they can become overly moist and spongey. Worse, they are more susceptible to mold and tobacco beetles at higher humidity levels. 

What Happens When Humidity for Cigars is Too Low?

On the other hand, cigars that are stored too far below 70% humidity will — as mentioned above — become brittle and dry. 

Our advice is to start storing cigars at or near the 70/70 mark and then adjust based on the conditions in your home and how you prefer your cigars to feel and smoke. 

How to Achieve Ideal Cigar Humidity

If you’ve come this far and are feeling a little overwhelmed, the good news is that achieving proper cigar humidity within a humidor is not that difficult. Here’s what you need to do: 

1. Invest in a quality cigar humidor. You don’t need to break the bank on a $1,000-plus cabinet-style humidor. Rather, you can purchase a quality desktop humidor for under $50 if you’re just entering the cigar space. Just ensure your humidor has an air-tight seal — otherwise, it won’t work. Also, we recommend purchasing a humidor with a cedar wood interior — it looks classic, and since wood is a porous material, it lends itself to storing cigars. 

2. Season your humidor. Once you purchase a humidor, you need to prepare it for storage before you fill it with cigars. There are a few ways to go about this:

   1. Purchase a Boveda seasoning pack. This is the most straightforward way to season a humidor. Simply place the pack inside your humidor, shut the lid, and leave it in for 14 days. Take it out and then fill the humidor with cigars. 

   2. Season with distilled water. NEVER SEASON A HUMIDOR WITH TAP WATER. Tap water will create mold in the humidor and destroy your cigars. Instead, you can choose to lightly coat the inside of your humidor with distilled water, close the lid, and leave it shut for 24 hours. After that, you should be set. 

      1. You can also soak a sponge in distilled water and leave it in a plastic bag inside your humidor. This method may take a few days or a few weeks to season the humidor. 

3. Maintain proper humidity. Once you’ve invested in a humidor and seasoned it, you can store your cigars inside. In order to ensure your cigars stay humidified, you’ll need to keep your humidor at 68-72ish% humidity. To do that, you can purchase Boveda packs and place them unside your humidor to humidify the cigars, or else use other humidification tools like humidifiying solution or crystals. Note also that you should store your humidor in a room that’s not in direct sunlight, is not damp, and has a consistent temperature throughout the year. Don’t leave your humidor open either — that will defeat the purpose. 

4. Check Regularly. You don’t have to constantly monitor your cigars to prevent humidification problems. However, we do recommend checking in on them every few days. An easy way to make certain your cigars remain in a properly humidified environment is to purchase a digital hygrometer — which is a device used to measure humidity levels. Simply insert the hygrometer into your humidor and check the reading every few days. When it begins to dip below 66(ish)% you’ll probably want to increase the humidity in your humidor with more Boveda packs or other methods. If the hygrometer reading rises above 73%(ish) you’ll likely want to lower the humidity levels. 

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