03-30-2021, 08:16 PM
6 Cigar Humidification Approaches
Now you have a solid comprehension of exactly what a hygrometer does and what can occur if your humidity is too high or too low, let's discuss how to really control the humidity in your humidor. Unfortunately, you can't just use a moist paper towel in a ziplock bag...
1. The Hockey Puck Humidification Method
The unofficial hockey puck method was my first means to control the humidity in my humidor and boy, was it stressful. This is actually the"puck" that is included with humidors the majority of the time and needs one to boil it in propylene glycol. I found it to be a bit of a guessing game because you have to make sure that your"puck" doesn't run out of juice. It was mostly stressful since I used the crummy free version in my humidor so results may vary. But once I upgraded to some Xikar puck, it was smooth sailing. I just had to re-soak each 30-45 days and found it to be much more consistent. Soaking a humidor puck is very easy. It takes approximately 30 seconds and you just buy the propylene glycol separately. This solution is odorless and only replaces water as a more pure form of moisture. Using tap water can cause issues due to chlorine or other chemicals, and distilled water will not stay moist as long as propylene glycol.
2. The Tubes or Mini Jars Cigar Humidification Method
Xikar and Drymistat make very simple to use products that you can just open and pop it in a humidor such as this
electronic humidor. These include a much more controlled method of managing humidity than the puck technique. The only bad thing is you have to replace these completely the majority of the time every 3-6 months completely. I don't recommend trying to"re-soak" them with the propylene glycol. The beauty of them, especially the tubes, is they don't occupy much space in your humidor. But, depending on how big the jar format will work better:
3. The Boveda Packs Cigar Humidification Method
Like the jar or tubes from Xikar and Drymistat, it is possible to go with a very controlled system of Boveda humidity packs. These are my favourite cigar humidification method and ones that I utilize for my tupperdor today. But they could err a bit on the large side concerning humidity should you use them in a tupperdor. I would aim to go a few percentages lower than your desired humidity as a result if you've got a tupperdor. They do a great job of absorbing humidity if it is too high and growing if it's too low. Once your package is stiff, you then just throw it off. That having been said, many claim to have the ability to recharge these very easily by simply soaking them for a few days after they get stiff. Although this may be a great way to save money, the recharged packs definitely will not be as accurate as an original. To discover more about how to recharge, check out this YouTube tutorial. For me personally, I really don't recharge because I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars on cigars, I don't wish to cut corners to save a few dollars on Boveda packs.
4. The Heartfelt Beads Humidification Method
Heartfelt beads are a common humidity method that many recommend across cigar forums. This company revolves around these beads and they have a lot of diehard followers for their product. These are probably one of the more expensive choices but last forever. They do need spraying of water after week or two though so you have to abide by a schedule. This method is somewhat more geared towards the more advanced cigar collectors. Typically, cigar collectors will have a pouch of those beads or a layer at the base of their wineador.
5. The Electric Cigar Humidification Method
There's nothing better than the set it and forget of an electric humidifier, particularly if you've got a big or precious set. These are a bit expensive when compared with the other options such as
newair 250 but there's the benefit of very little upkeep. The units work great if plugged in -- so you will be asked to run a flat cord to the exterior of your humidor. However some of these units have some really cool features like wi-fi capacities and can humidify up to 1,000 cigars! (That would be a good deal of Boveda packs...) You do need to replace the cartridge every 6 -- 12 weeks but it's comparatively cheap.
6. The Kitty Litter Cigar Humidification Method
For a bigger wineador installation, many recommend kitty litter as a viable option to control humidity. This is a really similar method to this Heartfelt beads strategy outlined previously. The crucial thing is to get a kitty litter with no fragrance and spray distilled water every two to three weeks as required. I've seen very positive reviews out of Exquisicat Crystals with very low fructose nor odor.
Now you have a solid comprehension of exactly what a hygrometer does and what can occur if your humidity is too high or too low, let's discuss how to really control the humidity in your humidor. Unfortunately, you can't just use a moist paper towel in a ziplock bag...
1. The Hockey Puck Humidification Method
The unofficial hockey puck method was my first means to control the humidity in my humidor and boy, was it stressful. This is actually the"puck" that is included with humidors the majority of the time and needs one to boil it in propylene glycol. I found it to be a bit of a guessing game because you have to make sure that your"puck" doesn't run out of juice. It was mostly stressful since I used the crummy free version in my humidor so results may vary. But once I upgraded to some Xikar puck, it was smooth sailing. I just had to re-soak each 30-45 days and found it to be much more consistent. Soaking a humidor puck is very easy. It takes approximately 30 seconds and you just buy the propylene glycol separately. This solution is odorless and only replaces water as a more pure form of moisture. Using tap water can cause issues due to chlorine or other chemicals, and distilled water will not stay moist as long as propylene glycol.
2. The Tubes or Mini Jars Cigar Humidification Method
Xikar and Drymistat make very simple to use products that you can just open and pop it in a humidor such as this
electronic humidor. These include a much more controlled method of managing humidity than the puck technique. The only bad thing is you have to replace these completely the majority of the time every 3-6 months completely. I don't recommend trying to"re-soak" them with the propylene glycol. The beauty of them, especially the tubes, is they don't occupy much space in your humidor. But, depending on how big the jar format will work better:
3. The Boveda Packs Cigar Humidification Method
Like the jar or tubes from Xikar and Drymistat, it is possible to go with a very controlled system of Boveda humidity packs. These are my favourite cigar humidification method and ones that I utilize for my tupperdor today. But they could err a bit on the large side concerning humidity should you use them in a tupperdor. I would aim to go a few percentages lower than your desired humidity as a result if you've got a tupperdor. They do a great job of absorbing humidity if it is too high and growing if it's too low. Once your package is stiff, you then just throw it off. That having been said, many claim to have the ability to recharge these very easily by simply soaking them for a few days after they get stiff. Although this may be a great way to save money, the recharged packs definitely will not be as accurate as an original. To discover more about how to recharge, check out this YouTube tutorial. For me personally, I really don't recharge because I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars on cigars, I don't wish to cut corners to save a few dollars on Boveda packs.
4. The Heartfelt Beads Humidification Method
Heartfelt beads are a common humidity method that many recommend across cigar forums. This company revolves around these beads and they have a lot of diehard followers for their product. These are probably one of the more expensive choices but last forever. They do need spraying of water after week or two though so you have to abide by a schedule. This method is somewhat more geared towards the more advanced cigar collectors. Typically, cigar collectors will have a pouch of those beads or a layer at the base of their wineador.
5. The Electric Cigar Humidification Method
There's nothing better than the set it and forget of an electric humidifier, particularly if you've got a big or precious set. These are a bit expensive when compared with the other options such as
newair 250 but there's the benefit of very little upkeep. The units work great if plugged in -- so you will be asked to run a flat cord to the exterior of your humidor. However some of these units have some really cool features like wi-fi capacities and can humidify up to 1,000 cigars! (That would be a good deal of Boveda packs...) You do need to replace the cartridge every 6 -- 12 weeks but it's comparatively cheap.
6. The Kitty Litter Cigar Humidification Method
For a bigger wineador installation, many recommend kitty litter as a viable option to control humidity. This is a really similar method to this Heartfelt beads strategy outlined previously. The crucial thing is to get a kitty litter with no fragrance and spray distilled water every two to three weeks as required. I've seen very positive reviews out of Exquisicat Crystals with very low fructose nor odor.