We all know that smoking dry cigars is undesirable, but excessive humidity can also be detrimental. It’s typical for the humidity level to briefly increase after you recently filled your humidifier. However, after a week, your humidity level should return to normal. It’s advisable to stay away from extended periods of excessive humidity because doing so might cause your cigars to burn unevenly and potentially develop cigar mound. Invest in and calibrate a digital hygrometer so you can precisely track your humidity level.
Causes of Cigars that Are Too Humid
When filling the reservoir in your humidor, it’s possible to overcompensate and end up with cigars that are overly damp. In other cases, the cigars you recently bought could have originated from a place that was too humid. Here are a few typical offenders.
Humidity Level Is Too High?
70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70% RH (relative humidity) are the ideal storage temperatures for cigars. Keep your cigars at a higher humidity level of 72% RH if your humidor is leaky and doesn’t have a tight closure. However, a good humidor with a solid seal will keep the humidity constant, and keeping your cigars above 72% RH can lead to issues.
How to Reduce Humidity
Follow these instructions to restore balance to your humidor if it is overly damp.
- Remove the cause of your humidification.
- Adding strips or sheets of cedar to your humidor or the area where your cigars are stored is one of the safest and simplest ways to get rid of extra humidity from your cigars. The majority of premium cigars come in boxes with cedar layers arranged in rows. While purchasing a box of cigars, save a few sheets of cedar or ask the merchant for them when buying a few singles. Cedar naturally absorbs moisture, which will enhance the flavor of your cigars as they mature. To absorb extra moisture, you may add cedar strips to a conventional humidor, a cigar cooler, or even a Ziploc bag.
- It’s not unusual for cigar enthusiasts to take a cigar out of the humidor and let it rest outside all night before smoking it. They do this to guarantee a smooth burn by allowing some of the initial humidity to escape. We don’t necessarily advise using this procedure if your cigars are overly humidified because the change in humidity might be too sharp. However, if you can’t wait to smoke your cigars and they are just a little too humidified, it is something to think about.If your cigars are overly wet, take them out of the humidor and dry-box them for a day or two by placing them in an empty wooden cigar box. Your cigars will benefit from the empty box’s progressive, less-shocking removal of extra moisture.
- Put a pen or pencil under the cover of your humidor and leave it open slightly to let the extra humidity time to evaporate gradually without startling the wood. Return the humidification source and your cigars to the humidor after the humidity has recovered to a normal range (65-70% RH).
- Recharge the humidifier less aggressively and less regularly to prevent future instances of your cigars being over-humidified.
- Rotate the cigars in your humidor once or twice a month to prevent the same cigars from always being the ones closest to your humidifier.
