Worry free humidity control
Lately I’ve been approached by fellow smokers with a common problem, humidity. I know for most of you, this topic is old and you’ve already got a handle on it. But for those of you who are starting out with your first humidor, or are having low/high humidity levels in your humidor, read on…
Options that don’t work:
Chances are, your humidor came with a humidification device like 
the one shown to the left. If you were to crack it open, you’d find green flora foam. Yes, its the same kind they sell at Wal-Mart that you’d use for your potted plant or chia pet. It is intended to provide humidification, but does not control the level of humidity. It disperses humidity constantly, higher and higher. After some time, it will start to grow mold and eventually will ruin your cigars. The supposed method to control this is to use a solution of distilled water and prophylene glycol. You can buy it pre-mixed. Don’t waste your time. Ditch the foam and the solution, or else you’ll constantly be tending to your humidor.
Now I will show you a couple methods of having complete control of the humidity in your humidor. I have first hand experience with these methods, and know they work, period.
Option 1: Heartfelt beads.
I’ve pushed these on more people then I can remember, and I’ve used them for years. I’ve pimped these so much, that they should be a sponsor of the site. You can choose between 65 or 70 percent humidification. They can be bought in a variety of packages, like the one shown to the left, or you can buy bags and use your own device. Using them couldn’t be easier- Moisten with distilled water. They will add humidity to the humidor and remove excess humidity as well. After a few years of using them, I trust it completely. In fact, I don’t even bother with a hygrometer in my small humidor. With heartfelt beads, you can’t go wrong.
Option 2: The Puck
Although I don’t use The Puck myself, I know quite a few people who have for years. Inside are humidity beads that are pretty much the same as the ones from heartfelt. Using the puck couldn’t be easier. Moisten it with distilled water, put it in the humidor, and let it do it’s thing.
Much like the heartfelt beads, you simply have to check on them every now and then. If they look dried out, add some water and your done.
Option 3: The Cigar Oasis
I’ve used this in my main humidor along with heartfelt beads for a few years. The Cigar Oasis is an electronic humidity control device. You simply set the humidity level you want and let it go. Every now and then, you need to add distilled water to a removable cartridge. When humidity drops too low, a fan kicks on and spreads humidity into the humidor. Easy…
One disadvantage of this device is that it does not remove excess humidity like the beads or puck. This is why I use the beads in conjunction with the cigar oasis. I maintain a perfect 65 – 67 percent humidity.
There you have it. Any of these methods will end your humidity problems. You will be able to stop obsessing and there will be no more constant tending to the humidor. Not to mention, your cigars will finally be properly stored. The benefits of this will be obvious once you light up. One last thing… Ditch that analog hygrometer and get a good digital unit that can be calibrated.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Tips and Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
HomeBrewer March 31st, 2009 at 2:55 pm
nice tutorial Tom. One thing that should be stressed more is that the digital hygrometer that can be CALIBRATED. For the first 6 months of smoking I thought I was humidifying my sticks properly only to find out after getting a new hygrometer (that I could calibrate) that my old one read almost 10 RH higher than the humidor actually was. A unit that can be calibrated is the only way to go.
I personally use the 65% RH beads from cigarmony and I will never go back to anything else. They are so simple and accurate.