Cigars should be properly stored in order to maintain their freshness. And a humidor is perfect for storing them for future use. It is a humidity-controlled box filled with the proper amounts of distilled water, propylene glycol, and food-grade mold inhibitor to keep your cigars fresh. Moreover, it has ventilation on the top and humidity control vents on the sides, bottom, or both. Aside from storing your cigar here, you also need to properly maintain your humidor so that it lasts longer. Keep reading this article to understand some of the tips that may help your humidor last longer.

1- Properly Season the Humidor Before its First Use

Seasoning should be the first step when you acquire a new humidor, or you’re planning to use one that you haven’t used in a long time. Seasoning involves cleaning the interior of the humidor box with distilled water or keeping humidity pouches on the inside. If you place cigars in a dry humidor, it will instead absorb wetness from them, thus damaging them. Most importantly, you’re advised to follow the guidelines given when doing the seasoning.

2- Monitor Your Hygrometer

This is an instrument that measures the humidity levels. Your cigars stay fresh in the humidor because of the humid conditions on the inside. A hygrometer is therefore essential in measuring the humidity levels to ensure that they are not extremely low or high to destroy your cigars. In addition, the hygrometer should be well calibrated to ensure that the readings are visible. It should not be faulty to avoid underestimating or overestimating the moisture levels.

3- Utilize Proper Storage of the Humidor

It is important to keep your humidor in the right places and conditions. An ideal place should be cool and dry. Keep the humidor away from direct sunlight, which stimulates the development of fungus and infestation by other insects, consequently destroying the quality of your cigars. Extremely cold temperatures may lead to the development of mold. You are therefore advised to keep an eye for any signs of mold and dispose of the affected cigars immediately.

4- Do Not Overfill the Humidor

It will help if you don’t fill your humidor to 100 percent. The required filing of the humidor regularly ranges from 70 to 80 percent of its total carrying capacity. This ensures that the humidor has space for enough humidity to circulate around the items. In addition, if the humidor is too squeezed, there will not be enough humidity to circulate around the cigars, which will compromise their storage condition and expose them to the dangers of getting spoiled.

5- Maintain the Humidity of the Humidor

As mentioned above, cigars stay fresh in humidors due to the humid conditions. It would help if you kept a bottle of distilled water to easily refill the humidor reservoir if it runs dry or the humid conditions get low. If you’re using humidity pouches, ensure they don’t dry out. Moreover, it would help if you don’t mix old and new pouches or use ones with varying humidity levels to attain the required humid condition.