FAQ

General Humidor Queries

What is a cigar humidor?

A humidor is a wooden box or room maintaining constant humidity for cigar storage. Proper storage, with specific temperature and moisture, preserves flavor. Dry, hot, cold, or excess humidity compromises taste. Understanding how a cigar humidifier works is crucial for longevity. A humidor is essential for proper care and storage beyond two weeks.

How does a cigar humidor work?

A premium humidor is crucial for optimal cigar storage. Its humidification system maintains moisture levels, preserving plumpness and enhancing aroma and flavor. The hygrometer monitors humidity, requiring regular checks for adjustments. A thermostat ensures a consistent temperature, vital for preventing issues like beetle infestation. Maintaining 70% humidity and 21 degrees Celsius is ideal for preserving your cigars.

How long can a cigar last in a humidor?

While cigars have a finite lifespan, proper storage in a quality humidor can extend it significantly. Typically, cigars age and develop flavors for 5-10 years, after which their aging process and flavor enhancement plateau, maintaining their quality.

What is the best humidity for a cigar humidor?

Preserving cigars requires avoiding temperatures exceeding 24 degrees Celcius and maintaining around 70% humidity, adjusting slightly based on your climate. Investing in a quality cigar humidor is crucial to sustain these ideal conditions.

Where to place a humidifier in a humidor?

Desktop and tabletop cigar humidors often feature a circle cut-out beneath the lid for the humidifier. Glass top humidors require placing the humidifier in a marked circle on the tray. Humidifiers vary in size and can be positioned anywhere without affecting performance. Prioritise a quality humidifier for effective cigar preservation, regardless of its placement on the top or bottom of the humidor.

Humidor Preparation

How do I season a cigar humidor?

Upon purchasing our product, receive a comprehensive guide for proper humidor seasoning, ensuring optimal conditions for your cigars.

Humidor Construction

What is the best wood for a cigar humidor?

Humidors typically use three types of wood for interior lining: Spanish cedar, American red cedar, and Honduran mahogany. Spanish cedar, renowned for protecting against tobacco worms, absorbing humidity, aiding cigar aging, and enhancing flavor, is the most favored. Despite its name, it is usually imported from South and Central America. American red cedar, though less expensive, falls short in humidity absorption, imparts a strong aroma, and may cause cigars to adopt an unwanted woody taste over time. Honduran mahogany, while comparable in humidity absorption to Spanish cedar, lacks the same odor intensity, affecting its ability to deter worms and flavor cigars. Adorini exclusively uses Spanish cedar for the interior lining of their humidors, ensuring optimal conditions for long-term cigar storage. The untreated veneer of the interior wood is recommended for superior results.

Should I buy a glass or wooden lid humidor?

For short-term cigar storage, both glass and wooden-lid humidors suffice. However, for extended aging, wooden lids are preferred. Wooden-lid humidors are recommended for cigars aging over several years, as prolonged use of glass lids may lead to discoloration. Glass-lid humidors offer the advantage of less frequent and shorter openings, ensuring more stable interior humidity—a benefit for establishments like restaurants and hotels. Cabinet humidors with glass doors are suitable when cigars are stored in their original boxes, with the caution to avoid direct sunlight exposure. In summary, while glass-lid humidors have advantages in certain contexts, wooden-lid humidors are the preferred choice for extended cigar aging.

Hygrometer (Humidity Meter)

How do I calibrate a humidor?

Calibrating your humidor's hygrometer involves creating a salt paste with iodized salt and distilled water. Seal the hygrometer and the salt paste container in a larger container for six to eight hours. A correctly calibrated hygrometer should read around 75%. If it deviates from this range, adjust your analog hygrometer accordingly. For digital hygrometers, note the difference for future readings. This simple process ensures accurate humidity monitoring for proper cigar storage.

Should I buy an analog or digital hygrometer?

Humidors typically feature analog hygrometers, categorised into three types: metal spring, natural hair, and synthetic hair. Metal spring hygrometers are common but less accurate. Natural hair hygrometers offer accuracy but demand substantial maintenance. Synthetic hair hygrometers, equally accurate without user maintenance, are recommended for humidors. Adorini's hair hygrometers, utilising high-quality synthetic hair, ensure precision within the specific humidity range of humidors. These are pre-calibrated, minimising user effort. Alternatively, digital hygrometers provide easy readability and don't require calibration, but the adorini digital hygrometer stands out for optimal accuracy at humidity levels above 65%, often neglected by other digital hygrometers. Both analog and digital hygrometers have a lag in reflecting humidity changes.

Common Issues & Resolutions

How to tell if my cigars are too dry in the humidor?

A dry cigar becomes brittle. Cracking or splitting when squeezed indicates low humidity in the humidor. Ensure a proper humidification environment to maintain cigar quality.

How to tell if my cigars are too moist in the humidor?

Mold, swelling, or splitting in cigars signals excessive humidity in the humidor. Adjust conditions to prevent these issues and maintain cigar quality.

Why do I have mold growing in my humidor?

Bright marks on cigars can result from two causes. Light gray, dusty marks are a normal aging process, harmless to taste. However, crusty, blue-green marks indicate mold infection due to excessive humidity. Infected cigars should be removed, and the humidor cleaned with a dry cloth. Clean the humidifier with warm water, replacing it if mold is present. Never return infected cigars to the clean humidor to prevent further contamination. Monitoring humidity levels and proper maintenance are essential for preserving cigar quality.

Why does my humidor smell?

Using cleaning agents inside the humidor is advised only in emergencies, as their smell may linger. If the odor persists, ventilate the humidor thoroughly. Placing a glass of whisky or brandy inside the closed humidor may help absorb the scent, though it will influence the humidor's flavor. Some enthusiasts intentionally add a few drops of whisky or brandy to the humidifier liquid to enhance the cigars' flavor.

Cigar Storage

Should I take cigars out of the plastic in a humidor?

Cellophane shields cigars during transport but hinders humidity control in humidors. If storing cigars with cellophane, consider opening the ends for oxygen circulation. Whether to remove cellophane depends on personal preference. Removing it aids the aging process and enhances aesthetics, but keeping it prevents flavor mixing. For cigars delivered in Spanish cedar wrapping, the choice of leaving it on for intensified cedar aroma or removing it is subjective. If flavor segregation is a concern and dividers are unavailable, storing cigars with cellophane in the humidor could be an option. Ultimately, the decision hinges on individual taste and storage goals.