6 Cigar Humidification Approaches
Now you have a solid underst
anding of exactly what a hygrometer does
and what can happen if your humidity is too high or too low, let us discuss how to actually control the humidity in your humidor. Unfortunately, you can not just use a damp paper towel in a ziplock bag...
1.
The Hockey Puck Humidification Method
The unofficial hockey puck system was my very first means to control the humidity in my humidor and boy, was it trying. This is the"puck" which is included
with humidors the majority of the time and requires you to soak it into propylene glycol. I found it for a bit of a guessing game since you need to make sure that your"puck" doesn't run out of juice. It was mostly stressful because I utilized the crummy free version in my humidor so results may vary. I discovered that I needed to soak the puck every 15 days or so
with a humidor of 30 cigars. I only had to re-soak each 30-45 days and found it to be more consistent. Soaking a humidor puck is quite easy. It takes approximately 30 seconds and you simply purchase the propylene glycol separately. This solution is odorless and only replaces water as a more pure form of moisture. Using tap water may cause issues because of chlorine or other substances, and bottled water will not stay moist provided that propylene glycol.
2. The Tubes or Mini Jars Cigar Humidification Method
Xikar and Drymistat make very easy to use products which you can merely open and pop it in a humidor such as this
rabbitair. These have a much more controlled way of managing humidity than the puck method. The only bad thing is that you have to replace these entirely the majority of the time every 3-6 months completely. I don't recommend attempting to"re-soak" them with the propylene glycol. The beauty of them, particularly the tubes is they don't occupy much room in your humidor. However, depending on how big the jar arrangement will work better:
3. The Boveda Packs Cigar Humidification Method
Similar to the tubes or jar out of Xikar and Drymistat, it is possible to go with a very controlled system of Boveda humidity packs. These are my favorite cigar humidification strategy and ones that I use for the tupperdor today. However, they could err a bit on the large side concerning humidity if you use them at a tupperdor. I'd like to go a few percentages lower in the desired humidity for a consequence if you've got a tupperdor. Otherwise they do a fantastic job of consuming humidity whether it's too high and growing if it's too low. As soon as your pack is stiff, then you just throw it away. That being said, many claim to have the ability to recharge these very easily by simply soaking them for a few days after they become stiff. Although this may be a great way to spend less, the recharged packs definitely will not be as accurate as a first. To discover more about how to recharge, take a look at this YouTube tutorial. For me personally, I really don't recharge since I'm going to spend hundreds of bucks on cigars, I do not wish to cut any corners to save a couple bucks on Boveda packs.
4. The Heartfelt Beads Humidification Method
Heartfelt beads are a frequent humidity method that many recommend across java forums. This company revolves around these beads and they've a lot of diehard followers to their merchandise. These are most likely one of the costlier options but last forever. They do require spraying of water following two or week though so you've got to stick to a schedule. This way is a bit more geared towards the advanced cigar collectors. Normally, cigar collectors will have a pouch of those beads or a coating at the bottom of the wineador.
5. The Electric Cigar Humidification Method
There is nothing greater than the set it and forget of a electric humidifier, especially if you've got a large or precious collection. These are a bit expensive compared to the other options such as
electric cigar humidor but there is the benefit of very little upkeep. The components also work great if plugged in -- so you'll be required to conduct a flat cable into the outside 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 lot of Boveda packs...) You really do have to replace the cartridge every 6 -- 12 months but it's relatively inexpensive.
6. The Kitty Litter Cigar Humidification Method
To get a larger wineador installation, many advocate kitty litter as a viable choice to control humidity. This is a really similar technique to the Heartfelt beads strategy outlined above. The crucial thing is to get a kitty litter without a fragrance and spray on distilled water every two to three weeks as needed. I have seen very positive reviews from Exquisicat Crystals with very low fructose nor odor.
