Are you interested in cigars? If so, you probably already know about the many different accessories and items needed to pursue your interest. For example, you know that you will need special clippers, a good and reliable lighter with a controllable flame length, and at least one cigar humidor. The humidor is going to provide your premium smokes with an ideal home, but only if you make sure of this yourself. This is one of the most common misperceptions about humidors – that they are purchased in the “ready-made” condition.

While you can reasonably expect to never put one of these lovely cigar boxes together on your own, you will have to prepare it properly for the best storage results. Let’s first consider humidors and cigars and the materials from which they are made. Both the lining of the boxes and the cigars themselves are constructed of materials that lose and absorb moisture, both materials are also sensitive to temperatures, and will readily absorb scents and aromas from nearby objects.

What does all of this mean to the cigar enthusiast? It means that you will not need to assemble the humidor, but you will need to consider how it is prepared. First you will have to install the hygrometer and the humidifier and perform a re-humidifying process. Even if you bought a box advertised as pre-seasoned, you can never guarantee that the wood lining is at the right humidity level. This can lead to a constant struggle for balance because the cigars and the wood are competing for all available humidity. Instead, you can make sure the wood is properly humidified and then add the cigars.

The hygrometer should be placed in the box and left for at least six hours to determine what the current conditions inside of the box are. If you have only just purchased the gauge you must calibrate it and then allow it to remain in the box for up to a week in order to stabilize it properly.

It is vitally important that the humidifier and the hygrometer are installed in the right ways, and this translates to calibrating the hygrometer before putting it in the box, and making sure that the humidifier is properly secured and contains the right mixture of water and PG. The standard humidifier will need to be secured using the plate and glue that came with it. Do not substitute any sort of fixative for this glue because the strong odors from most commercial solutions will actually cause the wood and the cigars to absorb the strong chemical smells and make both unusable.