Frequently Asked Questions for Humidors

Q14: Summer is here. Is there anything I should do to protect my cigars from the increased heat and humidity?


A: Yes. Your humidor absolutely requires more attentive maintenance during the summer months.

The most dangerous time is now, when it may not be hot enough for the air conditioner, but the ambient humidity (the humidity inside your house) is creeping up. It's not uncommon for the ambient humidity to soar as much as 10 percent from late spring to early summer. Of course, a jump in ambient humidity is likely to be mirrored inside your humidor. You should be particularly careful if you've just refilled your humidification device. If your cigars become too moist and the humidity doesn't seem to be coming back down, add some cedar strips to your humidor if it's a desktop model; they'll absorb the excess humidity. If you have a cabinet or a walk-in with a humidity regulator, dial the humidity down. It's hard to say how much--you'll need to experiment a little. The ambient humidity will drop once you start running the air conditioner, but it's still a good idea to be vigilant about checking your cigars in the summertime. And, as always, keep your humidor out of direct sunlight.

This is a reprint of the article in the "Tip of the Week" section of the website
of Cigar Aficionado ( www.cigaraficionado.com ) in the week of June 01, 1999.