How Bovedas Provide The Best Cigar Humidification For Your Cigars
When it comes to storing cigars, humidity control is of the utmost importance. There is nothing quite as disappointing as lighting your highly-anticipated cigar only to find it has become too dry, or too moist. There are plenty of humidity control products circulating the market, but many fail to dependably regulate humidity both ways. For this reason, Boveda humidity systems have become the go-to humidity control option for amateur and veteran cigar aficionados across the nation.
In this article, we’ll review why humidifying your cigars is necessary for storing your precious cargo, and dive into what the proper humidity level actually is.
Whether you are familiar with this subject or not, you’re sure to be impressed with the patented technology hiding inside the tiny brown packet that is a Boveda!
Let’s get started.
Do I really need a cigar humidifier?
If you store cigars without proper humidity control, things can go south quickly. Cigars that become too dried out from lack of humidity will begin to lose their sweet aroma and natural flavor. Likewise, a cigar that is stored in an overly humid environment will begin to rot, grow mold, and in the worst possible case, attract tobacco beetles.
A humidor allows you to let cigars age without compromising quality. The defining characteristic of a humidor is its ability to control the airflow into and out of the box itself. More importantly, it can somewhat maintain a certain level of humidity inside the case, which is incredibly important for storing cigars over time.
As we’ll discover, even the best humidors can use a little help. But before we dive into our favorite product for humidity control, let’s take a look at what level of humidity you should be seeking.
What is the proper humidity for premium cigar humidification?
The most common term within the industry for humidity levels is Relative Humidity, or “RH.” Tobacco leaves naturally expand and contract as the level of humidity rises or falls. Because of this, a certain level of RH should be kept to ensure that the cigar’s tobacco leaves are in the ideal condition for a great smoke.
Boveda in particular has put plenty of research into the development of an effective humidor packet. That obviously begs the question: What is the proper humidity for keeping premium cigars?
As it turns out, it more or less depends on what cigars you are actually storing. Research has shown that 65% RH is ideal for the tightly-bound craftsmanship of Cuban cigars, while 69% RH is the most popular for premium cigars being stored in an airtight case. Those aren’t the only options, though!
Luckily for you, Boveda has a handy guide on the blog that can guide you in the right direction. Not to mention some useful tips for keeping those RH levels just right.
What about seasoning my humidor? What is the proper humidity?
“Seasoning” your humidor is a practice that is adapted by anyone who is serious about proper cigar storage. Essentially, the wood that makes up the walls of your humidor is somewhat of a one-way humidity control device in and of itself. By that, we mean that it will absorb water vapor. In fact, if you examine the wood at a microscopic level, it appears much like a sponge.
To prevent the wood from drying out the humidity within the humidor, one should season a humidor. To do this, the researchers behind Boveda recommend that you place an 84% RH packet inside the humidor for 2 weeks. Over the first week, much of this water is released. Over the second week, the wood soaks up the finishing touches it needs.
This will guarantee your regular Bovedas perform correctly, as they will not be losing water vapor to the wood around them. But these Bovedas… What is it that makes them so effective?
What are Bovedas?
The Boveda is a humidor packet designed to maintain the perfect level of humidity so that you are able to smoke a cigar that tastes and burns exactly as the makers and manufacturers intended. It is quite simply the easiest way to ensure that your tobacco remains in the ideal condition.
How does a Boveda do this? One only needs to look at how it is crafted to understand the straightforward yet genius way a Boveda maintains perfect humidity. Natural salt, pure water, and a food-grade thickening agent are the three simple ingredients that make the magic happen. This thickening agent keeps the water and salt mixed well, and discourages clumping.
The second half of a Boveda is the reverse osmosis membrane. It is this membrane that gives the Boveda its 2-way humidity control. This patented technology uses a particular resin that enables both absorption and addition of water vapor. This gives you the peace of mind that your cigars will get neither too dry nor too moist.
Boveda’s 2-way humidity control:
- Continually responds to a humidor’s environment to maintain a stable and precise RH level
- Slowly adds or absorbs water vapor as needed
- Stops moisture spikes and nosedives in your humidor
- Prevents the loss of the natural oils, sugars and flavor in aging cigars
How to use Boveda packs for cigars
We’ve thrown a lot of information at you about Bovedas. RH levels, humidor seasoning, reverse osmosis membranes, and more! Luckily, using the product itself is a hundred times simpler.
Here’s a comprehensive set of steps:
- Place your Boveda inside the humidor.
- Close the lid.
- Enjoy your perfect cigar when the right time comes.
It really is as simple as that! You could even throw in twice as many Bovedas as you need and it will still achieve the same results. This has been tested in high-grade humidors, bottom-tier cheap boxes, and even those leaky glass-topped containers. Bovedas always get your humidity right, with very little effort on your part.
So what are you waiting for?
Find the perfect cigar with Cayman Cigars.
Find the right Boveda for your cigars.
Then, kick back and relax!
