How to Season a Humidor

To season a humidor, you gently introduce moisture to its dry cedar lining before adding cigars, so the wood does not steal humidity from them. The easiest method is to place a seasoning humidity pack inside the closed, empty humidor and wait until it stabilizes at around 65 to 70 percent, usually a few days to two weeks. Skipping this step is the number-one reason new humidors dry out cigars.

Why seasoning is essential

A new humidor is made of kiln-dried Spanish cedar, which is very thirsty. If you put cigars straight in, the dry wood pulls moisture out of them, drying and cracking your cigars. Seasoning saturates the wood with moisture first, so once cigars go in, the environment stays stable.

The easy method: seasoning packs (recommended)

The safest, simplest approach uses specialized seasoning humidity packs (higher than 70 percent, made for this purpose) or standard two-way packs:

Step by step

1. Wipe out any cedar dust with a clean, dry cloth (never soak the wood).
2. Place one or more seasoning humidity packs inside the empty humidor.
3. Put your calibrated hygrometer inside and close the lid.
4. Leave it undisturbed, checking every couple of days.
5. When the humidity holds steady around 65 to 70 percent, it is seasoned.
6. Swap in your regular maintenance packs and add your cigars.

How long does seasoning take?

Anywhere from a few days to about two weeks, depending on the humidor's size and how dry the wood was. Bigger humidors take longer. Do not rush it; adding cigars too early undoes the benefit.

The wipe-down method (use with caution)

Some people wipe the interior with distilled water or use a shot glass of distilled water inside. This works but risks over-wetting the wood, which can warp it or encourage mold. If you try it, use distilled water only (never tap), a barely damp cloth, and never soak the cedar. The seasoning-pack method is safer and hands-off.

A note on the hygrometer

Before you trust your readings, calibrate the hygrometer, an uncalibrated one can be off by several points and mislead you the whole time. A simple salt test or a calibration pack confirms it is accurate.

Where to go next

Learn what you are preparing in what is a humidor, set your target in ideal humidity for cigars, and compare humidification in humidity packs vs beads.