Cigar News: Boveda Products, Cigar humidty and temperature
A question I often get from cigar friends is how to I keep my cigars at the proper humidity and temperature? I do two things to keep the humidor in the range I am looking for.
Each of my humidors has a digital readout of the temperature and humidity. I have found the devices that come with the humidors either as an add on or installed are not very good. The digital hydrometer work well, are relatively inexpensive and easy to operate. It’s important your humidor numbers stay consistent. I like my cigars to stay around the 65% and 72 degrees F. Individual choices vary but you do not want your smokes to get too dry or moist which could destroy your smoking experience.
The options for humidors are plentiful and will be discussed another time.
As for keeping my cigars at the desired humidity, I have tried many systems with a varying degree of success. Every method has merits but for the last several years I use Boveda brand packs. They are self-contained , fool-proof , and are replaced every several months or so. Examine them , if they appear to get rigid , dump and replace.
Keep smoking.
Just as a point of information, I like the Boveda packs and there other products very similar available for consumers use. Boveda does not give me their products for free or at discount. As with the cigar reviews, how and where I get the products does not influence my opinion. If you use other products , I would appreciate your take on them.
From their website
Boveda knows 2-way humidity control for packages and containers. We invented it.
It’s well known in science that certain salts mixed with water will naturally regulate humidity. We just patented the way that made it practical for packaging. Other packaging inserts either add moisture or remove moisture. Boveda does both, monitoring the RH (relative humidity) inside the container and regulating to the specific RH engineered into the Boveda.
Available in multiple sizes and humidity levels, Boveda can solve your intermediate moisture need and maintain the ideal moisture content of the items inside your container. Boveda uses all FDA-compliant ingredients and won’t damage anything through direct contact. The life of any Boveda depends how much moisture it releases, which will vary based on climate and container. You’ll know it’s time to replace Boveda when it’s no longer pliable.
It’s impossible for Boveda to over-humidify beyond the RH on the pack. That’s why our usage instructions talk about minimums, not maximums. There’s no such thing as using “too much”. More than the minimum will just last longer.
Boveda is zero activation or maintenance.
Boveda doesn’t need to be activated or maintained. Once the Boveda pack becomes rigid, it’s out of water and needs to be replaced. This could mean weeks to years, depending on the package or container, how much the container is opened/closed and the ambient environment. Yeah, it’s really that simple.