Humidification Devices

Whether you are new to cigars or an old hat at it, keeping your cigars fresh and properly humidified can be a process of trial and error. The Rh level that you choose to store your cigars at is entirely up to you and will be discussed at another time. The device that you choose is what I will be addressing. When most of you (and me) bought your first humidor, the humidification device that came with it was most likely some green floral foam in a vented container. You charged it with some 50/50 Propylene Glycol/distilled water solution and seasoned your humidor to get the desired level of humidity. This device required you to recharge it every so often depending on many variables such as temperature, humidity of the ambient air and how often you accessed the humidor. These devices release water vapor constantly and can over humidify your cigars very easily especially when your humidor becomes empty. So if you are like me, you look for something that will release humidity only when needed. So after I researched it, I went hi-tech and purchased the "Cigar Oasis" to do the job automatically. The Oasis constantly samples the air and determines when to add humidity to reach the user set level. This is a nice unit but it does have it's drawbacks. The first one is the size of the unit, it takes up the same space as 9 cigars and the vents on the top and the side must not be blocked. The second drawback is that it must be plugged in, so you have to locate your humidor within the close proximity of an electrical outlet. This can really detract from the beauty of a nicely finished humidor to have a cord running from it. So I searched for a device that is as small and simple as a floral foam device but with the accuracy of the Cigar Oasis. In my quest I discovered Rh beads. These special little beads only require distilled water, no PG solution. They not only release humidity based on a predetermined Rh level, but they also absorb excess humidity that can be cause by the change in ambient Rh levels or overly humidified cigars that were added to the humidor. This device is as simple as it gets. Get yours at Cigarmony.com . One other item that you might want to add to you humidor is a wireless hygrometer which allows you to monitor your humidor without having to open it, but that is a topic for another post.

Chas

Smok'em if you Got'em