In this guide
The short version
- Boveda's band for cigars is 65% to 72% RH. Above 72% the risk is mold, below 65% the tobacco dries out.
- In damp air a sponge or bead humidifier only adds moisture; a two-way pack absorbs the excess too, which is why it suits a humid climate.
- Run one Size 60 pack per 25 cigars of humidor capacity, not per cigar inside, and swap packs about every three months.
- An airtight, watertight travel case (Lotus 5 to 75 sticks) keeps rain, pool water and summer air out; never put a 75% pack in one.
A cigar wants the same air in Miami as in Phoenix: 65% to 72% relative humidity. The difference is which way the room is fighting you. In a dry climate the humidifier's only job is to add moisture back. In a humid climate the box takes on moisture every time you lift the lid, and a humidifier that can only add makes it worse. Here is how to set a humidor up for damp air, how to keep cigars sound on a wet-weather trip, and where the lighter should live.
What humid air does to a cigar
Boveda, which makes the two-way humidity packs we stock, puts the storage range for cigars at 65% to 72% RH. Above 72% the risk is mold; below 65% the tobacco dries out. In a humid climate the upper number is the one to watch, because summer air gets into the humidor on every opening and a wooden box soaks some of it up.
The second problem is that traditional humidifiers only work in one direction. A sponge, a gel jar, crystals or a bead tube release moisture until they run out and have no way to take it back, so in a damp room they keep adding to a box that is already over the line.
Why a two-way pack suits damp air
A Boveda pack releases water vapor when the air in the box is drier than its rating and absorbs it when the air is wetter; Boveda's own words are that it releases humidity whenever vapor is needed and absorbs the excess whenever there is too much. That absorb half is what a humid climate needs. The product card adds that the membrane passes only pure water vapor, so it does not add flavors the way a propylene glycol sponge can, and that a pack does no harm touching a wrapper.
One Boveda rule matters most in a humid room: never run a pack alongside a sponge, gel, crystals or beads. Paired with a one-way humidifier, the pack spends its life absorbing what the other device keeps releasing and runs out early. Pull the old humidifier out when the packs go in.
Boveda rates its packs to within 1% of the label in an airtight container, which a wooden humidor is not. The product card notes that the box commonly settles up to 5 points below the pack's rating, so a 69% pack often reads in the mid 60s.
Picking the percentage
Boveda sells five levels for cigars: four for storage and one for seasoning a new wooden box.
Pack | What Boveda says it is for |
|---|---|
65% | A drier profile and an easier burn; good for long-term aging |
69% | The most universal level, for wood and acrylic humidors, tupperdors and humidor bags, and for aging |
72% | Drafty humidors, dry environments, a moister cigar |
75% | Only extremely dry conditions such as desert and high altitude; not for aging |
84% | Seasoning a new wooden humidor, then switch down |
In a humid climate there is no case for 72% or 75%; both exist to fight dry air. Our 65% pack was sold out when this was written, so check the humidification collection for what is on the shelf. The 58% and 62% packs we also stock sit below Boveda's cigar band, so they are not the pick for a cigar humidor.
How many packs, and when to change them
Boveda sizes packs by the humidor's capacity, not by how many cigars are in it today: one Size 60 pack for every 25 cigars the box can hold, so a 100-count humidor gets four. Size 8 is the travel-case size, one per 5 cigars, and a single Size 320 covers up to 100. More than the minimum never over-humidifies the cigars; it only makes each pack last longer.
On replacement the sources differ a little. Boveda's help pages say every three months in a wooden humidor; our product card's rule of thumb is to replace a pack once it has turned rigid, because a stiff pack has given up its water. Use whichever comes first. Small salt crystals inside a soft pack are normal. Unopened packs keep for a year in their original packaging; take off the clear overwrap before use and leave the brown packet sealed.
Write the start date on each pack with a soft felt-tip pen when it goes in. Boveda asks for a felt tip rather than a ballpoint or a pencil.
Seasoning a new wooden humidor
New Spanish cedar is dry and will pull moisture out of your cigars until it is saturated. Boveda's method is to put 84% packs in the empty humidor and close it for 14 days; most of the vapor goes into the wood in the first week. Boveda tested levels from 95% down to 32% and settled on 84%, and says a lower level can stretch the job to eight weeks. A 100-count box needs four Size 60 seasoning packs. Do not wipe the wood down with distilled water or a wet cloth; Boveda says so plainly.
After 14 days, swap the 84% packs for your storage level. Boveda's how-to page says 72%; in a humid room, 69% is the more sensible landing. Load the cigars only once the storage packs are in.
Travel cases for wet weather
A wooden humidor stays home. For the golf bag, the boat or a week somewhere damp, the right box is a sealed plastic case with its own humidifier. The Lotus travel humidors come in 5, 10, 15, 30 and 75-stick sizes, molded from impact-resistant ABS or composite with a rubber gasket that Lotus rates as airtight and watertight. The seal that keeps rain out is the seal that keeps your humidity in.
The 5, 10 and 15-Stick cases carry a bead humidifier in the lid. Charge it with a few drops of distilled water or a 50/50 propylene glycol solution and wipe off the excess; Lotus rates it to hold 68% to 72% RH for two to three weeks, depending on how often the case is opened. Each has a coin-operated air release valve for the vacuum lock an airtight case develops after a flight, two locking latches and a wrist strap.
The 5-Stick holds five cigars up to 8.0in long in a case 2 by 4.75 by 8.25in, small enough for a glove box. The 10-Stick adds a second foam tier and the 15-Stick a third; Lotus says the foam compresses enough to take 60 plus ring gauge sticks.
The 30 and 75-Stick cases are for a group or a long trip. The 30-Stick measures 7.6 by 9.25 by 4.125in, with a folding handle, three removable foam trays, dual padlock loops and a magnetic foam humidifier disk that snaps to a plate in the lid so it cannot fall onto the cigars. The 75 uses four removable trays, a molded handle and a bead humidifier rated for two to four weeks.
The XIKAR 10-Cigar Travel Humidor is the same idea in red: airtight, watertight and crushproof, with urethane foam, a pressure relief valve, a mini humidifier disc for XIKAR's solution, and stainless steel hinges and latch springs chosen so the hardware does not rust.
Boveda says never to use a 75% pack in airtight cigar storage, naming tupperdors and humidor bags; a sealed travel case is the same situation. If you swap a travel case's humidifier for a pack, stay at 69% or below.
Where the lighter goes
Keep the lighter out of the humidor. Its moisture level is set for tobacco, and a trace of fuel smell next to the cigars is the last thing you want. On a trip, the Lotus 30 and 75 let you lift out a foam tray to make room for a lighter, a cutter and a spare butane can in the same sealed box.
If a torch sputters after a week away, check the fuel before you blame the weather; the butane guide covers purging and refilling with refined fuel. A Zippo loses fluid to evaporation whether the air is wet or dry, so top it up the night before you travel; the refill guide has the routine. If you are still choosing between a torch and a soft flame for cigars, start with our cigar lighter guide, and browse the rest of the cigar accessories collection for cutters and cases.
Questions people ask
Which Boveda percentage should I use in a humid climate?
Boveda calls 69% the most universal level for cigar storage and 65% the choice for a drier profile and easier burn. Both sit inside the 65% to 72% band. 72% is meant for drafty humidors and dry rooms, and 75% only for extremely dry conditions such as deserts and high altitude.
Can a humidity pack over-humidify my cigars?
Boveda says adding more or larger packs will never over-humidify cigars; it only makes the packs last longer. The packs are two-way, so they absorb moisture when the box is too damp and release it when the box is too dry.
How long does a travel humidor hold humidity?
The bead humidifier in the Lotus 5, 10 and 15-Stick cases holds 68% to 72% RH for about two to three weeks once charged with distilled water or a 50/50 propylene glycol solution, depending on how often you open the lid. The Lotus 75's humidifier is rated for two to four weeks.
Why is my cigar case stuck shut after a flight?
An airtight case can vacuum-lock when the air pressure outside changes. The Lotus and XIKAR cases have a pressure release valve for this; turn the Lotus coin valve or open the XIKAR relief valve and the lid unlatches without forcing it.
Should I keep my lighter in the humidor?
No. The humidor's moisture is set for tobacco, not for a lighter, and a fuel smell has no business next to your cigars. Store the lighter separately, or in a travel case with a foam tray removed, as the Lotus 30 and 75 allow.
