What's the best humidity for cigars?

What humidity should cigars be stored at?

Between 65% and 70% relative humidity, or RH, for cigars you plan to smoke. RH is how much water vapor the air holds compared with the most it could hold at that temperature, as a percentage. A hygrometer in the humidor reads it.

Some sources go a little higher. One humidity-pack maker puts the range at 65% to 72%, and a write-up of a 2015 industry panel reported that in America humidors typically run around 72%, while in England 69% or lower is often preferred.

Whatever number you pick, keep it there. Cigars take on and give up moisture until they match the air around them. When the humidity swings fast, the wrapper, binder and filler gain or lose moisture at different rates, and the construction can suffer.

What 60%, 65%, 69%, 72% and 75% do

Is 60% ok? For cigars you plan to smoke soon, it's on the dry side. Below 65%, cigars can burn fast and lose flavor, and the wrapper can crack. Long-term aging is a different case. A 2019 guide to collecting Cuban cigars reported that collectors' consensus for long-term aging was about 60% humidity with the room in the low 60s.

65% vs. 69%. Both are inside the range. That pack maker pitches its 65% pack for a drier cigar, an easier burn and long-term aging, and calls its 69% pack its most universal. Wrapper may matter too. A humidity-pack maker's CEO told the same 2015 panel that thick Connecticut broadleaf may be better stored at 65%. Broadleaf is one of the most common maduro wrappers, so if your humidor holds mostly thick Connecticut broadleaf maduros, 65% is worth trying.

Is 72% too high? Not for everyone. A 2017 magazine answer gave 65% to 72% as the target, and the same maker sells a 72% pack for drafty humidors, dry environments and smokers who like a moister cigar. The same CEO told the 2015 panel that above 72%, mold can form and fermentation can speed up.

Is 75% too high? For a humidor reading, yes. Cigars that wet feel spongy, draw tight, burn unevenly and keep going out, and a wet cigar tastes sour.

What temperature should cigars be stored at?

About 65 to 70°F, or 18 to 21°C.

Heat is the main temperature risk, since too warm invites tobacco beetles; our guide to mold and beetles covers what to watch for. Keep the humidor out of direct sun and away from radiators and air-conditioning units.

Cool is fine, as long as the humidity stays in range and holds steady. A fridge or freezer isn't a place to keep cigars; our guide to storing cigars without a humidor covers why.

The 70/70 rule and the 135 rule

The 70/70 rule says to keep cigars at 70°F and 70% humidity. It's the old benchmark: a 2000 cigar-magazine article called it the proper level, and a 2007 blog post relayed one magazine editor's explanation that it roughly matches the tobacco's growing conditions. The 70% half is still a useful reference when you set up a humidor.

The 135 rule ties humidity to temperature. Add the humidity and the temperature in Fahrenheit and aim for a total around 135. At 70°F you'd hold 65%. At 65°F you'd hold 70%.

It's the one we go by in the shop. We keep the walk-in at 70% and aim for about 65 degrees, which adds up to 135 and sits inside the everyday ranges above. Anything inside those ranges is reasonable.

The 135 rule assumes you have to trade humidity against temperature. Tobacconist University's guidance cuts against that: storage humidity doesn't need to go up dramatically as the temperature drops, or down as it rises, and a cigar at 50°F and 70% can keep a broadly similar moisture condition to one at 70°F and 70%. Followed strictly in a cool room, the 135 rule would push a 60°F humidor to 75%, which is too wet.

Which humidity pack number should you use?

A two-way humidity pack is a sealed pouch of salt solution that gives off moisture when the air is drier than its rating and takes it back when the air is wetter, so the box stays near one RH. Boveda numbers its packs by the humidity they hold, and its own guidance runs like this:

• 65%: for a drier cigar and an easier burn, and for long-term aging.
• 69%: what the maker calls its most universal pack, for wood and acrylic humidors, plastic containers and humidor bags.
• 72%: for drafty humidors and dry rooms, or if you like a moister cigar.
• 75%: only for extremely dry conditions. Not for long-term storage, and never in an airtight container.
• 84%: for seasoning a new wooden humidor, not for storage. If yours is new, season the humidor first.

If you're not sure, start at 69. If your cigars feel dry or the wrappers crack, move up a number. If they feel spongy, move down to 65. If the box can't hold its number through the winter, try 72 or add packs.

How many to use depends on the box, not what's in it. The maker counts packs by how many cigars the humidor is rated to hold: two of its Size 60 packs for a 50-count humidor, whether it holds 5 cigars or 35, and four if the box is drafty.

The 69% pack also works in a sealed bag or plastic container, if you're keeping a few cigars without a full humidor.

How to raise the humidity in a humidor

Check the hygrometer first. If the reading is a few points low, the gauge itself may be off. The calibration steps are below.

Then look at the box. A humidor lid should close snugly, and a warped lid lets moisture out. The same pack maker says glass-top and inexpensive humidors can run 2 to 5 points low or more. How the seal and the cedar lining work together is in how a humidor holds humidity.

Then the humidifier. That maker's fixes are a higher-number pack, such as its 72%, or twice the usual number of packs in a drafty box. A refillable humidifier takes distilled water. If the wood inside has dried out completely, bring it back up first, which the seasoning guide covers.

Go slowly if there are dry cigars inside. Bring the humidity up one or two points at a time, with days in between, so the wrapper, binder and filler stay in balance.

How to lower the humidity in a humidor

A 2015 industry panel agreed that too much humidity could do more damage than too little. A humidor maker on it pointed to the draw: with cigars that humid, you end up huffing and puffing.

1. Confirm the reading with a hygrometer you've checked recently.
2. Take the humidifier out, or swap it for a lower-number two-way pack, until the reading comes back into range.
3. Add Spanish cedar. Extra cedar in the box soaks up some of the excess.
4. Check what's in the box. Cigars in an airtight container with a wet humidifier are likely to grow mold.
5. Bring it down slowly, a point or two at a time with days in between, the same as raising it, so the cigars dry evenly.

How to check and calibrate a hygrometer

A hygrometer is the gauge, dial or digital, that reads the humidity of the air in the humidor. It measures the air, not the cigar, and both kinds can drift.

The check relies on one fact: a saturated salt solution holds the air above it at about 75% RH, and it stays close to that at any normal room temperature. You can use a calibration pack, which is a 75% pack in a sealed bag, or table salt wetted into a damp slurry.

1. Seal the hygrometer in a bag or airtight container with the 75% pack or the salt.
2. Leave it at room temperature for at least 24 hours. That maker's calibration kit specifies 65 to 75°F.
3. Read it. It should say 75%.
4. If it's off, adjust it if the gauge has a dial or setting for that. Many analog dials have a small adjustment screw. If it doesn't, note the difference and add or subtract it every time you read the gauge.

Do it before a new hygrometer goes into the humidor, even a digital one sold as pre-calibrated, then about every six months.

The cigar is the real gauge. A well-kept cigar feels supple and gives a little when you squeeze it gently, without any crackle from the wrapper. If it's brittle or spongy instead, the humidity is off.