QUICK TIP: Using humidity beads is the best way to keep your desktop humidor at just the right RH level. One advantage to beads is that they are a two-way humidifying system, i.e. they will both produce humidity (if your humidor is too dry) and they will absorb humidity (if your humidor is too moist). A dry humidor can ruin cigars by making them brittle, crack and fall apart. But worse than that, your cigars might taste harsh if they are too dry. However, a humidor can also become too moist, in which case your cigars might not burn properly, have a tough draw, or even worse… they might get moldy. Therefore, having your humidor at the perfect RH is absolutely necessary.
The perfect range of RH is between 64-69% RH (relative humidity).
SEE ALSO:
A bead pouch should be about the size of a large lime or lemon.
The standard green foam humidifying device that comes with your humidor should be crushed and thrown in the trash. DO NOT USE THE BLACK PASTIC WITH GREEN FOAM HUMIDIFYING DEVICE as it is almost certain to cause you headache and likely ruin your cigars. Also, I do not reccomend gel jars and other similar humidifying options. Those types of humidification devices are “one way”, in that they only know how to produce humidity and not absorb it.
Boveda packs are a good “two-way” option but I reccomend these only for small, 20 count or travel humidors because they dry up quickly and therefore they will be expensive to use in a desktop humidor over the long haul. Yes, it is possible to “recharge” Boveda packs, but it’s much more effort than necessary.
Beads are the way to go!
Beads last forever and all they need is a couple sprays of distilled water every week or two. There are two types of beads you can buy and they are all very similar.
- Heartfelt Beads (possibly the best option but also the most expensive)
- Crystal type kitty litter (the cheapest solution but it’s important you buy the right kind)
The correct type of kitty litter is a crystal pearl that DOES NOT contain blue fragrant chunks. Some people have argued that kitty litter isn’t as good as Heartfelt beads. They could be right, but in the testing I have done, kitty litter performs just as good as the Heartfelt beads. (keep in mind I’m no scientist)
To set up your humidity bead pouches use the follow step by step guide:
Setup is as easy as this:
- Pour 1/4 cup of beads (or litter) into the toe of some new panty hose.
- Tie off panty hose and cut-off excess.
- Spray with 3-4 squirts of distilled water.
- Place in humidor where it’s NOT touching your cigars.
- Relax, and smoke a cigar knowing your worries are over.
Simply spray with distilled water every week or two, depending on the RH reading of your digital hygrometer. Do not rely on the analog hygrometer that comes with your humidor as those are wildly inaccurate – our recommended hygrometer is the XIKAR Round Digital Hygrometer. Depending on your humidor setup, you might need to add more or less bead pouches, but a good rule of thumb is one 3 ounce pouch per 50 cigars. Here in the dry climate of Colorado, I double my recipe. For reference, your bead pouch should be about the size of a lime.
That information can be found by simply multiplying the length x width x height of your humidor.
Example: If your humidor measures 10″ x 24″ x 36″ = 8,640 cubic inches. Divide cubic inches by 500 and you’ll see you need roughly 17 ounces of beads.
We’re going to make this even easier. Here’s a basic guide on how much beads to use for different humidor sizes. Remember, one bead pouch is about 3oz (about the size of a lime)
| Humidors | |
|---|---|
| 1 – 20 count travel humidor | Small, half-sized bead pouch |
| 20 – 100 count humidor | 1 bead pouch |
| 100 – 300 count humidor | 2 bead pouches OR 1 half-pouch on each shelf |
| 500 count humidor | 3 – 4 bead pouches |
| 1,000 count humidor | 3 – 4 double-filled bead pouches OR 3 cigar boxes filled with 10 ounces of beads |
| Coolidors | |
| 25 quart | 1 pouch |
| 70 quart | 2.5 pouches |
| 150 quart | 2 cigar boxes filled with 9 ounces of beads |
As Cigar Wineadors consist of a wide variety of sizes, you’ll need to calculate the interior size yourself, simply by measuring.
IMPORTANT: Do not over spray or soak your beads with too much water. Just a few squirts is all you need (too much water can cause the beads to crack and become less effective, or worse yet, too much water could lead to mold).
And that’s all there is to it! Your beads will never go bad or need replacing. All they will need is a few squirts of distilled water every couple weeks. And the fun part is, after a few months in there with your cigars, your bead pouch will smell like delicious tobacco!
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