It takes time, patience and a little know-how to get a new humidor ready to hold cigars. You’re trying to recreate the tropical environments where most cigars are made, and you can’t rush the process. Putting cigars into a dry humidor can ruin good smokes. Your humidor has an interior of untreated Spanish cedar, the preferred wood for humidifying and aging premium cigars. The wood needs to be humidified, or seasoned before the box is ready to hold cigars:
To season your humidor, take a new sponge – make sure that it is unscented and free of soap – and wet it with a liberal dose of distilled water. Wipe down all the exposed wood, including dividers, and the interior lid. Avoid using a paper towel or a fraying cloth; these will literally leave a paper trail on the wood.
After you’ve wiped down the wood, squirt the sponge with more distilled water. Then place it inside the humidor on a plastic bag – to avoid direct contact with the wood – and close lid. Use only distilled water. Tap water contains minerals that will destroy most humidification systems by leaving deposits that will clog the humidor element.
Once the humidification element is filled be sure to wipe it down to remove any excess water. Rest it on a hand towel for approximately 30 minutes. Close the humidor with the humidifying element and the damp sponge, and leave it over night.
The next day refresh the humidification device (It may not need it) and check the sponge. If it is fairly dry, add more distilled water. However, if very damp, leave it alone.
Let the humidor sit another night, and then remove the sponge and the plastic bag. The walls of the humidor have now absorbed all the water they need, and now you can safely store your cigars.