So, I have a question on seasoning with Boveda. I have a waxing moon 150 count humidor that I just bought. I placed 4, 84% Boveda packs in 23 days ago and it is still only reading 67% (but has been over 65% for 9 days). I have a boveda smart sensor double calibrated with the 2 level calibration system.
But, I haven't had the guts to put the sticks in yet. If I have 84% packets in there why isn't the humidity higher yet? Does this time course sound reasonable? I just fear that if it's only 67% with 84% packets once I throw in sticks and 65% packets I will be screwed.
Thoughts? Just bite the bullet, throw in the sticks and worry less?
I have a Waxing Moon 150 count humidor. It keeps perfect humidity now that warmer temps and higher ambient humidity has returned to MN. I have tossed every other humidity product out and gone to strictly Boveda. I have a SensorPush hygrometer. It is similar to the Boveda unit. My sensor is reading nuts on the the RH rating of the Boveda packs. I mean, nuts on all the time.
First, recalibrate your hygrometer. Your Boveda sensor should have come with a calibration kit. Make syre the unit is able to get air cirulated thriugh ant air holes of the sensing unit.
You also should look at this new video from Boveda on YouTube. It is a discussion with their lead lab guy. It is very informative. This Boveda's primer on humidifaction and seasoning.
We’re lifting the curtain to show you how Boveda keeps premium cigars smoke ready. And revealing what makes Boveda work better than gels, beads and sponges. Brian Rice, the Principle R&D Engineer at Boveda tells all.
- What’s Boveda and how does Boveda work? (
1:54)
- Are there secret ingredients in Boveda? (
3:40)
- Do lab-grade hygrometers need calibration? (
4:40)
- What’s the difference between a 1-way humidifier and a 2-way humidifier for cigars? (
11:30)
- What’s the differences between Boveda and gel and beads for cigars? (
12:55)
- Brian’s sponge confessional. (
13:03)
- Can Boveda over-humidify a humidor? (
22:25)
- How to add more horsepower to your humidor to reach the RH level you want. (
25:15)
- Why condition cigars before you put them in a humidor. (
29:28)
- Which is quicker–humidifying or drying out cigars? (
30:22)
- Why the wipe down method of seasoning humidors doesn’t go deep enough . (
31:07)
- How long does it take to season a humidor with Boveda? (
35:25)
#AskBoveda: Will the wipe down method speed up the seasoning of my humidor? (
36:40)
ANSWER: No, wiping down the inside of a wooden humidor before you add Boveda 84% RH for seasoning will delay effective seasoning. When you wipe down the inside of a wooden humidor with a sponge saturated with distilled water, the moisture level on the surface of the humidor’s interior will spike to 100%. Add Boveda 84% RH and Boveda will detect that 100% moisture level. Boveda will first go into absorb mode to bring the moisture level down to 84% RH. (This will add 2 to 4 days to the Boveda 14-day seasoning method.) After that, Boveda will push moisture all the way through the porous wood—deep down into its cells, not just on its surface. Best to just toss in Boveda 84% RH into a dry humidor and let it work on its own—no need to rain on its parade.