WHY DO I FEEL SMALL CRYSTALS OR HARD LUMPS INSIDE MY BOVEDA?
Our formulas are a saturated salt solution which means an excessive amount of blended salts are mixed with water and dispensed into the pouches you receive. From time to time, some crystals form during the blending and filling process. This is normal and inherent of salts’ physical structure but also unavoidable.
Although crystals will form, they do not impact the performance of Boveda and are completely safe to use. If the crystals have become too sharp, and in the rare instance puncture the pouch, please notify Boveda and we will replace them at no cost.
CAN I RECHARGE BOVEDA?
It’s no secret that Boveda will absorb moisture if your cigar collection is exposed to humidity higher than what’s printed on the pack, but we don’t recommend recharging exhausted packs. First, it requires putting time, hassle and mess into something specifically designed to be completely hassle-free. Secondly, depleted packs may contain sharp crystallized salt residue that can puncture the inner membrane and cause leaks once rehydrated. Lastly, your Boveda will not be as accurate in reaching its intended RH if recharged.
The bottom line: Boveda is not designed to be re-used. Attempting to rehydrate the packs increases risk of wearing out the paper and heat-seals, thus causing potential membrane leaks. Putting these back in your humidor around your cigars is not using the product as intended and Boveda strongly discourages this behavior.
HOW TO SEASON A HUMIDOR WITH BOVEDA?
All wooden humidors need to be seasoned before use. The reason is twofold; (1) to raise the moisture level in the wood so it’ll be in equilibrium with your cigars, otherwise the wood will rob moisture from your cigars if it’s too dry, and (2) the lid won’t seal as well as it should.
Nothing could be easier. Simply place the correct amount of Boveda seasoning packs inside your humidor (without cigars) and wait 14 days. Then replace the seasoning Boveda (84% RH) with regular Boveda 62%-75% RH. Use one packet for every 25 cigars your humidor can hold. For example, a 100 count humidor would require four packs.
Don’t worry about what your hygrometer is reading while you season. The moisture of the air is not the moisture content of the wood.
What do you do with your cigars while your humidor is seasoning? We recommend placing them in a tupperware container, cooler, or humidor bag with 69% Boveda while you wait for your humidor to season (humidor bags come pre-loaded with Boveda). If you live in a dry climate, it’s not unusual to need to re-season once a year, usually during the dry winter months.
HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT NUMBER OF BOVEDA?
The quantity of Boveda is dependent upon the size of the humidor being used for your cigars. Since Boveda will never over-humidify beyond the percentage on the pack, using more than one pack is recommended. This will ensure that Boveda works efficiently, precisely, and lasts longer.
NOTE: “Humidor Capacity” does not mean how many cigars you have inside the humidor. It means how many cigars the humidor claims it can hold in total capacity.
WHAT BOVEDA RH DO I NEED?
It’s common that the actual RH of your humidor will stabilize up to 5 points lower than the Boveda RH you’re using, due to humidor quality and ambient dryness. Relative humidity for cigars can range from 65%-75% depending on your cigars and cigar storage. Make sure you have the best humidity for cigars with Boveda.
BEST HUMIDITY FOR CIGARS AND SEASONING HUMIDORS
65%: Designed for Cuban cigars because Cuban cigars tend to mold at a higher RH level. Keep your Cuban cigars at or lower than 65%RH. This RH is also good for Dominican or Puro cigars due to personal preference or flavor profile.
69%: Designed for airtight humidors including, but not exclusively, for Boveda humidor bags, Boveda acrylic humidors, polymer travel humidor. Works well in high-end humidors including, but not exclusively, Elie Bleu and Daniel Marshall.
72%: Designed for most wooden humidors. Wooden humidors exchange moisture, it is not uncommon to see a decrease of 2–5%RH. The 72% accommodates for the moisture loss allowing the humidor to maintain a high 60s RH level. We recommend the 72%RH as your first Boveda in your wooden humidor after seasoning.
75%: Designed for your inexpensive or glass top humidors. The 75% accommodates a high amount of moisture loss allowing the humidor to maintain a high 60s RH level.
84%: Designed ONLY for seasoning a wooden humidor WITHOUT cigars in it. This formula is specifically designed to provide moisture directly to the cellular structure of the wooden humidor. The amount of moisture required is greater than the wipe down of it. If you haven’t seasoned with Boveda 84%, you haven’t seasoned at all!
All Boveda are accurate to +/- 1% of the RH printed on the pack in an airtight environment.
WHEN DO I REPLACE MY BOVEDA?
Boveda will solidify as they expire. When there aren’t many soft spots left, then you’ll want to replace them. Pronounced crystallization and hardening of the corners first is completely normal and a part of the usage process. You can expect 2–6 months of usage life depending on the container and external environment.
WHAT’S IN BOVEDA?
Purified water-vapor, natural salts and odorless, tasteless food grade thickener (commonly used in salad dressing). The purified water-vapor flows in and out to absorb or add moisture to your product.
CAN BOVEDA DIRECTLY TOUCH MY CIGARS AND TOBACCO?
Absolutely. Boveda is 100% safe to lay on/in/among your cigars. Because Boveda contains natural salts and purified water, it won’t affect the taste of your cigars either.
HOW CAN I MAXIMIZE THE LIFE OF BOVEDA?
Choose the largest Boveda that fits in your humidor. You can never use “too much” Boveda. Use more Boveda than the minimum that’s recommended. Think about upping the number of Boveda you use in your humidor if it’s in an extreme climate (desert-dry or rainforest-like) or when it’s exposed to seasonal humidity swings.
Close your humidor or humidor bag once you remove your cigars. The more you expose Boveda to air, the harder it has to work and the shorter it lasts.
Michael is the editor of the Cigar Lounge Blog. An avid Cigar lover, he is passionate about the industry. Michael’s claim to fame is his collection of Cigars from 15 different countries. He own’s an Adorini Cabinet Humidor.
