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HUMIDITY VARIATIONS
It is natural for any type of humidor to experience variations in humidity: no system is perfect. When a humidor begins to dry out, the cedar or dry air will begin to absorb moisture and oils away from the cigars, starting with the wrappers. If the cigar wrapper dries out, it can easily come off the binder, begin to unravel, and flake apart. Further drying will lead to the filler tobaccos being ruined as well. The loss of moisture halts the aging process and evaporates the essential oils that have been developed in a cigar. Controlling and minimizing variations in humidity is critical to proper cigar conditioning.  OVER HUMIDIFICATION & MOLDOver humidification will inhibit aging, drown out the flavors of the tobacco, and impair the proper combustion rate. A “wet” cigar will taste sour or acrid, burn unevenly, and go out frequently. In addition, over humidification can lead to cigar mold growth. Cigar mold can be blue, grey, purple, or other colors, and can coat the wrapper as well as grow inside of the filler of the cigar. Cigar mold cannot be totally wiped off a cigar like plume/bloom - a haziness or stain will remain. Moldy cigars are ruined and not worthy of smoking. DE-HUMIDIFICATION Over-humidified cigars may be brought back to optimal conditions very slowly. The process of lowering the humidity of the cigar must be done in one to two digit increments, with time (days or weeks) to rest and stabilize in between. Slow, incremental decreases in humidity are necessary to keep the wrapper, binder, and fillers in balance with each other. If any of the cigar’s components dehydrate too quickly, the construction of the cigar will be compromised.
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