Since I have already mentioned my personally developed method for humidor humidification, I figured I'd offer up some of my expertise on the initial 'priming' of humidors. A collection of fine cigars can cost quite a pretty penny. With handmade cigars costing anywhere from $2 to $20 for the average stick, a full humidor can literally hold several hundred dollars worth of tobacco goodness. It is therefore very important that you take the time to care for your inventory properly.

When you first buy a humidor, and every year or so as part of routine maintenance, you need to prime it so that it will properly hold the humidity. Out of the 5 humidors that I've purchased or owned, only one has ever included instructions on how to properly prime it.

The tools you'll need are your humidor, of course, a supply of distilled water, and a clean sponge. Tap water and regular bottled water have impurities that will clog your humidor and leave hard water build up and stains. Distilled water, which is pure H20 only costs about $0.59 a gallon, and is the only water you should ever use. Similarly, your sponge should be absolutely clean. Try to use a new sponge, or have a few sponges that are solely dedicated to humidor maintenance. You don't want your cigars soaking up odors from last night's meat loaf, so leave your kitchen sponge on the back of the sink where it belongs.

Take your humidor, and make sure that it is empty. Pour about a half a cup of distilled water into the humidor, until it puddles up in the bottom about a quarter to half an inch. Use your sponge to completely soak the wooden inside of the box, including the lid. The Spanish cedar will absorb the distilled water, and swell slightly. Also coat any removable trays or inserts that came with the humidor. Don't leave the removable pieces in the humidor, lest they swell up and become jammed, or warp. Once you have a good even coat over all the wooden areas, pour the water out. Set the humidor upside down, or on one side so that it can drip dry. You don't want standing water in the humidor, so wipe out the excess with the sponge if necessary.

Let the humidor sit open for a half hour to an hour, or however long it takes to dry or evaporate. Once the inside of the humidor is dry, take your damp sponge and coat the inside of the humidor again. You should add water to your sponge if necessary, but you don't need to pour water into the humidor again, like you did the first time. Once the wood is coated, let the humidor sit open again, until it is pretty much dry to the touch. If you had any internal shelves or dividers, give them the same treatment.

Next, take your sponge and make sure it is damp, but not dripping wet. Put the sponge on a plate, and set the plate in the humidor. You may use a plastic bag, or something else waterproof, but it is very IMPORTANT that you do not let the wet sponge touch the wood. BEWARE that if the humidor is still wet, or that if you let the wet sponge directly touch the wood, you could end up with some mold or mildew on the inside. If you have any internal shelves or dividers, wait for them to dry, and put them back into the humidor so that they don't touch the sponge. They may still be swollen, so don't force them. Close the humidor lid, and let it sit overnight, or for about 12 hours. The water vapor should soak into the pores of the wood and condition it overnight.

Remove the sponge and plate, and inspect the humidor. Fill your humidification device with distilled water or solution [a mix of Propylene Glycol (PG) and distilled water], and put it into the humidor. Also put a hygrometer in there, and add your cigars. Most humidors come with an analog hygrometer, which is sometimes not very accurate. You may want to invest in a digital hygrometer. Keep an eye on the humidity. If it spikes too much, leave the lid open for a few minutes to let some of it out. If you are using PG solution in your humidification device, it should start to regulate the inside humidity to about 70% which is where you want it.