After purchasing my first humidor from Dos Caballos Cigars http://www.doscaballoscigars.com/pro...ss-Top-Humidor and reading "how to set up a humidor" on this website, I decided to jump in.

I knew I needed to perform a "salt test" on my hygrometer, and "season" my humidor before using either.

I set up my salt test, and after checking my hygrometer EVERY ten minutes, I finally settled down.

I checked it after 8 hours and it was at 60%. I made the necessary adjustment, and rechecked after 12 hours.

Now it's right at 75%, but I'm still buying a digital hygrometer just to be sure.

Here are the pictures. Did I get it right?


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Get a digital, I have a diamond crown digital hygro and it is perfectly accurate. A bit pricey ($33-$40 bucks) but worth it. I personally would not mess with any other hygro's. (especially in the $15-$23 range)
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Oh MY !!

Do I see an EMPTY humi ??:-):-)
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All in good time, all in good time :-)

Seriously, how long do I have to "season" it before I can "lock and load" ?
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Digitals can be had all over the place. I bought mine at heartfelt for about 20$ and it's adjustable. When I first started I just went to Wal-Mart and picked up a Temp Hygro combo for around 10$.
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Well to answer your question...

Ya the salt test looks right. The one thing ya might notice with that humi is that it leaks like crazy...Search around on the site for some ideas on how to seal it up better.
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Get a cooler......:-)
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Mileage varies. I had a DC and it didn't work properly. Took it back and got another and it was about 12% off. I quickly learned more expensive doesn't mean better. Didn't want a third. And now that I work in a shop, I never recommend them. The Western Caliber III's and Xikar's are fantastic hygrometers for around $20. I have used about 6 of them for many years. And, of course, the Xikar has a lifetime warranty.
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IT usually takes about a week for the wood to absorb enough moisture. Be patient, and it will certainly work well!
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Usually a week? I would say 3 days max, for that small humidor.

However......Since you have that hygro, you really have no idea what the rh is so it might be a good idea to err on the side of caution and go a week.
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That's what it looks like to me.
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So I have aother rookie question. Are my cigars going to pickup the cedar smell/taste from being in the humidor?
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Nope and yep. There will be a small, but subtle change that many (most?) like. The Spanish Cedar imparts almost nothing most of the time.
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As soon as it's done "cooking" these are going in.

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You can also get a cheap digital hygrometer at Walmart for about $7.
AccuRite is the brand I believe.
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Salt test it every few months or so. Mine is off by a bit. I just put a label to remi d me how much it's off.
I also have a few hygroset II's. These are adjustable. They run about $20.
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Congrats on the humi!
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I think I have the same humi, a little over two days worked for me. I chucked my sponge puck and put a Xikar Crystal clear humidifier jar in it. Maybe I got lucky but mine doesn't seem to leak much, and I haven't had to rehydrate the jar yet. The included hygro is worthless, I am planning to buy a digital but I can't decide between the hygroset and the Xikar hygro. When I build a coolidor I will take my desktop apart and beef up the seals and add some beads just for the fun of it.
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You know this by looking at the picture :-)
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My guess is that he is saying that because it is a glass top humi.
I used hot glue to help seal my glass top better. Some people use silicone sealant.
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