As a new member and new(ish) cigar smoker I am negotiating the slippery slope with as much cautious abandon as I can. It helps that I am jobless at the moment and also living at home again (yes … with mom). I have placed an order with Daniel Marshall for one of their stock sale specials. I expect to take delivery of 125 count (coronas) humidor.
I have some questions that are not exactly addressed on their website, nor did I find any information by doing a search here. Hopefully a few of the members here can help.

BTW, I know that someone is already gearing up to tell me that I should go bigger or build a coolerdor or get a Vino. Seriously, I have severe space limitations and I do not anticipate acquiring a significantly large collection of sticks very rapidly. I do think that investing in a quality humidor right now makes all practical sense for me and I am very happy with my choice. That being said, I have the following questions:

The manufacturer’s website states that their humidors do not require seasoning prior to being used.
Should I trust them on this as far as seasoning goes and just calibrate the hydrometer and drop the sticks in when everything in the humi reads that it is ready to go?

I may in fact receive some sticks prior to the Humidor being delivered. Will they keep well in a few ziplocks that have 69% Boveda Humidipaks in them? How many sticks should I put in each ziplock?

Regarding the humidifier. I believe that DM uses a Credo 70 in their humidors. I have seen a tutorial on the heartfelt website on how to remove the foam and replace it with beads. I would like to do this and I am wondering if an order for two 2 oz. bags from Shilala will fit the empty Credo. Would anyone recommend doing this?

That’s all I have for now. I am a bit amped to be getting my first humidor and I hope to have a pic or two to post when it arrives.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Mason
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I;d calibrate and season myself. The sticks will be ok in a ziploc for days. You defniitely want to get rid of the credo. Not used Scott's beads, but 2 oz would probably be sufficient.

Get a digital hygrometer. The analogs are notoriously hard to calibrate, if they ever do.

Welcome to the slope...:-)
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Thanks for the advice and the welcome Sean. I did upgrade to a digital hydrometer when I placed my order. I will do the seasoning myself. Do you (or anyone else) have experience with using the Boveda seasoning and calibration packs? I know that the shotglass full of distilled water has been the tried and true method of seasoning as has salt calibration been for hydrometer calibration.
I have read in many posts that the the humidipaks are foolproof for both applications also. Any thoughts?
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I use the calibration packs. I ain't smart enough to do the salt test.:-) Have been using them for two years and have never had any issues. They calibrate consistently. Well worth the $4.

My first humi, I used the seasoning pack, but now I use a slightly warmed bowl of water for a couple of days, and that usually does the trick.
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Thanks again! :-)
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That's so cute. I thought that way when I started, too. :-)
Welcome to the slope. :-)
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Welcome to Humidor Hell, I have tried everything you mentioned and a few more things that did not work very well either. I have some of Scotts Beads on the way with high hopes for success in the new Edgestar.

I have had very good luck with the $8.85 digital hydro/temp from Walmart used by many folks.
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IMHO most humidors don't season well with a shot glass because there is little surface area of water exposed. Something along the lines of a shallow bowl works better. I recently learned that using a clean sponge in the bowl creates more surface area and will help the seasoning process or recharging of beads.

I'm happy with Shilala's HCM beads. Very user friendly product and once properly acclimated are low maintenance. He'll be able to give you more details than I can.

The Boveda calibration kits are nice and simple, but not mandatory. It is nice to not have salt/water to worry about spilling on the hygrometer.
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And there is absolutly nothing wrong with owning a work of art by Daniel Marshall. After all - who wants to show off their old red Igloo cooler in the living room.


I'm not sure that you read that quite right - or they have some conflicting information. But this quote is from their site:

"Depending on the size of your humidor it will take approximately 10 to 20 days for your humidor to become fully conditioned.

The wood absorbs moisture for about two weeks. Once this break in period is complete, your humidor will lock in the humidity and create a stable environment for your cigars. You may put your new Daniel Marshall Humidor to use immediately. "

So yes - you should condition your new humidor.

Well I would - of course - :-)

Almost forgot that was on his site. I'm sure Shilala's beads would work just fine.


Ron
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Hey Jeff, it was worth a shot!:-)

Ron: Thanks for clearing that up for me. I may indeed have misunderstood what I thought I read on the Daniel Marshall website. At any rate I was able to place on order on Amazon for a Boveda calibration kit and four seasoning packs and I got free shipping in the deal. For $16.00 I think I will be just fine to start. I will shoot Scott a PM and likely plan to convert the Credo into a holder for his beads instead of foam.
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:-) Good for you!

And look - don't get to concerned and worried if your results using the Boveda stuff doesn't conform exactly - close enough is good enough, really. I have used them all and it does take a little longer with the seasoning packs than say a sponge with distilled water. Once you get it where you want it - and then add the smokes - the numbers are going to change - so don't worry.

Always keep in mind that this is suppose to be fun and enjoyable!

And don't forget to post up pictures of what I'm sure will be a beautiful humidor.

Good luck with it all.


Ron
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All great advice. Which such great advice comes great responsibility.
Please post or PM your address so I can send you an item you can use for for the next 3-4 weeks as you get things seasoned.
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Great decision on getting a DM! I have two that have served me very well over the past five years. I seasoned mine and replaced the florist foam in the Credo device with RH beads. I also have some beads on each level in the humi. Works like a charm. Enjoy your humi! :-)
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Without even knowing what it is, I want to thank you here in the open thread.
The generosity of the membership to a newbie probably shouldn't surprise anyone here and yet it always does and it always will.

Thank you.

PM Sent.
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It finally arrived last night and it is beautiful. I hope to have some pictures up in a few weeks as I am seasoning it now and will leave it largely undisturbed during that process.
So a couple more questions while I wait.
I am using the Boveda Seasoning Packs (four of them) and have put the humidor in a cool, dark place for the recommended ten to twenty days. At the same time I have taken the digital hydrometer and placed in the Boveda Calibration Kit ziplock bag. So my questions then are:
1. How long can I leave the hydrometer in the Calibration Kit beyond the 48 hours it should take to be set?
2. Should I open the Humidor while it is being seasoned just to put the hydrometer back in place once it has been properly calibrated or just wait until the humidor has been properly seasoned before opening it at all?

Thanks again for all of your help and advice.
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You might need to play with the adjustments a bit till you get the Hydrometer to read @ the correct humidity. I had no problems using the pack longer than 48 hours but the less you open the pack the better.

Once your done with the Calibration Put the Hydrometer in your cigar box till the Humidor is seasoned, this way you can keep track of how your current sticks are doing.
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Thanks Doug! :-)
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There has been some really great advice so far, but there is a question that I would ask you. Where are you living? Up here in the Great White (dry) North, winter can be a killer. If you live in a similar environment I would recommend a larger quantity of beads than what most calculators will say you will need for the size of the humidor, it will help to keep the winter rh up :-).
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Robert.
Hello in Canada!
I live in the Bronx, NY. Right now it is warm and humid. Once winter sets in I will monitor the humidity carefully. Are you saying that if I decide to go with the beads for certain, then I should begin by using more than the general guidelines say are required for my size humidor?
You are right, the advice I have been getting has been extremely helpful and cheerfully dispensed.
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It has been my experience that it helps to have more, it keeps a more constant rh that way, and will reduce how often you need to do recharging/upkeep with the beads.
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