Relative humidity (RH) is inextricably linked to temperature. A certain dose of moisture at one temp will be too much at too little at lower or higher temps.

So if you’re using propylene glycol (PG) solution with gel, beads, crystals, sponges, the changing seasons make your job even harder than normal. Have you settled into a time consuming habit over the winter of monitoring levels in the jar/sponge, checking your hygrometer every few days, making sure the thermostat was at a specific temp and moving your humidor around your house? That won’t work when you open the windows to let the spring and summer in.

Why? PG solution and the various forms of water reservoirs don’t know when to stop adding moisture. They’ll still be giving off moisture at night when the temp falls and they’ll still be giving off moisture when you’re enjoying the pitter-patter of an afternoon rain with your windows open.

Boveda users don’t worry about any of this. As the global leader in 2-way humidity control, Boveda is the only smart technology that acts on the environment instead of being controlled by it. Again, since RH and temp are forever linked, the temp and humidity can rise and fall and Boveda will add or remove moisture as necessary to get to the RH% on the pack. It doesn’t matter the season or condition, Boveda is accounting for the temp changes. That’s the reason our Humidor Bag is so popular for golf bags. Whether it’s being pummeled by 90+ degree heat or blanketed by the 60 degree coolness in your garage, your cigars are perfectly protected by Boveda.

If you’re using Boveda, all you have to worry about is what you’ll do with all the extra time on your hands.

1-way moisture devices (PG solution with sponges, crystals, beads, kitty litter) will only give off humidity and they don’t know when to stop. They only quit giving off moisture when they completely evaporate. This “flashing” of your cigars with humidity is dangerous anytime, but especially when the wrappers are dry and hyper-sensitive to moisture. Could it work? Sure. But odds are it will be an expensive lesson when the wrappers crack during smoking.

There’s a way to avoid all the risk of the old methods – Boveda (formerly Humidipak).

Our patented 2-way humidity control only adds a safe, measured amount of humidity and it stops when it gets to the RH% on the pack. That’s why, unlike every PG solution/distilled water + sponge, crystal, bead, etc., that keep adding moisture even when it’s not needed, you’re never in danger of over-humidifying cigars with Boveda. That’s the beauty of 2-way humidity control. It adds or removes moisture as necessary. It acts on the environment instead of being controlled by it. So, here are two one-step methods of reviving dried cigars.

1. Put cigars in a Fuente Humidor Bag (69% Boveda inside) for a month. Done.

2. Put cigars and a Boveda 69% in Tupperware for a month. Done.

Why a month? Cigars lose moisture 4 times as fast as they can safely gain moisture. They need to be exposed to a safe, stable level of perfect humidity to minimize the chance of the wrapper cracking as the filler gains moisture and grows. Nothing good happens quickly with cigars, so be patient.

Of course, you can avoid dead sticks in the first place by using our zero-maintenance products in any of your storage devices. For simple how-to videos, check out our YouTube page.

Charlie

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Simple. It’s your case.

Imagine you had Tupperware large enough to put a dry guitar and 3 Boveda inside. Because Tupperware is vapor proof and doesn’t absorb moisture, it would take only a few days for the guitar to absorb the moisture it needs and for the Boveda to regulate the humidity inside to a stable RH between 45-55%. On the other end of the spectrum, the thirsty wood in your guitar case will absorb a lot moisture and cases don’t (generally) have a very tight seal, so the Boveda have to work much harder.

Add to this the fact that 75% of the moisture of the Boveda is being used by the wood in the case – not the guitar. After all, there’s a lot more wood underneath the felt/padding of your case than there is in your entire guitar

Once the wood in the case gets all the moisture it needs, it will not only stop competing with the guitar for moisture, the case will seal better, keeping the moisture inside and creating a more efficient environment.

It shouldn’t take more than one set of 3 Boveda to get your guitar and case conditioned. (Remember, the packs need to be replaced when the entire thing is almost completely rigid.) If you’ve gone through a set in a couple weeks, your case/guitar were dangerously dry and/or your case doesn’t seal very well. If you go through two sets in a month or so, you need a new case.

Keep in mind, your case can lose a surprising amount of moisture in the couple hours of a jam session if it’s left open. You’re going to get the best life out of Boveda by always keeping the case locked tight, whether the guitar is in it or not.

Charles Rutherford

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While industry-recognized storage standards won’t magically bring to medical marijuana the same level of acceptance of pills, it’s a crucial step in legitimizing cannabis as a valid treatment. Standard storage conditions will not only give medical cannabis more of the acceptance it needs, but standardizing the proper Rh (relative humidity) has the ancillary benefit of standardizing the moisture content of the medicine. And for something dispensed exclusively by weight, this is important in order to know what you’re getting.

As the global leader in 2-way precision moisture control, Boveda has tested various strains of cannabis to determine that the ideal moisture content where the medicine is in the best possible condition, is 59-63%. So we went into production with a 62% product that will add or remove moisture as necessary to achieve 62% within your storage container. And it lasts for months.

This is important because Boveda within a patient’s storage device means they can store their medicine indefinitely. Time isn’t the enemy of medical marijuana, but too little or too much moisture is. Because our 62% product is available in various sizes, it can be used in many different storage containers.

The path to wider legal acceptance may come in steps. And standardized storage is the easiest and most patient-centered step.

Charles Rutherford

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This batch of popular hygrometers have a 17% reliability rate.  And without a dial or knob to adjust accordingly, the wild inaccuracy will only be matched by your level of frustration as you curse your humidor or musical instrument case and the Humidipak/Boveda in it. After all, we’ve been trained to trust what a digital readout tells us.

There are a couple of solutions to this:

1. The Humidipak/Boveda One-Step Calibration kit. Accurate to within .3% of 75.5%. The calibration kit won’t magically make your non-adjustable hygrometer accurate, but it will tell you how far off it is. After 24 hours in the kit, stick a bit of masking tape on the back with the +/- inaccuracy of the hygrometer. For instance, if your hygrometer reads 10 points low, label it “-10″. This will come in especially handy if you have multiple hygrometers or you move them around.

2. Get an adjustable hygrometer. Throw it in the calibration kit for 24 hours and then adjust the knob/dial accordingly.

The calibration kit is the guaranteed simplest, most accurate way of checking/calibrating your hygrometer.

Since 2008, Padrόn Cigars has guaranteed the freshness of their No. 88 Sampler by using 69% Humidipak (now called Boveda) inside. This means that one of the most sought-after samplers will be kept fresh for 60-90 days after purchase, making it the perfect gift for the cigar smoker that you want to really impress.

Until Boveda, there was no guaranteed way of keeping the gift of cigars fresh. The Padrόn No. 88 Sampler is the perfect example of what the world’s top brands are doing to make sure their legendary cigars stay legendary maintaining the condition they intend from factory to lighter.