Product: Bóveda One Step Seasoning

Type: Humidor Seasoning Kit

Website: http://www.bovedadirect.com/

Reviewer: Doc

OVERALL SCORE: 93

BACKGROUND:

This product is purported to be an easy, one-step method for seasoning your new humidor. How does it rate? Well, we put it through the paces and here's what we found...

SET UP AND USE: [Score: 96]

The humidor one-step seasoning system consists of a Bóveda humidity packet, set at 84% relative humidity (RH). The set up is easy. You just insert the recommended number of seasoning packets for the size of your humidor. After waiting 10 days, your humidor should be seasoned and you can replace the packets with your regular humidifier or with Bóveda humidity packets. Couldn't be any easier than that.

FUNCTION: [Score: 94]

I used the system to season a brand new La Gloria Cubana Serie R Limitada 2005 humidor. The humidor contained 30 LARGE cigars. At almost 8 inches in length and 62 ring gauge, these cigars are really the equivalent of almost 50. Thus, I based my testing measurements on a 50-count humidor and used 2 seasoning packets, placing them in the bottom and top pull out cedar trays. I kept the cigars in a different humidor while seasoning the new one.

Prior to seasoning the humidor, I placed a hygrometer in the empty humidor to see what the initial humidity reading would be. It was 56% RH (I used a pre-calibrated digital hygrometer). After one week of using the seasoning packets, I put the hygrometer in place (again in an empty humidor) and it’s reading was 68% RH.

Finally, after the seasoning period, I placed a couple of Bóveda 69% RH packets into the humidor along with the cigars. Three weeks later, I am pleased to say that the humidity is holding steady at about 67-68% RH. This was a simple, clean, and foolproof experience in seasoning a humidor.

VALUE: [Score: 89]

At a MSRP of 3.97 per kit, the cost to season a 50-count humidor would be almost 8.00. The packets are guaranteed to last for 3 months, though I’m not sure what their value would be after you have already seasoned your humidor. I’m assuming you would buy and need to season only one humidor at any given time. Perhaps, if you had a large cabinet or “coolidor,” you could use the 84% RH packets to help humidify those larger environments.

Though the price may be a bit steep for some, if convenience, and function is what you are most concerned about, you need look no further than the Bóveda seasoning system. Chances are, you’ve spent a considerable amount for a good humidor and another large chunk for the premium cigars that will reside there, it hardly seems alarming to spend a few more bucks to insure a good seasoning of the box. After all, seasoning of a humidor is something you should have to do only once in the life of your humidor. Be sure and get it right the first time.

Doc