Why 70% Humidity Is Often Too High for Modern Cigars

Modern Cigars Are Rolled Tighter

Cigars today aren’t rolled the same way they were 30 or 40 years ago. They’re more refined, packed a little tighter, and built with thinner wrappers. When those cigars sit at 70% humidity, they tend to soak up more moisture than they need.

What does that feel like when you smoke?
A tight draw. Uneven burns. A cigar that keeps going out even though you’re doing everything right. That’s usually a humidity issue—not a bad cigar.

Small Humidors Hold Moisture Differently

Most cigar smokers today aren’t using giant cabinet humidors. They’re using desktop boxes, travel humidors, or coolidors. In smaller spaces, moisture doesn’t move or balance the same way.

At 70% humidity, it’s very easy for cigars closest to the humidifier to become over-humidified. That’s when you start seeing soft cigars, swollen wrappers, or cracking when you light up. The number might look “correct,” but the cigars tell a different story.

Temperature Changes Everything

Humidity never exists on its own—it always works together with temperature. Warmer air holds more moisture, which means 70% at 75 degrees is very different from 70% at 68 degrees.

That’s why cigars can feel over-humidified even when your hygrometer says everything is perfect. If the temperature creeps up, so does the effective moisture level inside your cigars.

So What’s the Ideal Humidity for Cigars?

For most modern cigars, a slightly lower range just works better.

65–68% humidity, paired with a temperature between 68 and 72 degrees, tends to produce a smoother, more predictable smoking experience. Cigars light easier, burn straighter, and flavors come through cleaner.

This is the range many experienced smokers land on—not because it’s trendy, but because it performs better.

Are There Times 70% Still Makes Sense?

There are situations where higher humidity can work just fine. Large ring gauge cigars, for example, sometimes benefit from a little extra moisture. Extremely dry climates can also pull humidity out of cigars faster than expected.

The important thing is understanding that these are adjustments—not universal rules. Humidity should respond to the cigar, the humidor, and the environment, not a number printed on a box.

Your Humidification System Matters More Than You Think

Not all humidification systems behave the same way.

Basic foam or gel systems release moisture slowly and don’t react quickly to changes in temperature or airflow. That makes it easy to overshoot your target without realizing it.

More modern or controlled systems deliver humidity more evenly and hold a tighter range. That’s why 66% in one humidor can feel completely different from 66% in another.

The 1878 Cigar House Approach to Humidity

At 1878 Cigar House, we don’t believe in chasing a single number. We believe in paying attention to how a cigar actually smokes.

Our general advice is simple: start a little lower, around 65–67%, and see how your cigars respond. If they burn clean, draw easily, and taste the way they should, you’re exactly where you need to be.