Boveda Humidity Packs Guide: Sizes, RH, & Lifespan
Let’s be real, Boveda packs are a total game-changer. I used to futz around with distilled water, little sponges, and those messy puck humidifiers. I was always paranoid about mold or, even worse, my sticks drying out. Boveda is the first “set it and forget it” solution that actually works. This guide is my breakdown of what’s in these magic packets and how I use them.
And if you’re already on the Boveda train, high-five. But you might be surprised to learn they make more than just humidity packs. They’ve got specialty packs for seasoning a brand-new humidor and even kits to check if your hygrometer is lying to you (mine was).
- Maintenance-free: No water needed, no wiping, no mold growth
- Multiple RH and sizes: 65–75%, 8g/60g/320g
- Safe and odorless for direct contact with cigars
- Shorter lifespan in dry, cold, or drafty environments
- Requires replacement every 2–3 months
Video of Boveda Humidity Packs
2-way Humidity Packs
So what’s the voodoo here? It’s actually just some brilliant, simple science. Inside each Boveda pack is a mix of natural salt, pure water, and a food-grade thickener that makes it a gel. This whole concoction is sealed inside a special membrane that can “breathe” water vapor. That’s the “2-way humidity control” magic. When my apartment gets muggy in the summer, the pack’s natural salt literally pulls that extra moisture out of the air. When the winter heat kicks on and dries everything out, the pack releases pure water vapor to keep my cigars perfectly happy.
They make a Boveda pack for just about every preference. You can choose between 65%, 69%, 72%, and 75% relative humidity. They also come in different sizes based on your setup: the small 8-gram, the standard 60-gram, and the beefy 320-gram packs. On top of that, there are the 84% one-step seasoning kits for breaking in a new humidor and slick calibration kits for your hygrometer.
How To Use Them
This is, hands down, the best part: it’s completely idiot-proof. You just tear the clear plastic wrapper off the Boveda pack. That’s it. Then just toss it in your humidor or travel case. I literally rest mine right on top of my cigars, which freaked my friend Nolan out, but it’s totally safe. The packs won’t damage your stogies.
Now, if you’re a neat freak and don’t like the packs just floating around, Boveda has you covered. There’s a slick Boveda Holder that comes in aluminum and wood. You can mount it to the lid of your humidor, and it’s built to hold two of the size 60 packs perfectly. For the big size 320 packs, there’s a specific Boveda Mounting Plate to keep those locked in place in your cabinet or wineador.
How Many Boveda Packs You Need?
The packs are sized for different needs, so here’s the breakdown. The size 8 is my go-to for my travel humidor. The size 60 is the workhorse for most desktop humidors, like my Smoke Dock humidor. The size 320 is the beast, made for big boys like wineadors and those large tupperdors that hold hundreds of cigars.
To keep your sticks fresh
The math is pretty simple. Boveda recommends one size 8 pack for every 5 sticks you’re humidifying. For the size 60, you’ll want one for every 25 cigars your humidor can hold. And that big size 320 pack is designed to handle up to 100 cigars all by itself.
To season your humidor
This is a crucial step for any new wooden humidor. You have to season the wood before you put cigars in. Boveda makes this painless with their packs of size 60 84%. For a standard 25-count humidor, one of these packs is all you need to get the wood properly acclimated.
You can also just grab one of the Humidor Starter Kits. I recommend these to everyone. They bundle the 84% RH packs for the initial seasoning, a couple of 72% packs for maintenance, and a full set of instructions. It’s a total no-brainer.
To calibrate your hygrometer
Ever get that nagging feeling your hygrometer is off? The One-Step Calibration Kit is your answer. It’s basically a guaranteed 75% humidity environment in a bag. You just pop your hygrometer (yep, works for both analog and digital ones) into the bag with the included size 8 pack, seal it up, and wait 24 hours. If it doesn’t read 75% on the dot, you know exactly how much it’s off.
How long does Boveda pack last? When Do I Replace My Boveda?
In my experience, I get a solid two to three months out of a pack in my desktop humidor. But your mileage may vary. A lot depends on your climate. My buddy Desmond in dry-as-a-bone Arizona goes through them faster. If you’re in a very dry area or you blast your indoor heat all winter, you’ll be replacing them more often.
You’ll know it’s time just by touching it. When you first open a new Boveda, it’s soft and feels like a little gel pillow. As it releases moisture, it’ll slowly get stiff. Once you start feeling hard, crunchy lumps in it, its work is done. Time to toss it and throw in a fresh one.
