What Humidity Should a Humidor Be?
If you Google this, half the results still say 70% humidity and 70°F. The “70/70 rule” has been around forever, but most serious cigar smokers have moved on from it. The consensus these days sits closer to 62-65% for people in warm climates, and 65-69% in cooler ones.
Why the shift? Cigars stored at 70% tend to burn unevenly, feel spongy, and smoke bitter. Drop to 65% and the draw opens up, the burn line stays clean, and the flavors sharpen. Plenty of cigar forums have been saying this for years. Boveda finally caught up and started pushing their 65% pack as the default recommendation.
In Chiang Mai, you have to think about this differently than someone in London or Denver. Your room temperature is almost never below 25°C, and during hot season it can sit above 35°C for weeks. At those temperatures, even a 65% pack will let your humidor creep higher than you want. The tool above accounts for this.
Which Boveda Pack Should I Use?
Boveda makes packs from 62% all the way up to 84% (that one is only for seasoning a new humidor, never for storage). The one you pick depends almost entirely on how warm your room is.
Here is the short version: if your room is hot, go lower. If your room is cool, go higher. A 62% pack in a 32°C room will keep your cigars at roughly the same actual moisture level as a 69% pack in a 20°C room. The Boveda number is a target relative humidity, but temperature changes what that means for the tobacco.
Living in Chiang Mai, you will probably rotate between two packs over the year. A 65% for most of the year, dropping to 62% during hot season (March through May). During cool season, if your apartment actually gets below 22°C at night, you might bump up to 69%. The seasonal timeline above shows exactly when to make each switch.
Why Your Humidor Reads Wrong in Chiang Mai
You open your humidor, the hygrometer says 72%, and you panic. But your Boveda pack is a 65%. What gives?
The ambient humidity in Chiang Mai regularly hits 80-90% during rainy season. Your humidor is not airtight. Moisture seeps in through the seal, and the Boveda pack has to work overtime absorbing it. Your hygrometer is reading the humidity inside the box, which is a mix of what the Boveda targets and what the room is pushing in.
This is normal. The pack is doing its job, pulling moisture out. But if your humidor seal is weak, the pack will exhaust itself faster. You will go through Boveda packs roughly twice as fast here as someone in Arizona.
Two things help: make sure your humidor seal is tight (the dollar bill test works, close the lid on a bill and try to pull it out, there should be resistance), and use a bigger Boveda pack than you think you need. The 60-gram size works for most desktop humidors in dry climates. In Chiang Mai, use the 320-gram.
How to Lower Humidity in a Humidor
If your humidor is consistently reading above 72%, here is what to do, in order:
First, check your Boveda pack. If it feels crunchy or stiff instead of soft and pliable, it is spent. Replace it. A dead pack does nothing.
Second, drop to a lower percentage pack. If you are using a 69%, try 65%. Already on 65%? Go to 62%. This is the simplest fix and it works.
Third, check your seal. Open and close the lid slowly. You should feel slight air resistance, like a gentle suction. If the lid just drops with no resistance, moisture is getting in constantly and no Boveda pack will keep up.
If none of that works and you have a large collection, consider an electric cooler humidor (sometimes called a “wineador”). These are climate-controlled and do not care what the room temperature or humidity is. Several expats in Chiang Mai have gone this route after fighting their wooden humidors for a year.
Can You Buy Cigars in Thailand?
Yes. Thailand has a growing cigar culture, mainly centered in Bangkok. There are a handful of dedicated cigar lounges and shops, and some hotel bars carry a decent selection. Expect to pay more than you would in the US or Europe. Thailand’s tobacco tax sits at 78.6% of the retail price, so a stick that costs $8 in the States might run you $15-20 here.
In Chiang Mai, the place to go is CNX Cigars on Nimmanhaemin Road (Soi 11). I have been there several times and it is genuinely impressive. They have a great selection of premium cigars, the staff actually knows what they are talking about, and they are happy to help you pick something based on what you like. The lounge itself is about 110 square meters with a mezzanine, high ceilings, and proper ventilation, so you can actually sit and enjoy a smoke without feeling like you are hotboxing a closet.
Before CNX Cigars opened in 2023, Chiang Mai had basically nothing for cigar smokers. A couple of hotel bars stocked a few dried-out sticks, and that was it. Most expats I know were ordering online from Bangkok or hauling boxes back from trips. Having a proper cigar bar in town changes things.
Duty-free at the airport is also your friend. Suvarnabhumi has a solid selection of Cubans at reasonable prices. Stock up on arrival.
Bringing Cigars Into Thailand
Thailand allows you to bring in up to 250 grams of tobacco products duty-free. That works out to roughly 20-25 cigars depending on size. Go over that and you are supposed to declare them and pay duty, which can be steep.
In practice, customs rarely checks personal quantities closely, but it is not worth the risk with a large haul. If you are moving here with a full humidor, ship it separately through a reputable courier and declare it properly. DHL and FedEx handle tobacco shipments, but both require paperwork and the fees add up.
One thing to know: Thailand bans all e-cigarettes and vaping devices. Regular cigars and cigarettes are fine, but do not try to bring a vape through customs. The fines can reach 30,000 THB, and repeat offenders face up to 10 years in prison.
How Long Does a Boveda Pack Last?
In a normal climate with a well-sealed humidor, a Boveda pack lasts 2 to 4 months. In Chiang Mai, expect closer to 6 to 8 weeks. During rainy season, possibly less. The pack is constantly fighting the ambient humidity, and it will tire out faster than Boveda’s packaging suggests.
You can tell a pack is done when it feels rigid and crispy instead of soft. Some people try to recharge them by soaking in distilled water. It works, sort of, but the pack never performs as well the second time around. At roughly $3-5 per pack, just replace them.
Buy in bulk. A 12-pack of Boveda 65% is cheaper per unit and means you always have a fresh one ready. Keeping a spare in a ziplock bag does not reduce its lifespan as long as the bag is sealed.