Boveda Pack

What is Boveda Pack? A Boveda Pack is a two-way humidity control pouch that holds a saturated salt-water solution inside a semi-permeable membrane, releasing or absorbing water vapor to maintain a precise relative humidity. Manufactured by Boveda Inc. of Minnetonka, Minnesota, the company was founded as Humidipak Inc. on July 1, 1997 by Sean Knutsen, Timothy Swail, Robert Esse, and Albert Saari, then rebranded as Boveda in March 2012. Each pack is calibrated to a specific RH level and holds that target within roughly plus or minus 2 percent. In the cigar world it has become the de facto standard for humidor humidification, recognized as Best Cigar Accessory by Cigar Journal Magazine in 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020.

How It Works

Inside every pack is an aqueous, fully saturated salt solution sealed behind a vapor-barrier membrane. The chosen salt determines the equilibrium relative humidity, and the membrane lets water vapor pass in either direction. When the surrounding air drops below the labeled RH, the pack releases moisture; when the air rises above it, the pack absorbs the excess. This bidirectional behavior is what gives Boveda its two-way reputation and removes the guesswork associated with traditional sponges, gels, and propylene-glycol solutions.

A pack is spent when it feels stiff or crunchy, a sign that the salt has crystallized and the water reserve is exhausted. Lifespan varies widely with the container: a few months inside a typical wooden humidor that breathes constantly, or nearly indefinite inside an airtight box where the pack has very little work to do.

Choosing the Right RH and Size

For cigars, Boveda is sold in 65, 69, 72, and 75 percent RH, while the wider product line spans 32 to 83 percent for other applications. The 65 percent variant is generally recommended for Cuban cigars and for airtight or naturally humid storage, since Cubans are more susceptible to mold at higher humidity levels. Higher RH packs suit drier climates or cigars that benefit from a more humid draw.

Sizing follows a simple rule of thumb: one 60 gram pack per 25 cigars, or per cubic foot of storage volume. The 8 gram pack is intended for travel humidors holding one to ten cigars, while the 320 gram pack is designed for wineadors, coolerdors, and large cabinet humidors where total air volume is much greater.

Beyond Cigars

Although Boveda built its reputation in the cigar trade, the same technology is used wherever stable humidity matters. It is widely adopted for cannabis storage, food preservation, art conservation, and electronics protection. In the music trade, Boveda packs for wooden instruments are distributed by D'Addario and have become a common sight in guitar and violin cases, where stable humidity prevents cracking and warping of the wood.