Every year around this time, people start coming in with the same complaint. Their humidor was holding steady all summer and now it's dropping, and they can't figure out why.

It's the furnace.

Once the heat kicks on, the air in your house gets dry fast. Your humidor is sitting in that dry air, and it loses moisture faster than it did in July. Nothing is broken. The season changed.

Here's how to stay ahead of it.

The number you're aiming for

Most people target 65% to 70% relative humidity, with temperature around 70 degrees. Anywhere in that band is fine. What matters more than hitting an exact number is staying steady. A cigar bouncing between 58% and 72% all winter is worse off than one sitting quietly at 64%.

Four things that fix a dry winter humidor

1. Check your hygrometer first. Before you fix anything, make sure your reading is even true. Hygrometers drift out of calibration over time, both digital and analog. If yours is reading 10 points low, you'll chase a problem that isn't there.

2. Switch to two-way humidity packs. Packs like Boveda release moisture when it's dry and absorb it when it's damp. They do the work for you, and they're the easiest fix for winter swings. Throw in an extra one for the cold months.

3. Stop opening it so much. Every time you lift the lid, the humid air inside swaps with the dry air in your room. In summer it recovers quickly. In winter it doesn't. Grab your cigar, close it, move on.

4. Move it off the exterior wall. A humidor near a vent, a radiator, a drafty window or in direct sun is fighting a losing battle. Put it somewhere interior and stable.

Keep it full, too. A half-empty humidor has more air to condition, which makes it swing harder. More cigars, more stability. That's our favorite tip for obvious reasons.

What a dried-out cigar feels like

Roll it gently between your fingers. It should give a little, like a firm loaf of bread. If it crackles, crunches, or the wrapper flakes, it's dried out. A dry cigar burns hot and fast and tastes harsh and bitter.

Can you bring one back?

Sometimes, if the wrapper is still intact.

The key is to go slow. Don't throw a dry cigar into a 70% humidor and hope. Rehydrating too fast makes the inside swell faster than the wrapper can handle, and the wrapper splits.

Start it lower, around 62% to 65%, and leave it alone for a few weeks. Longer if it was really dry. If a cigar already cracked in storage, that one's probably gone. The wrapper won't burn right no matter what you do.

If you'd rather not deal with any of this

Not everybody wants a humidor. If you smoke one cigar a week, a zip-top bag with a humidity pack in it does the job fine. Nothing wrong with that.

Come see us

Stop by any Cigar Box and ask. We'll check your hygrometer question, set you up with the right humidity packs, or help you pick out a humidor that'll actually hold.

Six locations: Coal Creek, Shamokin, Laurel Mall, Tilghman, Orwigsburg and Hometown.

Must be 21+ with valid ID.