Tips?

[dwoodward]

I have my first humidor coming in the mail, should be here on Tuesday from Tampa Humidor's. It's a brand new Salerno 300ct humidor. (I ordered imperfect but they were out apparently, so they cut me a very respectable price discount for a new one, very pleased.)

Anyhow, when it arrives, what should I do to start seasoning it? Everything that I know about seasoning comes from the internet, and ideas are very mixed between websites. Some people say to wipe in interior, other people say not to etc...

Some say to use a shot glass of water for a few days, others say to use a bowl of water. I will probably use a shot glass myself, but as a fine spirits aficionado I have many sizes of shot glasses on hand. What is the best size for this job? I have anything from 1/2oz glasses up to 3oz shot glasses. Will any size work?

Next, should I purchase the RH Beads, or the Shilala Beads? RH Beads are shown all over the internet and seem very popular, while people here swear by the Shilala it seems. What is the difference between the two? How are they better than strip humidifiers? Should I put the beads in during or after seasoning?

I know it is a lot of questions, but I have asked some of my buddies about these things, and they are pretty blunt, the all say just wipe the interior and then put your cigars in, but they also complain from time to time on how dry their older cigars are.

I basically just want to be sure that my cigars keep for as long as I need them to, after all the point of a humidor is to keep them fresh forever. A lot of questions, sorry. I am just a very cautious person, and want to be sure I do everything correctly.

Thanks.