Posted: 10/28/2014 11:42:00 AM EDT
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I've read the FAQ here and I realize that 70% is optimal in my humidor and 65%-70% is "OK" My question is - What if my humidor is sitting at 78%? I currently have a small "tupperdor" with a jar of the hydration crystals like these in the picture. Inside the container I have the cigars still in the foil sitting inside an Arturo Fuente box with the cedar. Am I doing something wrong or is this nothing to worry about? Thanks in advance for the replies. JT  |
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In my mind there are two main reasons for lower humidity. One, there is nothing like trying to hotbox an over humidified cigar to keep it lit. Which is why some folks dry box a few sticks before smoking. Much like letting pipe tobacco sit out for a bit.
The second reason is that as humidity rises the cigar can swell. Too much and they can crack. Not so much before lighting but after. Ever notice the wrapper cracking near the cherry and peeling away. Makes for a uneven burn. That's my IMO cell phone version. |
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78% is much too high. Your concerns at this point is #1 mold and #2, it's a good environment for tobacco beetles to hatch if they weren't killed by the manufacture. Most manufactures freeze their cigars prior to shipment to kill any unwanted pests. Step #1 is to make sure you have a decent hygrometer. That analog hygrometer that costs $5 is worth what you paid for it. Pick up a good electronic one that's preferably adjustable. Caliber makes a good hygrometer. Step #2 is to confirm that your hygrometer is accurate. I'd recommend a Boveda Calibration Kit. They're around $5. Step #3 is to take your jar of hydration crystals and throw it as far away from your house as possible. Don't give it to your friends or keep it for a rainy day. Throw that shit away... Or use it for a target. Step #4 is to get some Boveda packs while you're at your B&M getting the calibration kit. For cigars, you can choose from 62%, 65%, 69% and 72%. I use 62% packs in my wineador but 65% is fine as is the 69%. I'd say that 72% is too high for a tupperdor. The benefit of using Boveda is that it will emit OR absorb humidity to achieve whatever RH % you desire. If you use a 65% pack and your RH in the tupperdor is 60%, the pack will emit humidity until the RH reaches 65%. In your case, if you throw a 65% RH packet in your tupperdor, it will absorb the extra humidity until it reaches 65%. It's easy peasy. Tupperdors provide a completely sealed environment. You will actually get whatever RH% your hydration device emits. This differs from a traditional spanish cedar humidor because the wood will leak humidity. Boveda says to use around 5% higher RH than what you actually want to achieve because the wood leaks that much. My experience will be different than yours because your just a little farther inland that I am. I'm lucky when my RH here is below 75%. As a side note: If you end up using Boveda packs, you really don't need a hygrometer. They're guaranteed to be accurate within +/- 1% RH.
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Quoted: 78% is much too high. Your concerns at this point is #1 mold and #2, it's a good environment for tobacco beetles to hatch if they weren't killed by the manufacture. Most manufactures freeze their cigars prior to shipment to kill any unwanted pests. Step #1 is to make sure you have a decent hygrometer. That analog hygrometer that costs $5 is worth what you paid for it. Pick up a good electronic one that's preferably adjustable. Caliber makes a good hygrometer. Step #2 is to confirm that your hygrometer is accurate. I'd recommend a Boveda Calibration Kit. They're around $5. Step #3 is to take your jar of hydration crystals and throw it as far away from your house as possible. Don't give it to your friends or keep it for a rainy day. Throw that shit away... Or use it for a target. Step #4 is to get some Boveda packs while you're at your B&M getting the calibration kit. For cigars, you can choose from 62%, 65%, 69% and 72%. I use 62% packs in my wineador but 65% is fine as is the 69%. I'd say that 72% is too high for a tupperdor. The benefit of using Boveda is that it will emit OR absorb humidity to achieve whatever RH % you desire. If you use a 65% pack and your RH in the tupperdor is 60%, the pack will emit humidity until the RH reaches 65%. In your case, if you throw a 65% RH packet in your tupperdor, it will absorb the extra humidity until it reaches 65%. It's easy peasy. Tupperdors provide a completely sealed environment. You will actually get whatever RH% your hydration device emits. This differs from a traditional spanish cedar humidor because the wood will leak humidity. Boveda says to use around 5% higher RH than what you actually want to achieve because the wood leaks that much. My experience will be different than yours because your just a little farther inland that I am. I'm lucky when my RH here is below 75%. As a side note: If you end up using Boveda packs, you really don't need a hygrometer. They're guaranteed to be accurate within +/- 1% RH. Thank you, thank you, thank you! That's the kind of information I needed. I assumed it that it was to high. Obviously I'm new to this which is why I'm still only keeping a few smokes at a time until I get this all worked out. Thanks again for the info.
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 For what it's worth this is the hydrometer that I'm using. It was ~$15 on amazon. I'm going through the calibration steps again just to make sure. Any experience with it? Junk or ok to use? I design high voltage power lines for a living and consider myself fairly intelligent but I'll admit the science of properly keeping finer tobacco is throwing me for a loop.
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Quoted:
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u211/starvinpilgrim/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsfcef90b0.jpgFor what it's worth this is the hydrometer that I'm using. It was ~$15 on amazon. I'm going through the calibration steps again just to make sure. Any experience with it? Junk or ok to use? I design high voltage power lines for a living and consider myself fairly intelligent but I'll admit the science of properly keeping finer tobacco is throwing me for a loop. They are GTG. The adjustable ones are much more desireable because you can calibrate them. Just follow the directions on a Calibration pack or google the "salt test method" for a super easy alternative. Echo |
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Quoted:
Step #1 is to make sure you have a decent hygrometer. That analog hygrometer that costs $5 is worth what you paid for it. Pick up a good electronic one that's preferably adjustable. Caliber makes a good hygrometer. Step #2 is to confirm that your hygrometer is accurate. I'd recommend a Boveda Calibration Kit. They're around $5. Step #3 is to take your jar of hydration crystals and throw it as far away from your house as possible. Don't give it to your friends or keep it for a rainy day. Throw that shit away... Or use it for a target. Step #4 is to get some Boveda packs while you're at your B&M getting the calibration kit. For cigars, you can choose from 62%, 65%, 69% and 72%. I use 62% packs in my wineador but 65% is fine as is the 69%. I'd say that 72% is too high for a tupperdor. The benefit of using Boveda is that it will emit OR absorb humidity to achieve whatever RH % you desire. If you use a 65% pack and your RH in the tupperdor is 60%, the pack will emit humidity until the RH reaches 65%. In your case, if you throw a 65% RH packet in your tupperdor, it will absorb the extra humidity until it reaches 65%. It's easy peasy. Tupperdors provide a completely sealed environment. You will actually get whatever RH% your hydration device emits. This differs from a traditional spanish cedar humidor because the wood will leak humidity. Boveda says to use around 5% higher RH than what you actually want to achieve because the wood leaks that much. My experience will be different than yours because your just a little farther inland that I am. I'm lucky when my RH here is below 75%. As a side note: If you end up using Boveda packs, you really don't need a hygrometer. They're guaranteed to be accurate within +/- 1% RH. Thank you, thank you, thank you! That's the kind of information I needed. I assumed it that it was to high. Obviously I'm new to this which is why I'm still only keeping a few smokes at a time until I get this all worked out. Thanks again for the info. Quoted:
Quoted:
78% is much too high. Your concerns at this point is #1 mold and #2, it's a good environment for tobacco beetles to hatch if they weren't killed by the manufacture. Most manufactures freeze their cigars prior to shipment to kill any unwanted pests. Step #2 is to confirm that your hygrometer is accurate. I'd recommend a Boveda Calibration Kit. They're around $5. Step #3 is to take your jar of hydration crystals and throw it as far away from your house as possible. Don't give it to your friends or keep it for a rainy day. Throw that shit away... Or use it for a target. Step #4 is to get some Boveda packs while you're at your B&M getting the calibration kit. For cigars, you can choose from 62%, 65%, 69% and 72%. I use 62% packs in my wineador but 65% is fine as is the 69%. I'd say that 72% is too high for a tupperdor. The benefit of using Boveda is that it will emit OR absorb humidity to achieve whatever RH % you desire. If you use a 65% pack and your RH in the tupperdor is 60%, the pack will emit humidity until the RH reaches 65%. In your case, if you throw a 65% RH packet in your tupperdor, it will absorb the extra humidity until it reaches 65%. It's easy peasy. Tupperdors provide a completely sealed environment. You will actually get whatever RH% your hydration device emits. This differs from a traditional spanish cedar humidor because the wood will leak humidity. Boveda says to use around 5% higher RH than what you actually want to achieve because the wood leaks that much. My experience will be different than yours because your just a little farther inland that I am. I'm lucky when my RH here is below 75%. As a side note: If you end up using Boveda packs, you really don't need a hygrometer. They're guaranteed to be accurate within +/- 1% RH. Thank you, thank you, thank you! That's the kind of information I needed. I assumed it that it was to high. Obviously I'm new to this which is why I'm still only keeping a few smokes at a time until I get this all worked out. Thanks again for the info. Great post... but keep in mind a lot of that also has to do with too high of temperature. Just high humidity in a colder environment still doesn't let beetles hatch or mold start. Most commercial cigars are frozen to kill larvae after being rolled... I would be more weary of shops that have a hand roller in house(although the leaf tobacco may have been frozen) or cigars from places that don't practice freezing, even though I think it has become pretty mainstream everywhere that can afford it. |