I hate to beat a dead horse here, but has anyone found, that in many cases, 65% is just too low to store cigars for more than a week or two? I have been experimenting with a bunch of different settings and at 65 percent (yes my hydro is accurate) some of my cigars feel realy dry. To be honest with you, I am fortunate to never have experienced a plugged cigar that I have had for any length of time in my humidor, so I am wondering if it is really necessary to keep them that low. What does everyone else think?

Hi Js,
I think that every head (and humidor) is a new world. There are many factors that involve more than the internal RH of the humidor. Personally I found that 65% is the best range to store cigars in short time to be smoke. Basically because a better draw and a more intense or concentrate flavor thanks to less humidity on the leaf.
Now, you said your hydro is accurate and I assume that you tested several times, you claim never had draw problems despite another RH levels...
What's is the RH% average in your home or office where the humidor are? Where do you live? Your humidor have a lot of air circulation?
Personally I think 60 is too low... but I know people that love 60% living in Cancún!

The real magic is not depending in the hygro and look, feel, hear your cigars often... and, of course, smoke them...

Yours are burning too fast? increase the humidity and then look, feel and hear your cigars and then smoke them...

Anyway, is more fun this method that only see a digital number inside your humidor.

Best regards,

Xavier, I live in Gainesville, FL and it is fairly humid here, though it is getting better outside. The home itself is fairly humd betwee, 58-65 percent humidity depending on the time of day. My humidor has a lot of circulation because it is powered by a cigar oasis plus. I am trying to let the cigars settle at a certain humidity, and I know that it more important than the actual humidity level so I am trying to pick a number. I had the cigars at 65 percent for serveral weeks and they had not stabilized and I saw this as they were burning faster on the outside than the inside of the cigar. I got nervous when I felt how dry some of the cigars felt on the wrappers. Is this really a problem? I dont think they are going to crack, but its just frustrating trying to pick a number considering it takes a few weeks for them to stabilize.

BTW Xavier... What to you is short-term?

quote:

Originally posted by Jsiviglia:
Xavier, I live in Gainesville, FL and it is fairly humid here, though it is getting better outside. The home itself is fairly humd betwee, 58-65 percent humidity depending on the time of day. My humidor has a lot of circulation because it is powered by a cigar oasis plus. I am trying to let the cigars settle at a certain humidity, and I know that it more important than the actual humidity level so I am trying to pick a number. I had the cigars at 65 percent for serveral weeks and they had not stabilized and I saw this as they were burning faster on the outside than the inside of the cigar. I got nervous when I felt how dry some of the cigars felt on the wrappers. Is this really a problem? I dont think they are going to crack, but its just frustrating trying to pick a number considering it takes a few weeks for them to stabilize.

Hello again my friend,

Don´t get nervous. Even cigars stored under 60% don´t get spoiled and can be "recover".

Remember that the name of this game is patience.

It seems that before you set the 65% your humidor was way over of this level, maybe this explain why your cigars are not stabilized yet and the outside burns faster that the inside.

When you decided to go 65% did you set it suddenly (one step) or do you did it slower (75% to 73% 70% to 69% to 67% to 66%.. 65% do you know why I mean?)

(sorry for my bad English)

Maybe you should wait more weeks... 2 months maybe...

BTW.. short rime could be no more than 1 year

Regards,

what I did was take some cigars out of my cabinet in which a store boxes between 68-69 percent and put them into a dry 300 cigar humidor with a cigar oasis set at 65 percent. It has been almost 3 weeks since the transition. I am planning on keeping 5 cigars of each of my collection in the humidor for smoking.

At 65% your cigars should NOT be dry. They should still feel supple, but with just an ever so slight "crackle" when you gently squeeze them. You say that your hygrometer is accurate, but if your cigars are dry, then I would bet that isn't the case.

I store my cigars at 63-64% and have been for years and they are never dry and smoke beautifully.

A cigar that's been stored in conditions that are too dry (say, under 45% rh) can be revived up to a certain point in time. After about as long as six months, the cigars MIGHT be shot. Or, you might be able to revive them through a GRADUAL increase in an appropriate and stable environment. But a few weeks, a couple of months, dried out? Not a problem at all...the tobacco will bounce right back...but don't do it too drastically because the tobacco will expand a bit (like a sponge) and will split the wrapper...

65 is higher than I keep mine, so you are fine.

used to keep them at 65%....now 68-72% and flavor is better. you won't get burn/braw problems until high 70%s and maybe higher.

i think my stronger eathy smokes, boli and monte, have richer flavor at higher %s. could be just me or maybe it has to do with more moisture in the smoke smoothing them out. but i could be crazy.

62-64 % works for me like a charm.

I've had mine at 64-65% for a year and the cigars are smoking perfectly. I agree with Pontillo's "slight crackle" explanation. That describes exactly how my cigars are.

65% is perfect, not only for cc's but for nc's as well.

Jsivi,
Yeah, the "slight crackle" is what I mean with the touch and hear method...
Another question... you humidor were well "seasoned" before you put the cigars?
Take care,

Yes it was well seasoned, but it was possible I put them in too early. I was actually hoping to dry them out from their original humidity in the manner.

Well, paciencia paciencia...
Are you 100% sure about the accurate hygro?

yes, did the salt test on it twice with one of those humipacks salt test kits. I guess I am just impatient. Just received a box of El Rey Del mundo coronas de luxe from '97 but I guess I will have to wait on them to adjust as well. Just so hard looking at all of these great cigars knowing that I can't smoke them yet!

I live on the west coast of Florida and smoke on my lanai exclusively all year round. I keep my cigars at 58-62 percent and they burn, smoke and age to perfection. If you are in a place that has little humidity then 63-65 percent should be perfect.

I just want to comment on the accuracy of hygrometers. I have a Radio Shack Hygrometer. It's really an indoor ourdoor one, but I use it in my humidors because it records high/low temp and humidity, especially useful in summer or longterm storage to see what temps/humidities your cigars are really stored at.

Anyway this gauge is very consistent but NOT accurate. It is consistently off by about 2.5% humidity. I know this because I took it to work and compared it on multiple occasions to a meter we have that is calibrated regularly and traceable to NIST standards. I still use it, I just put a small sticker to remind me to add +2.5% to the reading.

My point is that gauges, even electronic ones can be wrong. The ultimate tool is your senses. Cigars should be fine at 65%, but you seem to think they are too dry, so question your gauge.

quote:

Originally posted by BinDerSmokDat:


My point is that gauges, even electronic ones can be wrong. The ultimate tool is your senses. Cigars should be fine at 65%, but you seem to think they are too dry, so question your gauge.

Good call, again we must trust our senses, look, feel, hear...