Rant on B&M's humi rh% and Gurkha Cellar Reserve

[zirotti]

hah, a couple random rants here.

I stopped by the local shop to see what was new. On impulse, I decided to pick up one of the Gurkha Cellar Reserves. I normally stay away from Gurkha but had read a couple of decent reviews, plus this thing is just gorgeous. The first third was actually pretty damn good and I was pleasantly surprised. A burst of initial spiceyness which quickly mellowed into some cherry sweetness. Unfortunately, it was short lived, which leads me to my next point...

Why the hell do some B&Ms feel they need to keep their humidors RH through the roof? I knew I should have let this stick rest, but I figured it should be ok. I was wrong. As soon as the burn got to the thick of the cigar, the wrapper wouldn't stay lit and all I was getting was filler. I had to put it out about 15 minutes in as the flavor turned bitter. A damn shame because I really enjoyed the first few minutes.

Anyone else find this with most of the local shops?

Anyways, some pics of the Gurkha Cellar Reserve. Mighty pretty stick.

About as far as I got...

 

[CigarGavin]

I find both high and low RH is a problem by shops near me. That Gurkha is the only one that I like, it gets much better halfway through, let them rest and try another you wont be disappointed.

 

[USCG Cigar Newb]

You will see scattered throughout the forums and posts about people having complaints about the RH in shops, my posts included. Most guys, not to speak for everyone, automatically put them to rest for a while to level them out with the RH you desire. Some smokes I had heard highly of I tried right after getting from a B&M and ruined them, still havnt tried those smokes again because it just turned me off to them.

 

[sofc]

Federal has decent RH and I would smoke out of cabinets if I had to (although I usually like to let them sit.) All other places I have gone near me are over humidified.

 

[GoingPostal]

I think as a rule most quality shops aim for a 70rh. I think they do this for several reasons,

1)busy shop people going in and out of the humidor rather be high than dry

2) helps insure that the stick wont dry out on you. think about it most people buy a stick then maybe run an errand or two so it may be an hour or 2 before person can put sticks away not all of us carry a travel humidor with us.

3)would have to say 80-90% of cigar smokers prefer there cigars in the 68-70RH range. So guess they are following the market.

I agree with you that it stinks when you basically have to let sticks rest from your B&M but hey better that then buying a stick thats dried out.

 

[Fia]

Im just speculating but perhaps some shops turn up the RH a little to compensate for the doors constantly being opened and closed all day long. :dunno:

 

[BrandonP]

Working in a humidor all day I can tell you I lean for higher RH. 2 reasons for that: 1 is exactly what Fia said. With the door opening and closing all day you just have to be careful. And the 2nd being that when you have a big walkin it can be tough to humidify that big of a space. Especially here in AZ in the summers when the A/C runs almost 24 hours a day. Our humidor tends to hover between 65%-70%.

As far as that Gurkha goes, I smoked my first last week while sitting with my rep. I was very impressed I must say. Nice flavor with a fuller body. Not bad at all.

 

[Fat_Risling]

I may be incorrect but isn't this Gurkha relatively new? Could have been a factor and while I'm sure every b&m is different I also believe a lot of online retailers are way less trustworthy and I know many brothers order online or from humidors they have never been in... If you prefer a certain rh of course let your cigar rest but don't blame it Soley on b&ms. Maybe just my preference but I love my local b&m. I know te guys. How the cigars are kept. Can see everything and know what I'm getting everytime worth the few Bux I would save if I ordered online...

 

[aherzing]

My thought is also (and please correct me if im wrong) that it was better to be too high than too low because you can always dry box a stick or let it rest if its too moist but if its kept too low for too long it maybe too dry beyond repair or you have to take different (more involved measures) to revive the stick. I was just thinking this the other day in an unrelated matter.

 

[zirotti]

Oh yea, trust me, I love my local B&Ms. Just sucks that I am not able to smoke the stuff I buy right then and there. I keep my wineador at about 63-65 so I like my sticks a little dryer.

 

[smokinghole]

My thought is also (and please correct me if im wrong) that it was better to be too high than too low because you can always dry box a stick or let it rest if its too moist but if its kept too low for too long it maybe too dry beyond repair or you have to take different (more involved measures) to revive the stick. I was just thinking this the other day in an unrelated matter.

While I generally agree with more is better than too little, too much can lead to fuzzy things from the kingdom fungi.

 

[veeref]

I've checked out a few B&Ms in my travels across the country, and I agree that they all tend to lean on the higher side RH % wise. Because of this, I almost never smoke anything I purchase right away. The ones I have smoked right after purchasing usually either have draw problems or burn problems from being too moist.

Last week though, I did smoke a Cojonu '12 in Nashville that I purchased the day before in California. It burnt straight, had a wonderful draw, and tasted delicious. I did notice it was packed a little looser than I had expected, so that probably had a lot to do with it.

 

[javajunkie]

any beer nerds in this discussion? you do NOT drink most good beerat 34-36 degree, yet there is a lot stored this way. why? crap bud and miller, natty, pbr, and all the other stuff they sell piles of. real craft/ import people know how to serve their stuff.

same here.

 

[BMack]

Wow, that does look really good! That's really a Gurkha?

I always rest my cigars about a month after buying them from a shop. Both my regular local shops keep their humidors at about 75% RH and I store/smoke my cigars closer at 62% RH.

 

[sonarman]

Wow, how original. Looks like a FFP.

 

[Monsterdg]

I agree with all of the above, my B&M keeps things way to moist. I usually bring a few from home & buy a couple to dry box for later.

 

[sonarman]

I buy most of my stuff from Emersons. The B&M keeps the sticks at a decent RH prob around 68%, online ordering is a bit high to smoke off the truck.

 

[CO Smokes]

I prefer my cabinet to be at about 64% humidity but this got me curious so I asked my boss about our walk-in at the store to get his opinion (he's been in the industry 35 years) this was his answer:

"industry standards for humidity is 60-70%. Temperature should be 60-70 degrees. Humidity is directly related to dew point so it must be watched on a daily basis. That also includes automatic systems. A store should keep its humidity at 68-70% humidity because the humidor door opens and closes a lot during business hours. It will fluctuate a lot and then bounce back to normal at night when we are closed. Also, you can't please everyone. I prefer my humidity at home to be in the low 60's but most of our customers prefer the high 60's to low 70's."

I'm not saying this is the only right way but this is from a B&M owners perspective. Hope it helps.

 

[gibbleguts]

That 70/70 thing has been beat into so many people's heads that stores get questioned if it is lower. Everyone thinks they are an expert from the one book they have read.

 

[CO Smokes]

That 70/70 thing has been beat into so many people's heads that stores get questioned if it is lower. Everyone thinks they are an expert from the one book they have read.

So true