Humidor Seasoning Problems

[ywendyh]

Hello,

I seasoned my humidor using the distilled water and sponge method (it's 100 ct). To read and control the humidity I had the Cigar Oasis Ultra and an analog hygrometer (salt tested and calibrated). I could not calibrate the Cigar Oasis Ultra (I followed all instructions), so I decided to ditch it and buy a 100ct xikar humidifier instead (will arrive any day now). With the CO Ultra my humidity was at 80%. Without it, it's now between 68% to 70%. At the moment the only way to maintain that humidity is by not having a humidifier in my humidor at all. When I get my Xikar humidifier, is it ok to mount it in my humidor right away? Or do I have to lower the humidity in it a bit and then put it in?

Thank you in advance for your time. Your help is much appreciated!

-Wendy

 

[Treinenwj]

First thing you need to do is get a digital hygrometer. Analogs are notoriously innaccurate. Combine that with the salt test being easy to do wrong, and I wouldn't trust whatever number you're getting.

 

[ywendyh]

Will do (just ordered a digital one). Can I hit you back for a little help when it arrives (after I've calibrated it and taken a reading)? Thanks for the reply!

First thing you need to do is get a digital hygrometer. Analogs are notoriously innaccurate. Combine that with the salt test being easy to do wrong, and I wouldn't trust whatever number you're getting.

 

[Chrisso]

Wendy,

The second thing your going to need to do is get some stuff put into that humidor. You'll have all sorts of inconsistencies with that humi until you get some sticks/ceder blocks in there.

But I agree with treinenwj you need to get a digital hygrometer. The one I purchased is a hygroset II as it was recommended by most all the brothers on here. When you purchase that, I would also recommend getting a Boveda hygrometer calibration kit.

Glad to see your taking this thing on! Again, welcome to the forums!

-Chrisso

 

[Treinenwj]

Will do (just ordered a digital one). Can I hit you back for a little help when it arrives (after I've calibrated it and taken a reading)? Thanks for the reply!

First thing you need to do is get a digital hygrometer. Analogs are notoriously innaccurate. Combine that with the salt test being easy to do wrong, and I wouldn't trust whatever number you're getting.

No problem! Your best option would be to just post a question again, as there are many knowledgeable people here, moreso than me.

 

[GoingPostal]

Will do (just ordered a digital one). Can I hit you back for a little help when it arrives (after I've calibrated it and taken a reading)? Thanks for the reply!

First thing you need to do is get a digital hygrometer. Analogs are notoriously innaccurate. Combine that with the salt test being easy to do wrong, and I wouldn't trust whatever number you're getting.

Certainly, you can mount the xikar humidifier right away cause it only releases humidity when below the 70%mark(supposedly) by that i mean when i use the xikar RH usually held closer to 71%rh. so mounting it right away should add to the humidity. I suggest you use the xikar for now but you should consider eventually switching to a 2-way humidity system, Boveda, HCM beads, or Heartfelt beads.

 

[ywendyh]

Thanks so much for your advice -- I was almost ready to give up! I followed the recommendations and now my humi is at 67%/68F. I'm going to wait a couple days to ensure this stays consistent and will start stocking my box with new cigars. I'm looking forward to enjoying them as I take advantage of what nice weather is left in Manitoba and to discovering my likes and dislikes. Somehow I can't help but think that I will soon grow out of my 100ct humidor so I'm already looking into Boveda, HCM beads, and Heartfelt beads humidity systems for the future

 

[Treinenwj]

Sounds great! Fwiw, you don't need to wait for a larger humi to switch to beads.

 

[classic]

ok i just got my humidor a few days ago... just didnt have time to get distilled water... but since days its at 72%... isnt the goal of seasoning to get to those 72%?

 

[mdwest]

thats going to change (possibly quite a bit) once you get a bunch of sticks put in it...

the "goal" really depends on what you like.. most people here seem to like 65% (this is my personal preference for most everything as well).. some like a little higher @ 70%.. some like a little lower (62-63%, etc..)...

what you are looking for when seasoning is stability... you want to get the humi dialed in to the "perfect" number (your preference), and then be able to keep it there for long periods of time..

I dont know where you live... the normal RH for your area might be 72%... if so.. then you are probably going to want to figure out a system for keeping RH reduced a little bit inside your humi...

If the normal RH for your area is substantially lower than 72% (Arizona, NM, etc..)... you are likely going to have a difficult time keeping your humi moist enough in a very short period of time if you dont find a system for keeping moisture inside your box (foam, beads, gel, KL, etc..)..

for me, temperature control is the greater problem... where I live RH stays between about 65-80 about 90% of the year.. a boveda pack lasts for months and keeps my sticks right at 65% with little or no additional effort on my part..

outside temps here range from low teens to low 100's though... keeping the house cool enough in the summer, and warm enough in the winter can be a pain.. (but with central air.. it really isnt all that big of a challenge either...)

 

[classic]

hey md,

thx for your detailed answer. here in istanbul the average rh is 73. in winter heater kicks in... for the summertimes when it gets to the hundreds i was thinking about a wine cooler.

anyway i googled setup humidor and somehow every page says something different (wipe interior with wet towel, dont wipe, etc). yesterday imput in the humidifier and today in the morning the rh raised to 80. i already bought 2 cigars and a few puritos. at what point should i start putting them in? what would be a good idea for reducing actually?

 

[mdwest]

There are people here that are far more knowledgeable than I am.. but with an average rh of 73.. Im betting you could drop in a couple of 65% boveda packs or a handfull of 65% beads.. and be done with it... they will absorb any extra humidity you have in there.. and then release it as needed (if ever)..

 

[javajunkie]

There are people here that are far more knowledgeable than I am.. but with an average rh of 73.. Im betting you could drop in a couple of 65% boveda packs or a handfull of 65% beads.. and be done with it... they will absorb any extra humidity you have in there.. and then release it as needed (if ever)..

single best investmentin this hobby i have made was heartfelt beads!!! make it SO easy and clean!

 

[Tobacco Giant]

There are people here that are far more knowledgeable than I am.. but with an average rh of 73.. Im betting you could drop in a couple of 65% boveda packs or a handfull of 65% beads.. and be done with it... they will absorb any extra humidity you have in there.. and then release it as needed (if ever)..

x2. And considering you're a little newer to the hobby, I'd recommend grabbing a 65% Boveda pack while you research the beads to see if it's an option you want to go for. 1 65% Boveda pack is $4 and you can pick it up at just about any cigar shop. I personally don't think it would be a problem to drop the Boveda pack in and your cigars at the same time, the RH will stabilize within a couple days and your cigars should be good to go.

 

[classic]

i ll look into it. not sure if they have them in here. by the way i didnt calibrate my hygrometer yet, today in the morning i started the salt test. after now 12 hours its reading 89 so its 14 procent off. i ll read it again tomorrow if its gonna stay at 89 it means my readings were wrong and it was more like 58.

does it matter howmuch salt i used? as i understood it salt with a little water always creates the 75 procent.

i guess the two cigars i bought wouldnt taste nice at the moment right? what about the puritos i have packaged should i take off the packaging when putting in the humidor or not? and when can i start to put the cigars in?

 

[mdwest]

I havent had much luck with the salt test.. instead ive just gone with hydrometer calibration kits.. i dont know if they ship internationally.. but the boveda kit works very well, and can be ordered off their website

http://www.bovedastore.com/product-p/ba-cal75-sm.htm

if youre using an analog hydrometer.. get rid of it... they are notorious inaccurate.. and even if you get it dialed in, it is likely to loose accuracy over time.. a good digital that can be calibrated is less than $20...

as long as youre not planning on wetting down the inside of the humi (I dont see any reason to do this if you are already living in an area where the average rh is 72% and you are looking at boveda packs or beads).. I dont see any reason you cant go on and put the sticks you have inside.. youre not going to be radically changing the conditions inside (Im going to be that once you get your hydrometer calibrated you are going to find out that you are sitting somewhere between 65-75% right now)..

packaging on or off is really a matter of preference.. personally I like to remove cigars from all packaging, to include the cello.. but others here will tell you they prefer to leave all packaging in place... I make exceptions to this rule though... when I buy boxes, the sticks typically stay inside all packaging until I start smoking through the box (laziness for the most part).. and sticks I pick up with the intention of trading or sending bombs normally get left inside all packaging.. since I know other BOTL like to keep their sticks that way..

 

[classic]

thank you for the hint... i went to the boveda website... tried the mailorder and it was like $90 for shipping anyway i contacted them and found out that earlier this month they send the first shipment to their new reseller here in turkey... nice.

i will not wet down anything... as soon as i get a digital hydrometer i let you know... i put the cigars in - both of them started to show small cracks on the wrapper hopefully a week in the humidor will fix this...

 

[classic]

didnt get digital hydrometer yet, but according to my analog one,its exactly 70% at the moment. i have 2 cigars and 4 puritos inside at the moment. i did the dry test eith holding the cigar next to my ear... it is cracking a bit... how long do i have to wait before i can smoke hem ?

 

[Cigary43]

didnt get digital hydrometer yet, but according to my analog one,its exactly 70% at the moment. i have 2 cigars and 4 puritos inside at the moment. i did the dry test eith holding the cigar next to my ear... it is cracking a bit... how long do i have to wait before i can smoke hem ?

My smartass side is telling me to say ..."when you don't hear the cracking anymore"....but my adult side will over rule that and say give the sticks at least a week to acclimate to your humidor.

 

[classic]

hehe i liked your smartass side