65%-70% Conumdrum

[Mr. McSquirelly]

I maintain two storage containers, a Tupperdor and a humidor. I keep the Tupperdor at 70%, and the humidor--150 count--at 65% with Heartfelt beads. To be honest, the 70% Tupperdor cigars smoke and taste better than the cigars I keep at 65% in the classic humidor. Now I've heard a lot of guys prefer 65%, but I find 65% cigars burn hot and dry. Is that a function of climate or taste? Honestly, I'm liking the cigars at 70% as opposed to those at 65%. Cigars at 70% seem to have more flavor and burn slower, whereas cigars at 65% seem to burn hotter and drier and faster. Is my palate off, or what? With all the aficionados saying 65% is better than 70%, why is my experience all screwed up? A confused man.

 

[daleo8803]

Everyone is different. If you think 70% is better and it works better for you then do it. Some like it down to 62% others %70, its all up to you brother! That's one of the awesome things about cigars.

 

[ZippoGeek]

I'm a 65 guy through and through. That said, if you like em at 70...definitely smoke em at 70! The beauty here is that you can pretty much smoke everything ROTT (Right Off The Truck) . The rest of us have to wait 5-6 weeks until our sticks dry out... .

 

[The Munt]

I keep them at 69% and dry box for one day. I've tried both and prefer 69. If you are wierd then so sir am I. Thats the beauty of choice!

 

[Purepoker]

To me it really depends on the cigars. I have several humidors and different humidity settings. In my experience, CC's will mold at 70% and do better at lower RH levels. Cigars with thick oily wrappers like ligas, also benefit from lower RH levels. Shade wrapped cigars or cigars that use well aged wrappers like Padrons seem to benefit from the higher end, 67-69%. Just my opinion based on my experience, I suggest you experiment a little and you may find one RH level for everything doesn't work.

 

[mdwest]

All too complicated for me...

I shoot for 65...

But... if drops to 63... or spikes to 69.. I dont care.. I just leave it alone and keep on smoking... (for example.. the change of seasons, etc.. has recently caused a change in RH for me.. we're barely running the AC right now.. temps have increased.. ambient RH has increased, etc.. so my cabinet shot up from about 64 where it spent the late winter and early spring.. right now it sits at about 68...

In a couple of weeks, when we start running the AC constantly (AC will dry the air inside the house, temps inside the house will be cooler, etc..etc..), Im sure Ill see a 2-3% drop on my hygrometers... and.. again.. Ill do nothing.. and just keep on smoking..

If things get outside the 63-69 window.. Ill take measures to get RH back under control (either add DW.. or open the doors up for a bit and let things air out..)..

but other than that.. I just keep on smoking.. Doesnt matter if the cigar was stored at 63, 64, 65, 66,67,68, or 69... (although I can tell some sticks perform better.. and some taste better at different RH.. it just isnt all that important to me..)

 

[herfdog]

I can't decide between 65 and 70 so I aim for 67.

Right now my wino is at 68 where the hygrometer is. Not sure about the rh an inch farther or an inch upward.

 

[joe45]

To me it really depends on the cigars. I have several humidors and different humidity settings. In my experience, CC's will mold at 70% and do better at lower RH levels. Cigars with thick oily wrappers like ligas, also benefit from lower RH levels. Shade wrapped cigars or cigars that use well aged wrappers like Padrons seem to benefit from the higher end, 67-69%. Just my opinion based on my experience, I suggest you experiment a little and you may find one RH level for everything doesn't work.

I agree completely. It's not always practical to have different humidity levels, but there is a lot of truth in this.

All too complicated for me...

I shoot for 65...

But... if drops to 63... or spikes to 69.. I dont care.. I just leave it alone and keep on smoking... (for example.. the change of seasons, etc.. has recently caused a change in RH for me.. we're barely running the AC right now.. temps have increased.. ambient RH has increased, etc.. so my cabinet shot up from about 64 where it spent the late winter and early spring.. right now it sits at about 68...

In a couple of weeks, when we start running the AC constantly (AC will dry the air inside the house, temps inside the house will be cooler, etc..etc..), Im sure Ill see a 2-3% drop on my hygrometers... and.. again.. Ill do nothing.. and just keep on smoking..

If things get outside the 63-69 window.. Ill take measures to get RH back under control (either add DW.. or open the doors up for a bit and let things air out..)..

but other than that.. I just keep on smoking.. Doesnt matter if the cigar was stored at 63, 64, 65, 66,67,68, or 69... (although I can tell some sticks perform better.. and some taste better at different RH.. it just isnt all that important to me..)

Well said. I tend to follow a similar system, although with a smaller window. Every once in a while I need to remind myself that this is a hobby that we do for fun. When I get too upset over a percent or two it starts to not be as enjoyable. Sometimes you can't take it too seriously.

 

[Mr. McSquirelly]

So this afternoon I smoked a Davidoff Nicaraguan toro from the 65% humidor--last night I smoked a Davidoff Winston Churchill robusto from same humidor. Last night the cigar burned hot and dry. This led me to think there was something wrong with 65% humidity. However, the Davidoff today smoked amazing. It burned perfectly and tasted great. Then I smoked a RASS from my 70% Tupperdor. It was wet and didn't smoke well. LOL. Because each cigar is hand-rolled, perhaps the proper humidity level is particular to each cigar: one cigar smokes better at 65%, and then another at 70%.

 

[CSG123]

I find that about 70% works best for me, especially as I can't keep my cigars much warmer than 60-65 degrees. But, as we all know, each cigar, even from the same box/batch, is an individual thing. You can pull one out of the humidor and it burns great at 70% and the very next one would have preferred 65%.

 

[Mr. McSquirelly]

I find that about 70% works best for me, especially as I can't keep my cigars much warmer than 60-65 degrees. But, as we all know, each cigar, even from the same box/batch, is an individual thing. You can pull one out of the humidor and it burns great at 70% and the very next one would have preferred 65%.

So do you think ambient temperature can have an effect on a cigar? Will a cigar stored at 65% rH and, say, 72 degrees smoke different than a cigar stored at 70% rH and, say, 55 degrees? Perhaps that's the difference? Thanks for the input. BTW, I had the good fortune to be at a bar on the lower East Side. Big Jimmy Gandolfini was there. It was a Saturday afternoon and there were only a few local patrons in the bar. He bought every one in the bar two rounds and signed autographs. He was the greatest actor of our generation and a fantastic human being.

 

[Mathen]

Straight from the mouth of a highly respected manufacturer I was told that 65% rh is fine for long term storage, but stuff you smoke should be stored at 70%.


That said, with my own personal wineador, when I see it getting down around 65% I add water. At 70%, I dry it out a little. I figure my net average is around 67-68% at 64° F (where I keep the temp set)

 

[CSG123]

So do you think ambient temperature can have an effect on a cigar? Will a cigar stored at 65% rH and, say, 72 degrees smoke different than a cigar stored at 70% rH and, say, 55 degrees? Perhaps that's the difference? Thanks for the input. BTW, I had the good fortune to be at a bar on the lower East Side. Big Jimmy Gandolfini was there. It was a Saturday afternoon and there were only a few local patrons in the bar. He bought every one in the bar two rounds and signed autographs. He was the greatest actor of our generation and a fantastic human being.

I've read that there is a relationship between humidity and temp in your humidor where, to keep things equal, based on the 70/70 rule, if the temp is lower, the humidity *should* be higher and vice versa. I'm not that knowledgeable about the specifics but rather commenting based on my personal experience and from what I've seen written elsewhere.

A shame that Gandolfini died so young. He was indeed a great actor and, from what I understand, a great guy unaffected by his professional success.

 

[luckysaturn13]

This is like asking what came first the chicken or the egg? Lol I've kept boxes at 72 but now I use 65 s. I found out at any humidity all my cigars smoke the best when I dont let my b ovedas run dry!