Humidor RH at 64%

[DainiusTheNovice]

Hey guys so as you know from my introduction I am new to cigars but have been doing alot of reading lately. Right now I am having trouble getting my humidor up to 70% and is sitting at 64%. It is winter up here in Canada so the air is much dryer. I have 4 boveda 72 packs in there with a shot of distilled water and it is still oly got up to 64% so I order another 4 packs of boveda 75. But now that I've been reading into this more it seems alot of people like having there RH set around the 65% mark. My question to you guys is what do you have your humidors set to? Is there a difference in flavour from 65% to 70% or does all it affect is the burn of the cigar ?

 

[memphsdad]

@sofc please advise

 

[konmtu]

I'm not an expert, but mid-60's in temp and rH is what most seem to prefer. I would say that it is a concern that four 72% Bovedas won't pull the rH any higher than 64%. Are you using a calibrated digital hygrometer? The analogs are very reliable.

 

[Swerve]

@sofc please advise

Ara gets his fix for rh questions

 

[DainiusTheNovice]

I'm not an expert, but mid-60's in temp and rH is what most seem to prefer. I would say that it is a concern that four 72% Bovedas won't pull the rH any higher than 64%. Are you using a calibrated digital hygrometer? The analogs are very reliable.

I borrowed the humidor from my cousin which has a digital hygrometer built into it he did calibrated when he got it last year. My next step right now is buy a separate hygrometer and makING sure the built in one is working properly.

 

[NOGILLS2]

From everything I have read accepted range is 65 to 75% RH. That being said many have settled on 65% because they have found their sticks burn better. So you will have to experiment some. The main concern are preventing beetles and ruining cigars, buy being too wet or to dry. I have an igloo cooler 25 quart (small) and it runs 68 to 72%. I use kitty litter as a humidifier, not just any KL but crystals, (you can research different brands that will work, much cheaper than heartfelt beads). There are a few posts on here on how to build a cooler.
Also temp is important below 70 degrees prevents beetle hatch. also mold is another concern.
There are several books that also teach the process, I am reading "The complete idiot's guide to cigars" which will give you a great foundation. It will also teach you about cigars in general.
Welcome to the asylum!
ps. I have a small cooler, many have said it is too small, but I am resisting "CAS" (Cigar Acquisition Syndrome), where you buy everything you can. I only smoke a few sticks a week, so there is no need to have several thousand sticks at hand. I usually have less than a hundred on hand. I am a collector at heart, but I have resisted it successfully the past few years.

 

[klovett]

I keep my wino at 65/65. Chances are that the hygro is off. The boveda packs are some of the most accurate 2-way humidity you can get. As Jon mentioned, @sofc , the resident RH know all, will be by shortly.

 

[sofc]

I can't stopppp, I need an intervention.


Humidity within the range of 60-72 is a matter of preference (if heat is not too high.)

If bovedas are not dry, it usually means your hygrometers are off. If cigars are smoking fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[DainiusTheNovice]

From everything I have read accepted range is 65 to 75% RH. That being said many have settled on 65% because they have found their sticks burn better. So you will have to experiment some. The main concern are preventing beetles and ruining cigars, buy being too wet or to dry. I have an igloo cooler 25 quart (small) and it runs 68 to 72%. I use kitty litter as a humidifier, not just any KL but crystals, (you can research different brands that will work, much cheaper than heartfelt beads). There are a few posts on here on how to build a cooler.
Also temp is important below 70 degrees prevents beetle hatch. also mold is another concern.
There are several books that also teach the process, I am reading "The complete idiot's guide to cigars" which will give you a great foundation. It will also teach you about cigars in general.
Welcome to the asylum!
ps. I have a small cooler, many have said it is too small, but I am resisting "CAS" (Cigar Acquisition Syndrome), where you buy everything you can. I only smoke a few sticks a week, so there is no need to have several thousand sticks at hand. I usually have less than a hundred on hand. I am a collector at heart, but I have resisted it successfully the past few years.

Yea I keep my humidor in the basement and a couple of days ago the tempeture reached 73 so I clogged up all the vents in the basement to make it cooler down there and it worked now it is sitting right around 68. I may have to pick that book up and give it a read. Thanks! I am having a hard time resisting buying all the cigars I can, even at the insane prices there at in Canada. I've done okay so far I've only bought 20 house blend cigars a couple alec bradleys, my father, arturo, monti cristo, ryj, macaundo oh I also got a couple fake cubans as you can see from my earlier thread. But I do smoke everyday so I smoke less ciggarettes which I hope to quit right after my trip to mexico next month.

 

[VeLoRoK]

You might also have a crappy humidor that won't hold RH, or maybe it's unseasoned.

 

[Shooting4life]

I don't see the problem, 64% is perfect smoking rh

 

[MyFathersKeeper]

I need an intervention

No use. You'll relapse. We'll start seeing a @cfos pulling up 3 yr old threads on Puff just to get your fix.

-------

For the original Q, don't be overly concerned with 65%, if that is accurate. They'll smoke & age just fine at that rh. Get a Xicar digital hygro and you won't have to guess.

 

[DainiusTheNovice]

You might also have a crappy humidor that won't hold RH, or maybe it's unseasoned.

I seasoned it my self because it hasn't been used in about a year and I know he paid about $400 CAD for the humidor and he researches stuff before he buys anything I can be pretty sure it's not a crappy humidor? But it may have a leak I just don't know how to check for that.

 

[konmtu]

Close the lid on a dollar bill (not a loonie) and pull it out. There should be some resistance to the pull. Not overly resistant but not easy, either.

 

[JG358]

Rh at 64% is fine in my book.

How big is the humidor? I would think that with 4 Boveda 72 packs and a shot of distilled water, it would either have to be a fairly large humidor or have to leak a lot to not be able to stabilize at or above 65% rh.

 

[icehog3]

I seasoned it my self because it hasn't been used in about a year and I know he paid about $400 CAD for the humidor and he researches stuff before he buys anything I can be pretty sure it's not a crappy humidor? But it may have a leak I just don't know how to check for that.

Put a mini flashlight in it, close it and turn out the lights. You should see any obvious leaks.

 

[sofc]

If you're losing humidity, the bovedas would be dry.

 

[redneck_toy]

64/64 is where I keep my wineador

 

[DainiusTheNovice]

If you're losing humidity, the bovedas would be dry.

I just bought them last week. Is that possible?

 

[DainiusTheNovice]

Rh at 64% is fine in my book.

How big is the humidor? I would think that with 4 Boveda 72 packs and a shot of distilled water, it would either have to be a fairly large humidor or have to leak a lot to not be able to stabilize at or above 65% rh.

25-50 CT. I am going to check for leaks tonight or tomorrow morning since I'm not working yay!