Storing Habano's

[Nickerson]

I'm getting more interested in Habano's. I smoked my last 2 I had in my humidor this past week. Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill and Ramon Allones Specially Selected. Really are great flavored and smooth cigars. I noticed with the RyJ though, it had a small white patch on it and a bit of white on the foot. Part of the reason I smoked it was so it didn't get worse. I had some Fonseca's that I took out of my humi a couple months ago because it too had some white on it and quite a bit in the foot.

Are Habano's more prone to get mold? I keep my humidor at 67-68%. Is this too high for Habano's?

Dying to get my some Partagas Series D No.4 to try now. Would love to try a nice bolivar too. But before I do any buying I wana make sure its okay to store them in my current setup.

Thanks.

 

[BEN(SWEDEN)]

62-70 works good

 

[jwyatt55]

Sounds like mold to me. Try to lower your rh a bit. 70 is the max. I prefer 65

 

[Nickerson]

62-70 works good

Thank-you Ben. Just didn't know if I was storing them too high or something. They were the only 2 cigars I've ever had that had possible mold on them, and both were Habano's.

Now to choose what to buy... :agreesmil

 

[jmatkins]

Yea I keep both my hummis at about 60% and all of mine are fine!

 

[BEN(SWEDEN)]

My longtime aging is 62-63 and all the rest 67-70.

 

[U-Boat Commander]

I prefer 62-63% both long and short term.

 

[stogies&hoagies]

62 all the time for me.

 

[montecristo#2]

I keep my humidor between 60 and 65%. Seems to be better for NCs as well.

Definitely reduces draw problems and really prevents mold.

 

[icehog3]

62-63% for this considerable Cuban snob.

 

[Don Andres]

We like to keep our walk-in at 62-64%, no small task here in the tropics.

Cheers
Drew P

 

[njstone]

I keep most of my sticks around 65%, but these get closer to 60%. I have found fewer burn problems.

I think some cigars are more prone to mold than others. If you find any, be sure to WIPE IT OFF with a slightly damp cloth asap, and check the cigars nearby for the same problem. There is no need to smoke them right away, but you should wipe it off and check them regularly afterwards.

In the past couple months I've smoke 3 different cigars that I had previously wiped a considerable amount of mold off (more than a couple spots). I wiped them off, check them frequently for new "outbreaks," etc. Each of them ended up smoking excellent!

 

[Giants85]

I've always heard that CCs burn better at lower humidity (60-62) but why is that? Is it because they are often "fresher" than most NCs and need more time to settle down and rest?

 

[cmhicksusmc]

low to mid 60's is my advice.

 

[vivalanation734]

My Humi fluctuates between 60-64. Everything smokes pretty well with a day or so of dry boxing.

 

[Bull]

In the winter I bring them to 65
Summer is 60 or slightly below

Basically the rule of 130
70*/60 RH
65*/65 RH


At 60, I pick up flavors that are muttled at 65.

There are exceptions, to the rule, but not many

 

[Jwrussell]

What the Nut said, if you are getting mold at those RH numbers, something's up.

 

[ChazHollywood]

It sounds to me like your hygrometer might need calibration if you're getting mold at 67-68..... the VAST majority of molds need humidity levels at 70 and above to grow...

I'm thinking the same. That much mold activity at that humidity is unusual.

-Charles

 

[MiamiE]

I got a cooler at 68-70% but my cabinet is 63-65%. I like higher RH for aging. JMO.

 

[Ravenwood]

Not sure how you had these stored and what you used for humidification but when I started out I had this happen. Here was my set up...

300 count humidor with 1 tray and space for boxes underneath.
rectangle humidifiers (2) filled with distilled water only.
The humidifiers would not stay stuck to the lid so I placed them on a box under the tray.
RH was 68%

I got mold on two cigars sitting on the tray right above one of the rectangles.

Lessons learned:

Never use the foam rectangles without a 50/50 solution of distilled water and propylene glycol.

Switch to Heartfelt beads or Boveda packs. Chuck those piece of crap rectangles.

Leave adequate headspace between your humidfication device and the trays above. (Does not apply to Boveda packs, you can use those anywhere)

Hope this helps. If none of this applies to your situation, well then, move along...nothing to see here!:smokingme

RW