Dumb tobacco humidor question

[Levallois]

Got out my uncle's humidor - it's not anything expensive and I like it's simplicity. Is the small round "stone" at the top interior part of the lid for humidity? If so. then I'm assuming you wet this? Do you take it off to be wetted or do you wet it in place? Will regular water be ok? Thanks!

John

 

[Levallois]

Here are photos of the humidor and what must be the humidifier in the lid

 

[Kid Mac]

Hi, John.

Nice humidor/pipe stand! The stone is sometimes referred to as Aztec stone or Aztec clay. Some smokers remove the stone and soak it for about thirty minutes so that every nook and cranny of the porous stone absorbs water. If you decide to wet the stone, I recommend using distilled water to avoid the minerals found in tap water.

You might consider purchasing a couple of humidifier disks (or "pouch moisteners") and tossing them in with your tobacco. They are small aluminum disks filled with an absorbing medium (same principle); they're the size of a quarter and 5/8 inch thick. Cost about .75 US. If the humidor's seal isn't tight, you'll be wetting that stone frequently. Disks are easy to manage -- and you avoid possibly damaging the humidor.

Mac

 

[Levallois]

Thanks Mac - that's exactly what I needed to know!

 

[quickerNu]

Classy setup there! :eusa_clap

 

[LocktownDog]

Or do as my grandpa did ... put a half an apple in the jar. Kept his Prince Albert at just the right humidity somehow.

 

[Levallois]

Half an apple? Interesting idea. How long before it needed to be replaced?

 

[rmrdaddy]

No disrespect intended to LocktownDog's Grandfather, but I'd steer clear of the fruit in the humidor route.
It's darn near impossible to determine exactly how much moisture is in any natural product. You'd never be able to control the actual RH in the jar, and if there were any worms or bug larvae in a particular piece of fruit, they'd be hatching in your pipe tobacco. You could even have mold to deal with depending on the climactic conditions in your particular neck of the woods.

I'd say remove that disk, soak in it distilled water for 10 mins or so, and then reinstall. If you keep a calibrated digital hygrometer in the jar, you'll remove any and all guesswork from your setup. Pipe tobacco is inexpensive in the long run, but I still prefer not to waste a pinch of it if I can help it.

 

[LocktownDog]

Hey ... I didn't say I'd try it. Its just what the old man did. Must have been doing something right though, as he smoked and drank all of his adult life and lived until he was 93. Maybe apple worms in your burley is a live-giving nectar!

 

[rmrdaddy]

You may have a point there!

I get some sentiment from others on occasion when they see me smoking a cigar, bad for your health, etc...
I go the George Burns route...""If I had taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I wouldn't have lived to go to his funeral."

Care to join me for an apple grub Locktown?

 

[daizawaguy]

Nice stand!