Humidor Question...

[Johnnysan]

I recently decided to purchase a humidor so that I could keep a few of my favorite cigars on hand. I settled on a small Reed & Barton case that was being sold as a factory second on eBay and that arrived without any paperwork. This is photo of the humidification element in the lid:

I have a few questions that will sadly illustrate my ignorance of fine cigars...

1. What (if anything) do I do with the humidifier? Does it need to be charged with water (or something else) from time to time?
2. What is the optimum humidity level for storage?
3. Should the cigars be stored in the plastic sleeve in which they were purchased or should the sleeve be removed?

Thanks for helping with my education!!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Well ...

Most humidifiers need to be charged from time to time. I use distilled water. I know there are some solutions you can buy that apparently are better. You might want to check online for the company who made your humidifier. They often have instructions on their websites.

I try to keep the humidity in my humidor at around 70%. Quite safe.

I keep the cigars in their wrapper, but i know many people who do not. I find the wrapper helps protect from damage from the inevitable rolling around when moving the humidor.

I have no idea if what i do is "correct" but it seems to work.

Happy smoking ... Weather's picking up again.

bk

 

[Burma Shave]

I need a humidor myself...

...but until I find one I really like, I've been using a thick-walled old cigar box with good results. It has a tight-fitting lid, so keeps things nicely steamy. I put a humidifier inside, as well as a hygrometer, and it works like a charm. I, too, try to keep humidity around 70 percent, and I try to keep the thing in the warmest room of the house, around 75 degrees.

Yes, you do need to use distilled water in the humidifier. Tap water has too many impurities that can harm your equipment as it evaporates -- much as a tea kettle eventually developes "scale" or other deposits from the water.

As for the plastic wrappers on cigars: I usually remove them to allow the cigars to breathe better. I don't know if that's the best way to do it or not, though.

 

[Bebop]

I keep my cigars at around 70-72%. I do not keep my cigars wrapped. I like to get a touch of cedar scent from the humidor into the tobacco. I use distilled water and charge it when it gets below 70%. I had a humidor that needed extra humidity so I would wet paper towles and place them inside the humidor to keep it at the appropriate humidity. Quite crude but it did the trick. After a few smokes, you will know if you have the right humidity.

 

[zeus36]

Here are some instructions from a website selling Reed and Barton humidors:

http://www.cigarfamily.com/diamond_crown_handbook_insiders_guide.html


be sure to click on the "curing" instructions at the bottom of the page.

 

[scotrace]

You'll have better success charging the humidification device with 50-50 solution, available at any good tobacconist's. It's 50% distilled water (never use tap water in a humidor as the minerals will stain it) and 50% propylene glycol. This stuff provides moisture for the air inside and also allows the humidifier to absorb excess moisture if needed, so the humidity level stays at a constant 68 - 72%.
In the celophane or out is a matter of preference, just like smoking the cigar with the band on or off. I like to remove the plastic, leave the band on.
The key thing is that you have a humidor and can stop stashing them in the fridge with the carrots.

 

[Johnnysan]

Great advice, gentlemen...

My thanks to all who responded. I charged the humidifier with distilled water and the humidity is now at +70%. Prior to that, the reading was about 60% and my smokes were starting to get a bit crunchy. :eusa_doh:

I'll pick up some of the 50-50 solution and special thanks to zeus for pointing me to the curing instructions. My humidor was not properly prepared prior to use, but I intend to correct that soon. Again, many thanks!!

 

[Adam_H]

J-San:

Distilled water is good for the time being.

Before you waste money on 50/50 at a tobacco shop, you should know that you can sometimes find pure propylene glycol at a drugstore at a fraction of the price, and blend it half-and-half with distilled water. (You should also know before you ask for it that druggists sell propylene glycol for laxative purposes.) Ask the pharmacist.
Like Scotrace said, the PG helps regulate the humidity, and once you pour the PG solution into the humidifier, it remains there for good; you'll only need to add plain distilled water in the future.

The magic number of 70 is generally correct: 70% humidity, and around 70 degrees F.

HOWEVER... If you are truly vintage in not only your fashion and haberdashery but also in your, ahem, recognition of that island just south of Miami, aficianados of Habanos cigars will tell you that their contraban does much better in a humidity of 60 to 65%. (Habanas are rolled a bit tighter, and their quality does not depend on over-saturating them.)

Even with non-Cuban puros, many cigar smokers find any humidity level above 70 gives you nothing but a soaking wet stick that's too hard to draw. Experiment, and have fun.

 

[RedPop4]

I keep all my cigars between 65% and 68% if I can help it. Of course living in the New Orleans area, even with a good seal, this is tough to maintain. I've often kept cigars OUT of the humi in ziplock bags, they are sometime over-humidified. I do find that cigars kept over 70% don't draw well, and have burn problems many times.

The 70/70 ideal is just that, an ideal, and in my experience too "wet." It sounds good, and is easy to remember though, isn't it?

The old "cello on/cello off" debate. lol lol lol There are as many threads on cigar bbs arguing or discussing cello on/cello off as any other topics combined. It's very much to one's personal preferrence. Many good people advocate for both, and most of them have good, valid reasons for their belief. For the most part, I leave the cigar as I acquired it. If it's in a cellophane sleeve, it stays in it. If it comes "naked" it stays "naked." If it was naked and wrapped in plastic wrap for the trip, then I take off that plastic wrap.

If it has a Cameroon wrapper, I often wrap those myself or store them in ziplock since Cameroon is so brittle to begin with.

I hope you enjoy your new humidor.

 

[Johnnysan]

A wealth of knowledge...

Sadly, the closest I've ever come to Cuba is Cuba, Illinois...which is not known for it's cigars! At present, my smokes of choice have been Macanudo Gold Labels and Ashton 8-9-8s. I prefer a lighter smoke in a lonsdale size and have been extremely pleased with the quality of both of these.

Sounds like proper humidification is the key...how does one regulate over-humidification that creeps into the mid-70's range? Is it as simple as opening the humidor for awhile and allowing it to dry out a bit? [huh]

(You should also know before you ask for it that druggists sell propylene glycol for laxative purposes.)

This is good news for the frugal...one purchase, two uses!!

 

[Adam_H]

LOL. Don't mix those uses up, or you will.... [fill in your favorite joke here.]

...[H]ow does one regulate over-humidification that creeps into the mid-70's range?

The PG solution will regulate it for you. It will absorb excess moisture and release it when needed. Not perfectly accurate, but much better than plain H2O.

 

[Johnnysan]

Thanks, Adam! Off to the pharmacist for some laxative now... lol

 

[zeus36]

Gotta tell you that the best humidor is a Tupperware container ! I know it looks pretty cheap but it is airtight. I have one that I put INSIDE of a vintage wooden humidor.

 

[RedPop4]

Of course if you stock keeps growing, you'll have to graduate to a coolerdor....that's right, using an ice chest.

 

[John in Covina]

Bug hatching versus freezer.

The British like to keep them closer to 65% and the 70 degrees is tough to keep but it keeps the tobacco beetles from hatching. To prevent such bug destruction many opt to put their cigars in the freezer for a couple of days and thaw slowly. The eggs, larve or full grown beetle cannot survive the freezing temps. After the frezzer there are no worries.

 

[warbird]

The British like to keep them closer to 65% and the 70 degrees is tough to keep but it keeps the tobacco beetles from hatching. To prevent such bug destruction many opt to put their cigars in the freezer for a couple of days and thaw slowly. The eggs, larve or full grown beetle cannot survive the freezing temps. After the frezzer there are no worries.

Beetles don't hatch till your cigars get to 73 to 75 degrees and over 70% humidity. Its the temp though that hatches beetles.

It is also useless to put cigars in a freezer to kill beetles unless you have a restaurant quality freezer or access to one. Most home freezers dont come anywhere close to the temp required to freeze beetles. Also this process must be done carefully, otherwise the freezing and thawing kills the oils in the cigars and you might as well be smoking dog rockets at that point.

If you do freeze them, you thaw them slowly in the fridge over a couple of weeks then in a cool temp humi before raising the temp and the humidity. Check out a bulletin board like cigarweekly.com to find out how to do this properly.