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Suggestions?

Miami Matt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2016
Messages
216
A while back I picked up some 2008 Monte #3's and I recently have smoked a few with high hopes but I've been disappointed. They each have started out with a somewhat tight draw and a simple grassy smoke. After strugging through the first 3/4 of the stick they start to open up and finally at the end a much better taste but overall it has been frustrating. They are around 67 humidity. I really think they should be better than what I am experiencing. Basically boring until the very end... Too dry? Not dry enough? Should I just put them back for a while? Any suggestions? Thanks...
 
Great!
Also, not “every” box of Cuban cigars is perfect... I have had my share of duds, although since about 2002 it is very infrequent, maybe 1 out of 50 boxes... They could have also been mistreated before you got them. Buying aged cigars is a gamble sometimes.
I hope the dryboxing fixes the problem, please let us know if there is a difference.
 
My Staebell varies a point or two from top to bottom. Been running the set point @ 65% and been quite happy with how it works out. Still need to dry box some sticks, however. Bill's point is on the money. Worth getting a small desktop and keeping it running with 60-62% Bovidas or beads, just for sticks you want to smoke in the next few days.
 
So based on this I brought the humidity down in my cc humidor (I keep cc and nc cigars in separate humidors) to around 66% and set up a dry box at around 61%. Since my ambient humidity in S. Fl. Is usually higher my humidifiers are really "controlled de-humidifiers".

Anyway after four days in the dry box I tried one of the Monte's that weren't smoking so well and the difference was marked! I'm thinking a few days more might be better still.

@CigSid, thank you!

A couple further questions if I may - is there a maximum number of days you would leave a stick in the dry box? Understood that it is not for long term storage but if you put a few cigars in and then for whatever reason don't get to them do you just leave them there or would you eventually pull them back out?

Also is there an age that you dry box cc's after or do younger cigars also benefit from it at times? Of course it varies by the cigar but is it also a function of the cigars age? Or, do you not smoke younger cigars? ;-)

Anyway, thanks to all!
 
i would like to add to his questions if possible. Do you need a separate dry box for CC and NC?
 
Matt there isn't any significant difference between 67 and 66% for long term storage. I wouldn't worry that you were running at 67. During the summer when the cooling function starts to kick in , I run anywhere from 67-69% because of the condensation. In the winter when the heat starts I start to add water to keep it above the 65% range.

Bill is spot on when it comes to their profiles and aging. Buying aged cigars are problematic if you can't verify the sources storage. My issues with dry boxing have to do with selection. I'm too lazy to figure out what I want to smoke from day to day let alone for a week. I will say this I have two desk humidors down south and they are in the 60-65% range and the cigars do smoke evenly and I have not had any tight draws from either humidor.

This is for Thoughts, I keep CC separate from the NC in the desk tops. In my cabinet and coolers I don't segregate them. Like in all things YMMV.
 
Matt there isn't any significant difference between 67 and 66% for long term storage. I wouldn't worry that you were running at 67. During the summer when the cooling function starts to kick in , I run anywhere from 67-69% because of the condensation. In the winter when the heat starts I start to add water to keep it above the 65% range.

Bill is spot on when it comes to their profiles and aging. Buying aged cigars are problematic if you can't verify the sources storage. My issues with dry boxing have to do with selection. I'm too lazy to figure out what I want to smoke from day to day let alone for a week. I will say this I have two desk humidors down south and they are in the 60-65% range and the cigars do smoke evenly and I have not had any tight draws from either humidor.

This is for Thoughts, I keep CC separate from the NC in the desk tops. In my cabinet and coolers I don't segregate them. Like in all things YMMV.
Thank you!
 
So based on this I brought the humidity down in my cc humidor (I keep cc and nc cigars in separate humidors) to around 66% and set up a dry box at around 61%. Since my ambient humidity in S. Fl. Is usually higher my humidifiers are really "controlled de-humidifiers".

Anyway after four days in the dry box I tried one of the Monte's that weren't smoking so well and the difference was marked! I'm thinking a few days more might be better still.

@CigSid, thank you!

A couple further questions if I may - is there a maximum number of days you would leave a stick in the dry box? Understood that it is not for long term storage but if you put a few cigars in and then for whatever reason don't get to them do you just leave them there or would you eventually pull them back out?

Also is there an age that you dry box cc's after or do younger cigars also benefit from it at times? Of course it varies by the cigar but is it also a function of the cigars age? Or, do you not smoke younger cigars? ;-)

Anyway, thanks to all!

Glad it made a difference!!

I wouldn’t keep them in the dry box for more than a month... after this the oils will start dissipating... Thr newer cigars need a bit more drying out, and I would experiment with aging, testing the new boxes every few months...
 
Glad it made a difference!!

I wouldn’t keep them in the dry box for more than a month... after this the oils will start dissipating... Thr newer cigars need a bit more drying out, and I would experiment with aging, testing the new boxes every few months...

Thanks, I'm not really organized enough to plan out exactly what I will smoke in a week but anything in there would get smoked within a couple weeks or so.

Interesting that the newer ones need more but it makes sense.

FWIW all mine came from reutable known dealers not individuals so I have reasonable confidence that they were never abused.

The information is appreciated - thanks!
 
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