Tuperdore 65% or 62% Boveda? Spanish Cedar plank?

[JVZ(El Jeffé/Don Jefé)]

I am just getting started and have a small collection of 11 sticks so far. I'll will of course smoke some and add as I deplete my stock. Looking to get up to 25ish or so sticks for now. I am a very occasional smoker as of late. Some I will sit on longer than others. Not particularly concerned about aging, although a couple may sit for a year possibly.

I have an air tight Rubbermaid Brilliance 9.6 cup set up. Right now I have a 65% Boveda in there, but I'm thinking of going to 62% because of it being airtight and I've heard they run 2-3% higher due to the airtight environment. I do not have a hygrometer yet. I want to be able to just grab one and smoke and not worry about dry boxing. A set it and forget it kind of deal.

Also I'm considering getting a 1/8 inch Spanish cedar plank, drill a few holes in it and place it on the bottom with the Boveda pack underneath. If I do this do I need to season it like a regular humidor?

Looking for opinions and your experiences. Room I keep them in is roughly 68-70 degrees give or take. I'm in Minnesota. Am I overthinking this or have I gone down the 🕳

 

[thinde]

I know a guy who maintains pretty much what you describe. He has a couple of different sizes of Tupperware and he uses 65% beads and he switches up which Tupperware he uses depending on the sticks he has on hand. He has, or should I say, his wife has, no interest in collecting mass quantities of cigars. It works for him and obviously her too.

 

[hydro-terp]

See my post here with links. Its a nice little set up.

I dont think those trays will fit your container. I think your plan is fine. You could find a wood box at you local B&M that could fit inside if you like. Slider top boxes have lids that completely slide out and you could use those to line the bottom of your container if you like.

Edit: I just seen your last question. I would look at what the ambient humidity is where you live. Unless its kiln dried wood you might just be able to leave it outside for a couple days to get it ready for the container. Right now in my basement it isnt far off of 65.

HT

 

[lucasbuck]

You will definitely be better off with 62% Boveda in a tupperdor.

 

[BlindedByScience]

....opinions are worth what you pay for them, so here comes mine....

Before I had my cabinet, I ran three coolers. My personal opinion is cedar in a tupperdore or cooler is nothing more than a waste of humidified space. Use the space for cigars, not wood. Sure, the wood will ballast the humidity somewhat, but in a tightly sealed container, it's just not a big issue. Some guys like it, which is fine, but humidified space is valuable and I've always tried to maximize it.

As far as humidity goes, ask a bunch of seasoned cigar smokers what they prefer. You're going to get answers from 58% to 75% or higher. None of them are 'wrong'. We know for a fact that at about 60% and below, the oils will slowly start to crystallize our of your cigars and that can't be reversed, even if the cigar is re-humidified. We also know the risk of mold goes up fast over about 70%. RH is a very personal preference, and is somewhat dependent on what you're smoking. I also know that fretting over a point or two in RH, is IMHO madness that will lead to 'humidor psychosis".... It just doesn't matter. Day to day your cigars are quite hygroscopic and won't dry out or moisten up in the short term. It's the long term average where the money is. So...what to do..?? In a sealed environment like a tupperdore or a cooler, the RH will be very steady. 62% or 65% or 68% Bovida's will work fine. Again, personal preference. I'd personally run things in the 65-68% range, and would dry box a cigar before smoking if that was indicated by lousy burn or restricted draw. Two or three days in my desk drawer isn't uncommon if I've got a box that is drawing hard or burning crazy. That's where my cabinet runs (65-68%) and things all smoke wonderfully.

Lastly, with regards to RH...how do you know..?? You've got to get a salt test calibrated hygrometer in the storage so you're making reasonably accurate measurements. The little Govee hygros are very inexpensive and are great in that you don't have to open your storage to check RH. There are others, but bang for the buck, I think these are the ticket. I've got one in a little desktop, and three in my cabinet (top, middle, bottom). I salt test them every time I replace the battery, which goes 2-3 years, easily. One source:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07R586J37/?th=1

TLDR: - Don't worry about putting wood in your tupperdore, get and calibrate a good hygrometer, and throw a couple Bovida's in there. Honestly, it's really just that simple.

As I'm fond of saying.....one man's opinion...

 

[JVZ(El Jeffé/Don Jefé)]

See my post here with links. Its a nice little set up.

I dont think those trays will fit your container. I think your plan is fine. You could find a wood box at you local B&M that could fit inside if you like. Slider top boxes have lids that completely slide out and you could use those to line the bottom of your container if you like.

Edit: I just seen your last question. I would look at what the ambient humidity is where you live. Unless its kiln dried wood you might just be able to leave it outside for a couple days to get it ready for the container. Right now in my basement it isnt far off of 65.

HT

This was very helpful! Thank you!

 

[JVZ(El Jeffé/Don Jefé)]

You will definitely be better off with 62% Boveda in a tupperdor.

This is what I'm learning towards. Thank you! Will roll with the 65% I have in there now and probably swap out in a month or 2. I like the idea of not having to dry box. I want to just grab and go! Not that I couldn't do that with with 65%.

 

[JVZ(El Jeffé/Don Jefé)]

....opinions are worth what you pay for them, so here comes mine....

Before I had my cabinet, I ran three coolers. My personal opinion is cedar in a tupperdore or cooler is nothing more than a waste of humidified space. Use the space for cigars, not wood. Sure, the wood will ballast the humidity somewhat, but in a tightly sealed container, it's just not a big issue. Some guys like it, which is fine, but humidified space is valuable and I've always tried to maximize it.

As far as humidity goes, ask a bunch of seasoned cigar smokers what they prefer. You're going to get answers from 58% to 75% or higher. None of them are 'wrong'. We know for a fact that at about 60% and below, the oils will slowly start to crystallize our of your cigars and that can't be reversed, even if the cigar is re-humidified. We also know the risk of mold goes up fast over about 70%. RH is a very personal preference, and is somewhat dependent on what you're smoking. I also know that fretting over a point or two in RH, is IMHO madness that will lead to 'humidor psychosis".... It just doesn't matter. Day to day your cigars are quite hygroscopic and won't dry out or moisten up in the short term. It's the long term average where the money is. So...what to do..?? In a sealed environment like a tupperdore or a cooler, the RH will be very steady. 62% or 65% or 68% Bovida's will work fine. Again, personal preference. I'd personally run things in the 65-68% range, and would dry box a cigar before smoking if that was indicated by lousy burn or restricted draw. Two or three days in my desk drawer isn't uncommon if I've got a box that is drawing hard or burning crazy. That's where my cabinet runs (65-68%) and things all smoke wonderfully.

Lastly, with regards to RH...how do you know..?? You've got to get a salt test calibrated hygrometer in the storage so you're making reasonably accurate measurements. The little Govee hygros are very inexpensive and are great in that you don't have to open your storage to check RH. There are others, but bang for the buck, I think these are the ticket. I've got one in a little desktop, and three in my cabinet (top, middle, bottom). I salt test them every time I replace the battery, which goes 2-3 years, easily. One source:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07R586J37/?th=1

TLDR: - Don't worry about putting wood in your tupperdore, get and calibrate a good hygrometer, and throw a couple Bovida's in there. Honestly, it's really just that simple.

As I'm fond of saying.....one man's opinion...

Thank you for taking the time to write that out! Mucho appreciated! Gives me some things to thing about! This was very helpful! A govee will be my next purchase before even another cigar!

 

[BlindedByScience]

Thank you for taking the time to write that out! Mucho appreciated! Gives me some things to thing about! This was very helpful! A govee will be my next purchase before even another cigar!

You're welcome..!! Tons of threads on salt testing your hygro. It's actually very easy. Establish the test environment, give it at least 24 hours. I get far more consistent results in a mason jar or an old mayo jar than I do with ziplock bags.....

 

[mayor79]

I've got 65% Bovedas in my tuperdor and it runs pretty steady at 66.5-67% rH. If your preference is 65% I'd probably go with the 62 packs.