Humidity Beads - RH% Relative Humidity Question

[jefred]

Hello,  I want to know what your favorite humidity bead percentage is. I think it goes something like this:
 
60%
65%
68% (non Heartfelt beads)
70%
 
I'm thinking of goes with the 65% beads. I have pricing questions in at several retailers and I haven't heard back from them yet.
 
So what do you use? Have you tried other humidity levels and weren't happy with it? You answers are always appreciated. Thanks in advance. Cheers!
 
 

 

[tomthirtysix]

I use 66.6% beads.

 

[CBoukal]

65% and i would only buy from heartfelt period!   Customer service second to none.

 

[jefred]

I use 66.6% beads.

Who sells 66.6% beads?

65% and i would only buy from heartfelt period!   Customer service second to none.

I don't know how good their customer service is but they don't seem to have a telephone when I asked to speak to someone on the phone. So far I have been unimpressed with them. They won't even answer my emails to them asking them questions so it doesn't look like I will be using Heartfelt. 

 

[broblues]

It depends on how well your humidor seals.

 

[CBoukal]

65% and i would only buy from heartfelt period!   Customer service second to none.

I don't know how good their customer service is but they don't seem to have a telephone when I asked to speak to someone on the phone. So far I have been unimpressed with them. They won't even answer my emails to them asking them questions so it doesn't look like I will be using Heartfelt. 
 

It's a guy and his wife not a corporation with a customer service department.   I've never had an issue with them not E-mailing back within 24 hours so that's very strange.  

 

[jefred]

It depends on how well your humidor seals.

If my humidor had a seal problem I wouldn't be using it. Both of them are brand new and seal extremely tight. By the way if I may ask. What is your preference for humidity beads. In the reading that I've done it seems like the more seasoned cigar smokers prefer the 65%RH. I want to buy 3 pounds even though It only requires 1 pound because I'm going to place a nylon sack on each level so the humility is even all over. Thanks for the reply. Cheers!

 

[broblues]

I only use beads for dehumidification.  I use Boveda for humidification.

 

[jefred]

I only use beads for dehumidification.  I use Boveda for humidification.

OK thanks for the information. I'm aware of the Boveda packs and I know that there very popular. 

 

[tomthirtysix]

 

I use 66.6% beads.

Who sells 66.6% beads?
 

 
 
I bought them from Josh.

 

[BlindedByScience]

My $00.02 - don't make the mistake of lots of noobie guys and get too spun up about precise humidity control.  Get things running smoothly somewhere in the 63-68% range and you're golden.  There are guys that claim they can taste the difference in a point or two of RH and I think they are kidding themselves.  Get a good hygrometer, calibrate it, get some beads, don't worry about it.  My Staebell cabinet has a 2-3 point delta in RH as you go from the bottom of the cabinet to the top.  Guess what, my smokes are in great shape and I don't worry about it a bit....

 

[smokem]

My $00.02 - don't make the mistake of lots of noobie guys and get too spun up about precise humidity control.  Get things running smoothly somewhere in the 63-68% range and you're golden.  There are guys that claim they can taste the difference in a point or two of RH and I think they are kidding themselves.  Get a good hygrometer, calibrate it, get some beads, don't worry about it.  My Staebell cabinet has a 2-3 point delta in RH as you go from the bottom of the cabinet to the top.  Guess what, my smokes are in great shape and I don't worry about it a bit....

 
BBS is spot on here...DO NOT OVER THINK THIS!
 
You WILL drive yourself nuts over RH and Temp! Enjoy the cigars, not the mystique of the chase for the perfect home.
Also. if your humie calls for one pound of beads and you put three in it, you'll be smoking sponges! No matter how good they are, they can only release and absorb so much.
 
P.S. Heartfelt...no one better.  IMHO

 

[Kxthor911]

I have a pound of beads in my cooler and it holds rock steady. Heartfelt. It's actually. The cooler has worked better than any humidor I have bad so far.

 

[jefred]

I have a pound of beads in my cooler and it holds rock steady. Heartfelt. It's actually. The cooler has worked better than any humidor I have bad so far.

Thanks for the insight. I've heard that people really love the Coolidor. I've heard that adding more makes them "recover" faster after having the humidor open. Thanks again.

 

[arvee]

I like 65% beads.  I think 70% is too wet for smoking.  It would be OK by me for long-term storage however.

 

[BlindedByScience]

I like 65% beads.  I think 70% is too wet for smoking.  It would be OK by me for long-term storage however.

 
That's an opinion about a personal preference...which is fine, but it's only an opinion.
 
Round up a hundred experienced cigar smokers and ask them "...what's your preferred RH for cigars to be smoked...".  You'll get answers anywhere from 58% to 72%.  It's a known fact that the risk of mold increases exponentially over 70%, which is why most guys stay a couple points under that.

 

[jefred]

I like 65% beads.  I think 70% is too wet for smoking.  It would be OK by me for long-term storage however.

Thanks for the answer. I have a Cigar Star humidor and I'm using the Cross linked potassium polymer humidity beads at 70%RH and it's working quite well. I have outgrown my Cigar Star and recently purchased a Cuban Crafters Grande 600 Count Capacity Humidor and was told by a number of people that the Super Absorbent Polymer Gel doesn't work very well in the larger humidors so I'm trying the Silica gel now and I'll see how that works. My little cigar star holds 69%RH all the time and I rotate the cigars because it is full od cigars and not likely to be working at peak performance. I have had very little trouble with 70%RH but people tell me that the cigars don't burn evenly and go out when kept at 70%RH, which I must admit has happened to me a few times. Mostly the cigar goes out but they burn evenly. Anyway I'll let you know how everything works out. I have a tendency to ask a lot of questions and post a lot. Thanks again for the response.
 
AnaheimDennis 

 

[arvee]

 

I like 65% beads.  I think 70% is too wet for smoking.  It would be OK by me for long-term storage however.

 
That's an opinion about a personal preference...which is fine, but it's only an opinion.
 
Round up a hundred experienced cigar smokers and ask them "...what's your preferred RH for cigars to be smoked...".  You'll get answers anywhere from 58% to 72%.  It's a known fact that the risk of mold increases exponentially over 70%, which is why most guys stay a couple points under that.
 

 
This is true.  I though I qualified that well enough by the I think part.  The reduced chance of mold is a good point.

The fact of the matter is that Heartfelt beads work and work very very well.  1/2 pound in the coolerdor is what I run.  Never a question that the humidity is spot on provided you spritz the beads with distilled water before they dry out.  For me that time comes every other month or so.

 

[4cbln3]

 

I like 65% beads.  I think 70% is too wet for smoking.  It would be OK by me for long-term storage however.

Thanks for the answer. I have a Cigar Star humidor and I'm using the Cross linked potassium polymer humidity beads at 70%RH and it's working quite well. I have outgrown my Cigar Star and recently purchased a Cuban Crafters Grande 600 Count Capacity Humidor and was told by a number of people that the Super Absorbent Polymer Gel doesn't work very well in the larger humidors so I'm trying the Silica gel now and I'll see how that works. My little cigar star holds 69%RH all the time and I rotate the cigars because it is full od cigars and not likely to be working at peak performance. I have had very little trouble with 70%RH but people tell me that the cigars don't burn evenly and go out when kept at 70%RH, which I must admit has happened to me a few times. Mostly the cigar goes out but they burn evenly. Anyway I'll let you know how everything works out. I have a tendency to ask a lot of questions and post a lot. Thanks again for the response.
 
AnaheimDennis 
 

That sounds like it's too wet for your type of smoking style, unless you power hock your cigars. I have only 1 friend who can smoke through that wetness and he loves it. Over time, I've found that a lower RH suits my smoking style way better than when I first started. The burn and flavor actually become more pronounced for me. My .02

 

[Bayamos]

I use 66.6% beads.

 Don't you have have to lick the 65% beads to bring them up to 66.6.........