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I'm experimenting with higher RH ranges

B

badhangover

New Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
701
I live in an arid environment that I believe is technically classified as desert and is only lush with greenery as a result of our rampant water thefts from distant areas. This dryness wrecks havoc at times with my cigar enjoyment.

I typically maintain my humidor(s) within the 61-63 RH range. This summer, weary of cracking wrappers and harsh smoke, I have upped that to a 66-67 RH ambient range. I am pleasantly enjoying the resulting difference (and may continue to experiment with slightly higher ranges).

I am smoking an ERdM Choix Supreme as I type this. The wrapper is captivating in its supple silkiness. The smoke is cooler (less harsh) to my taste. Admittedly, the smoke flavor is a bit more muted when smoked completely orally. However, it is my habit to nasally exhale as much as I am comfortably able to. I find I am able to exhale significantly more through my nasal passages with the higher RH level (and its cooler smoke). The resulting extra volume of smoke is releasing a symphony of flavors - more so than I am accustomed to. As a bonus, for the "ash purists" out there, the ash seems firmer in its hold. Ash seems to tenaciously hold onto the cigar (I prefer to ash somewhat often) at the higher RH range.

I hypothesize my findings with analogies of dried food(s). Moisture content does dilute flavor, to be sure. But it also allows for flavor to be appreciated in intricate nuances as well. Dried fruit is a smack in the face of sweet and tart zing, but does not compare to the lush flavors of a juicy apricot. Beef jerkey (no matter how high of quality) versus a juicy steak, well..... that speaks for itself.

One must be careful not to increase their RH level to a point that results in cigars too difficult to draw through. Too much moisture can occlude the air passages of a cigar. Nor is it fun to smoke a "wet sponge" difficult to keep lit. That in itself can result in a harsh cigar from burning too hot (in attempt to remain lit).

Back to my cigar(s). :thumbs:
 
Very nice.

Have you kept another ERDM CS in a differnt location for comparison? Say at your origianl humidity?
 
Yes, I have had the opportunity to compare the two ranges. I now store the bulk of my inventory in a recently acquired cabinet humidor which I now store at the aforementioned higher RH range. My desktop humidors, however, still remain at the lower ranges. None of them are cooled (I have since retired my use of wine coolers and transferred their inventory into my "new" cabinet), however, and so their temperatures are maintained at the level I am comfortably able to keep the air conditioner running at. Ideally, I would love to keep all my inventory in the low 60's Fahrenheit, but that is a $5,000 or so purchase away to procure a comparably sized temperature controlled cabinet humidor.

I find the flavors more condensed at the lower RH ranges. More pronounced and less nuanced. This may be favorable if smoking a somewhat "bland" cigar such as a Quai d'Orsay, but even a mild cigar such as an ERdM is flavorful enough for me to appreciate its nuances in a more subtle presentation. Also, it has been my habit of several years to adhere to the contemporary mantra of lower RH that I am pleasurably reacquainted with the enjoyment of silky wrappers.

This is all, of course, subjective to individual tastes - but I am finding great pleasure in this "forced" experimentation with higher RH levels. Perhaps it is only a summer phenomenon for me. Time and further experimentation will tell.
 
Raymond,

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I've long preferred cigars in the 65-67% and even 70% in some cases. You've really stepped into a minefield here as I regard "low humidity is always best for Habanos" as much folklore as based on experience. This is one of those explorations that if even attempted, is often attempted with a sense of futility from the outset.

I have to clarify one point though. Moisture will not occlude or close off smoke channels. Moisture will cause the filler leaf to swell slightly and may pinch off the marginal, small channels. That's what can result in tighter draws in some cigars. Cigars that have looser fill and larger channels may exhibit little to no meaningful moisture-induced draw tightening.

In contrast to your finding on "bland" cigars, I've found as often as not that a little extra humidity can fill out the flavors of an otherwise papery cigar.

Keep up the good work. Yours may be the first significant empirical observations on the matter but I hope that it will not be the last.

BTW, a final general comment is that although cigar enjoyment is a subjective experience which is a function of a great many in-the-head and environmental factors, that does not mean we cannot and should not attempt to discuss it. I firmly believe it is not impossible to find some commonality in language and experience that can bridge my experience to yours. If it were impossible, then the mantra "smoke what you like, like what you smoke" becomes a testament to a lonely endeavor indeed.

Your fellow contrarian,
Wilkey
 
Nice finding! I tend to keep my vino temp as close to 67/67 as possible. I find cigars burn cooler and stay well lit even in this RH zone. I don't ever get cracked wrapper problems, either, at this RH. I've found that a higher RH and a slower draw means more flavors, for me at least.
 
badhangover,

I went fishing for some comments in a thread about RH and Wilkey and I found a little common ground on this topic. Personally, I age my cigars at a higher RH and smoke most around 67-70% RH...only about one quarter of my cigars are under 65% RH. I have always subscribed to the theory that a little more humidity smoothes out the flavor in most cigars.

Great observations on your part....the more you experiment with your cigar's living conditions the more you will realize their ever changing potential.
 
I've developed a fairly simple method for the wide variety of cigars. I store at 65% and dry-box as needed. Seems to work for most cigars now that I've played with it for a couple years.
 
Lots of good info here and in other posts. I have read through quite few post dealing with tasting and how one should go about it. I read with keen interest about super tasters and the like. To me it seems that I get a much more "flavor" when smoking alone and by going slow. I would tend to guess this is because I have more time to process the data being gathered. I, however, was wondering what the majority of you did to help develop your palate.

Sorry for the semi thread jack

Brandon
 
Mindful smoking with the objective of building tasting experience and skill involves two things, Brandon.

1) be attentive to the aromas you experience and work to make connections to other things you have smelled or tasted

2) take notes

Wilkey
 
badhangover said:
I typically maintain my humidor(s) within the 61-63 RH range. This summer, weary of cracking wrappers and harsh smoke, I have upped that to a 66-67 RH ambient range. I am pleasantly enjoying the resulting difference (and may continue to experiment with slightly higher ranges).
Click to expand...

Well, I'm perpetually between 66 and 68 - despite the heat wave in Philly, my cigars are actually in our below-grade basement. I've found that to be a really huge improvement over the state of affairs in South Bend, no offense to BOTLs in Indiana. In that I have anything to contribute to your observation, I've found that the cigars take a while to adapt to a shift, and the results from a significant shift in humidity/temp can be ... well ... not so pretty. Applies to dry purchases through the mail as well. (Wrappers and fillers humidify at different rates. Who knew?)

Interesting that you're able to maintain within such a tight range - you must put a fair bit of effort into it.

Cheers.
 
IMHO 66 to 68 is perfect, the 60 to 65 range is too low, and I store my cigars at 75 degrees...hardly ever have a burn problem, yet the wrappers look and feel "healthy".
 
Breedy said:
I, however, was wondering what the majority of you did to help develop your palate.
Click to expand...
Aside from the great advice Wilkey gave you in the post immediately following yours, I would suggest you acquaint yourself with a "flavor wheel" and make good use of it as a general practice when first attempting to discern cigar flavor nuances. "Flavor wheels" are great at giving us non-"super tasters" the ability to take generic tasting terms such as spicy and grassy and turning them into silly but more comprehensively descriptive tasting notes such as kosher sea salt and sassafras.
 
Ray,

As always I looked forward to reading all of your posts. We are due for a Herf soon, it has definitely been a while since we have shared some smoke time.

Adrian
 
I'd share a cigar with you anytime, Adrian. Shoot me a PM and we can work something out. The Thursday night gatherings seem to rarely fit into my schedule. :(
 
This is something I do quite frequently. I long term store at 69/70 rh. I have a humi that I keep between 65 and 68 for smoke now.
There are a few dominicans that I like to smoke, but have not really smoked too many in about 2 years. Somebody had mentioned that Dominicans smoke better in the 68 to 70 range. I agree, but had forgotten due to lack of involvement with them.
I do enjoy playing with humidity to see how differant cigars smoke. It's one of the fun areas of the hobby. Right now I'm experimenting with long term storage at 65. Same smokes in two differant containers; one at 65, the other at 69. Both using humidipacks in Lock & Lock food containers.
 
My cabinet is set to 65% / 68F but the humidity creeps up to the 68-ish% range over the summer months.

My smokes are in great shape, and smoke very well. Can't see changing a thing.

B.B.S.
 
The question becomes.....what may have changed with the tobacco.

Remember, there was a change over of what tobacco is being used. (regarding Cuban cigars)

What roll does this change play?

Maybe the older tobacco thrived at a lower RH...and todays like it a little higher?!?

What year is the product?
 
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