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New humidor question...

Craig A. Soncrant

Craig A. Soncrant

Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2016
Messages
30
Location
Evanston, Illinois
I recently decided to get a little more serious about cigars after playing in a golf tournament in Vegas where at the welcome reception the host had a gentleman from the Dominican Republic rolling cigars right there. He rolled five beautiful fresh sticks for me that I want to maintain and enjoy over the next few months. Up until this point I've also somehow managed to amass nearly 20 sticks and have kept them tucked away in my bar in a box (I'm currently trying to rehydrate those with a 72% Boveda but that will be another thread for another time). As a result of all of this, I decided to purchase this particular humidor based on price, reviews and aesthetics (didn't want to spend too much at first but this felt comfortable to start with):

https://www.cubancrafters.com/cuban-crafters-deluxe-mio-glass-top-cigar-humidor-for-40-cigars/

I read up on seasoning and decided to go the route of a Boveda 84 packet. I also bought a digital hygrometer. Both have been in the humidor since November 15. The RH climbed quick initially and seems to have stabilized between 60% and 62% and the temp hovers around 70F to 72F.

My question is should I be expecting the RH to climb higher especially with an 84 inside? To start with, I was hoping to season the humidor and then add a Boveda 69 or 72 to hit and maintain as close to the 70/70 mark as possible.

Since I'm nowhere near that at the moment, I'm wondering if the humidor could be leaking? The box seems solidly built but I've read enough now about how to fix leaks that I'm wondering if this may be the case.

And to top it off, I've read some people keep and prefer their RH down near the 62% mark which I'm not opposed to doing. One question to go along with this is will the humidity level go up with sticks in the box? My five mentioned earlier are currently in a bag with a 69% Boveda. The others that are rehydrating are in a sealed bag with a Boveda 72%.

Any bit of insight or help would be great! Thanks in advance.

CAS
 
Usually you need to let the humi sit and DON'T OPEN IT. for several weeks to season it before putting cigars in. I like to get a shallow Tupperware bowl filed with distilled water and let it rest undisturbed. Use the search function here on the forum. I'm certain all your questions have been answered. If my memory serves I believe there is an entire sticky thread on the topic.
 
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As for leaks. Glass top humidors can be shabbily bilt And sometimes leak. For repairing, you might have to talk to one of the more experienced guys here. One thing you can do is take a dollar bill and put it in your humidor between the lid and base close the lid and pull. if that dollar bill slides out easily you have a loose seal.
 
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What has been previously said.

I'll add a few things off the top of my head. There is more to learn, but this is a good starting point.

-Yes a full humidor is more stable, but season it properly first. You have to get the moisture deep into the wood.
-Make sure your Hygrometer is giving a correct reading. A salt test (not my first choice) or use a boveda pack in a small ziplock bag (or two)
-All bovedas have a tolerance, so keep that in mind. That said. it's close enough not to be a concern.
-69% RH and up preserves oils better. (Long term storage/aging) If you use it, you need to keep an eye on the cigars, and have some air space in the humidor.
-65% is a good starting point for actually smoking. Some cigars will be more flavorful at a slightly lower RH. Also, read up on "dry boxing".
-IMO, some wrappers need higher humidity (69% min). Anything that you can see is really thin, such as Cameroon. You can still drybox them for smoking.
-If you determine Humidor is leaky, see if a return is an option. (unacceptable) If not, you can use a very small bead of dental wax,and clean up with a piece of non abrasive stiff plastic. Look into how old timers applied putty to glass in old windows.
 
Stay away from the glass top humidors as has been mentioned. Spend a few dollars more and get a name brand humidor. Diamond Crown makes a nice desktop.
 
Tupperware is also pretty idiot proof if looks aren't important. That's how I store the stuff I keep at my fiance's house. But it's tucked away in a closet away from her kids.

Also, you made me chuckle when I read "also somehow managed to amass nearly 20 sticks." Seems like yesterday that 20 cigars seems like quite the massive stockpile to me as well. If ever questioned on the stand how I exceeded the first +1,500 cigars now in my collection, I will plead the 5th.
 
Craig A. Soncrant said:
I was hoping the Boveda would be best route but I'm willing to try the Tupperware and water now and see how that goes. I assume I pull the Boveda pack out, correct?
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You can leave the 84% packet in there. I can't see it causing any issues especially if your reading is as low as it is.

As for Tupperware, the nice thing is it doesn't need to be seasoned unless you add some cedar containers.
 
MichaelD said:
Also, not mentioned, buy a humidor at least twice as big as you think you will ever need. You will out grow even that one in short order if you get into this hobby.
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Yep, always buy bigger than you think you need, and always bring more cigars with you, when you go someplace where folks will be smoking, than you think you'll need. ;)
 
Thanks for all the advice so far! Stopped on the way home and picked up distilled water. Filled up a small glass bowl and set it inside...RH has already climbed four points in less than an hour. I also noticed the Boveda pack was starting to get crispy around the edges but still pliable in the mid portion. After a quick Internet search this seems normal behavior for the packet. Now it seems that we wait...
 
Craig A. Soncrant said:
I also noticed the Boveda pack was starting to get crispy around the edges but still pliable in the mid portion. After a quick Internet search this seems normal behavior for the packet. Now it seems that we wait...
Click to expand...

Boveda packs can be rehydrated if you put it in a ziploc bag with a damp paper towel. The boveda will suck up all the moisture trying to even the humidity.
 
Assuming your hygrometer is calibrated (if it isn't, 1 - make sure you calibrate it, and 2 - it hopefully isn't *THAT* far off), I'd be worried about the 84% Boveda starting to dry out while your relatively small humidor is at only 60%.
 
tomthirtysix said:
Assuming your hygrometer is calibrated (if it isn't, 1 - make sure you calibrate it, and 2 - it hopefully isn't *THAT* far off), I'd be worried about the 84% Boveda starting to dry out while your relatively small humidor is at only 60%.
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When I first got the hygrometer, I put it in a ziploc with a Boveda 72...spot on. It's a Caliber IV digital. The Boveda 84 drying up already makes me wonder if it's an old packet possibly. I bought it at a reputable shop but am wondering if the Boveda stock is slow to rotate? The 69s and 72s I bought were purchased at a different locale and are still really malleable.

RH update: with the distilled water dish inside, RH has climbed to 71% already, up from 60% yesterday morning.
 
Next steps?

The humidor hit 75F / 72% today. I figured I'd let it sit for a while still and see if the RH goes up or stabilizes. Should I have any expectations? The Boveda 84 packet has been in there since November 15 and never took the RH above 60% or so. I put the distilled water in a dish inside last night and it climbed to 72% overnight.

Do I just wait now and see what the RH does? After seasoning, I plan on using Boveda 69s to maintain the RH. Thanks in advance.

CAS
 
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In the meantime, put your 69% Boveda pack in zip lock along with your cigars.

BTW - If your Boveda packet came sealed in a plastic wrap, it's "fresh". Once they start to dry out you can re-hydrate them by putting them into a zip lock with a damp paper towel.
 
MichaelD said:
In the meantime, put your 69% Boveda pack in zip lock along with your cigars.

BTW - If your Boveda packet came sealed in a plastic wrap, it's "fresh". Once they start to dry out you can re-hydrate them by putting them into a zip lock with a damp paper towel.
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I didnt know you can rehydrate them. thats gonna save me a bundle! lol
 
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