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Question, Ideal RH% for Aging?

ShockDoc

ShockDoc

New Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2010
Messages
13
Hi everyone. First, thanks for welcoming me to CP. I have a few cigars that I want to age until I built a palate to thoroughly enjoy & appreciate them. What RH% would be ideal? The lower end of the range, like 65%?

I think I'll have trouble maintaining a ideal and consistent temperature. I only have a 75 capacity humidor and a traveler. I've been using the traveler to cohort the few cubans I do have. From what I've read so far I know it isn't ideal to keep different types together, but I figured I'd keep Habanos with Habanos (a Montecristo #2, a Cohiba EL 2004, Siglo VI, and a Robusto).

Thanks
 
I remember hearing 55 to low 60's is a good rH. However, I don't know where I heard that.
 
Just keep flavored cigars away from the non-flavored cigars. You should be fine.

And remember, search is your friend. :thumbs:
 
Thanks
smile.gif
 
65% for most cigars works fine. Fuentes(and Dominicans) require a slightly higher RH - 68 - 70%.
 
ShockDoc said:
Thanks. I'm kinda screwed as far as climate control.
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If you have a basement, keep them there or the coolest part of your house or apartment. Anywhere in the 70's as far as degrees will be ok but the upper 70's into the 80's will give you some problems. If you stick around here I can almost guarantee your collection will grow beyond your 75 count humidor so you may want to look at a wine-a-dor that will allow you to keep your sticks cool. If you have an air conditioner, keep your humidor around a vent and the temperature shouldn't be an issue.
 
vortex said:
65% for most cigars works fine. Fuentes(and Dominicans) require a slightly higher RH - 68 - 70%.
Click to expand...

This has always been a really interesting point to me. Is there a specific reason for this? I have all of my sticks at 65% right now and that includes my Fuentes. I just dont have the resources yet to have more than one storage system (translation- I have to wait until the wife OKs the money to buy more :laugh:) In any case...is there something about Dominicans specifically that requires they are stored at slightly higher RH? Or has it just been found over the years that the higher levels suit them better? I'm assuming that 65% wont really harm them as all of the ones I've smoked so far have been great.

Thanks and sorry for the slight thread hijack!
 
MoeCizlak said:
....but the upper 70's into the 80's will give you some problems.
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Curious, how long would the sticks have to be exposed to higher temps to run into problems? I'd do a search but since you brought up temperature figured I'd ask. My sticks are in the coolest room of my house (we don't have a basement) but we don't keep the a/c on all day while at work. So my stash sits in a house that ranges from 75-83 degrees in the summer from 8am-7pm Mon-Friday. Once we get home and on weekends the house a/c keeps us at a cool steady 75 degrees, though it always seems to feel colder than that.
 
75-83 degrees for 11 hours 5 days a week is certainly enough to start a beetle infestation. I'm not saying that it will happen, but it is a real possibility. I think your best bet would be to invest in a wineador so that you can have a climate control feature to protect your cigars.
 
That's a good question and I honestly don't know the answer. I wouldn't let them sit for very long over 80 degrees if you can help it though. You'd be running the risk of beetles and that ain't no fun from what I've seen.
 
MoeCizlak said:
That's a good question and I honestly don't know the answer. I wouldn't let them sit for very long over 80 degrees if you can help it though. You'd be running the risk of beetles and that ain't no fun from what I've seen.
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I guess I'll find out soon. I've intentionally been leaving one stick in the humidor for the past month to see if something happens (RH is holding steady at 65%). I have about 5 other new sticks that are only about a week old. Since it does get warm in the house when I'm not home I've only been keeping about 5-8 sticks in the humidor at anytime, smoking the oldest sticks first. In the winter when it gets colder out I'll buy a nice box of 20 (my humi holds upto 50).
 
You might try a small cooler. They are insulated so the heat would seep in slower, but it would still get in if exposed to higher temps for a long enough period of time. My coolerdor rarly gets above 70 when my house is on 75 in the summer. Granted it is in the basement and on concrete so that helps it to stay cool.
 
BooBee said:
MoeCizlak said:
That's a good question and I honestly don't know the answer. I wouldn't let them sit for very long over 80 degrees if you can help it though. You'd be running the risk of beetles and that ain't no fun from what I've seen.
Click to expand...

I guess I'll find out soon. I've intentionally been leaving one stick in the humidor for the past month to see if something happens (RH is holding steady at 65%). I have about 5 other new sticks that are only about a week old. Since it does get warm in the house when I'm not home I've only been keeping about 5-8 sticks in the humidor at anytime, smoking the oldest sticks first. In the winter when it gets colder out I'll buy a nice box of 20 (my humi holds upto 50).
Click to expand...


You need to have eggs before you can have beetles, and not all cigars have viable beetle eggs.

I'm religious about freezing my cigars before they go near my cabinets:

* Cigars go in a freezer bag or wound securely in freezer wrap
* 24 hours in the fridge to bring their temp down
* Then 72 hours in the freezer -- according to what I've read, you will acheive near complete mortality of beetle eggs at somewhere around 10 F for 72 hours
* Back in the fridge for another 24 hours to bring the temp back up slowly so the cigars don't explode

Once the freezing process is complete, the risk of beetle infestation is minimized, no matter what the ambient temperature.

Freezing is not for everyone, and I recognize there are those who will vehemently disagree with it, but it works very well for me. I have three large cabinets in a room where the temperature fluctuates wildly during the New England summers -- sometimes spiking to 80+ degrees, and I've never had a beetle issue.
 
bluue13 said:
vortex said:
65% for most cigars works fine. Fuentes(and Dominicans) require a slightly higher RH - 68 - 70%.
Click to expand...

This has always been a really interesting point to me. Is there a specific reason for this? I have all of my sticks at 65% right now and that includes my Fuentes. I just dont have the resources yet to have more than one storage system (translation- I have to wait until the wife OKs the money to buy more :laugh:) In any case...is there something about Dominicans specifically that requires they are stored at slightly higher RH? Or has it just been found over the years that the higher levels suit them better? I'm assuming that 65% wont really harm them as all of the ones I've smoked so far have been great.

Thanks and sorry for the slight thread hijack!
Click to expand...
I have never heard(nor particularly want to) an analysis of why anything happens with cigars. I could speculate that the oils in Dominicans are more volatile. But with nature, the exception will always define the rule. So the best method is trial and error while keeping the temp as low as possible an inspecting your cigars until you are familiar with the look and feel of a cigar that is being well kept.

Nothing happens too quickly with cigar storage so they are pretty forgiving.

REMEMBER THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN! ;)

P.S. Get a vinotemp humidor for your temp situation. Temp does make a difference.
 
Here's a little more info i dug up on the subject:

Certain cigars are just naturally better suited for aging. An example is larger ring-gauge cigars. The thicker the cigar, the greater the variety of tobacco leaves and hence, the more complex the final flavor of the aged cigar will be. The insides of larger cigars tend to be somewhat shielded from the outside environment, less apt to be affected by fluctuations in humidity and temperature. This added stability that larger cigars provide is highly desirable for long-term aging. On the other hand, since the wrapper provides the lion's share of a cigar's taste, aging may not significantly affect the taste of some Maduros. In particular, maduro-wrapped cigars which are artificially "cooked" or "cured" to achieve the dark coloration of the wrapper and the distinctively strong, sweet flavor are prone to this problem. Due to such curing, they have essentially been "fixed," and thus any further benefits of aging have been stunted.

What temperature is best for storage?
70 degrees. - Although cooler storage temperatures are definitely not a problem for cigars (as long as you maintain a reasonable relative humidity).
Why do we attempt to keep them at 70 deg. then? The key is in the subtle difference between stable storage and true aging. Your cigars will not age, mature, mellow, or develop the complex character of well cured smokes at lower temperatures. The blended tobaccos will not "marry", and if you're keeping them for a long time you won't get the subtle changes in flavor.
There have been several long threads in a.s.c. on the need to age La Gloria Cubanas, for example. These will stay "green" much longer if aged at cooler temperatures.
At higher temperatures, there are several insects to worry about. The microscopic eggs of the dreaded tobacco beetle, for instance, hatch at temperatures above 80 degrees.
 
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