Questions/Concerns about humidor temperature

[Leaf_Jackson]

Hello all, and I hope you're having a good new year so far!

I've got concerns regarding my humidor temps. I recently got a Boveda Butler, so I can monitor my humidity and temp without opening my humidor. I used to have my digital hygro in the bottom, so I would have to open up and remove the top tray to see. No longer! Now, though, the Boveda butler is revealing the fluctuations in temperature. Our house is old, and has different ambient temp in seemingly every room. Also, the temp fluctuates throughout the day even with the AC set to certain ranges. My non-Cuban humidor is holding 67% rh beautifully... It's a 100-count humi with about 35 sticks, and four 69% Boveda packs in the bottom. Even the top tray under glass is holding 66%. I like non-Cubans around 66-67, so that's good. The temperature seems to stay around 66 degrees for most of the day but at night, it has dipped to 64 for a few hours and even 63 degrees for an hour or so. Is this going to cause damage? The rh has stayed at 67%, while the temp drops.

Alternatively, my other humidor is in the office/studio. That's where I keep my Cubans at about 63-64% with 65% Boveda packs. The temp in that room actually fluctuates the opposite direction. The heater affects that room much more at night. On cold nights, the temp has stayed around 70 degrees, but when the heater kicks in it goes up as high a 74 degrees, staying there for a few hours. I think my Boveda app even reported 75 one night last week, for just an hour. That humi is empty at the moment, but soon will have about 30-40 sticks placed in it. Smaller box, about 50 capacity.

So, in summary...
Non-cubans: constant 66-68% humidity. Temp stays around 66, but dips to 64 or so at night (maybe even 63 for an hour here and there).
Cuban humi: constant 63-64% humidity. Temp stays around 70, but rises to around 74 for a few hours at night.

Is this okay or do I seriously need to figure out a different place to store them? The Cuban humi is a small box 25-50 capacity, so I could probably move that anywhere.

Thanks so much for any advice you can offer, for either the cubans or the NC. Take care, and have a great one!

Jackson

 

[Jerrah]

I have several thousand cigars that I store in a combination of humidors and tuppidors in my basement in the Northeast. The temperature varies with the seasons from a low of 62 in the winter to a high of 78 in the summer...and I have never had a problem with the quality of my cigars. I use a combination of humidification devices...Boveda packs, Heartfelt beads, Xikar humidifier jars, etc. I do not think you have any problem.

 

[bfreebern]

So, in summary...
Non-cubans: constant 66-68% humidity. Temp stays around 66, but dips to 64 or so at night (maybe even 63 for an hour here and there).
Cuban humi: constant 63-64% humidity. Temp stays around 70, but rises to around 74 for a few hours at night.

First off, welcome to Cigar Pass. I hope you stick around after you have your answer, this place is a wealth of knowledge.

Non-Cubans : Those temps are fine, no need to worry about it. Your % is in a great range as well, but as with anything, it's really up to you to determine what % is best. Lots of guys run humidors at 65% up to 70%. But again, it's all a trial and error for your preference.

Cubans : Again, the humidity is fine. The temps are right on the edge, but fluctuations for an hour or two, really won't cause any issues. You didn't say where you live, but if I were you, I'd move it to a cooler part of the house.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Low temperatures typically aren't an issue. Despite the efforts of the tobacco growers and cigar makers, we know that the risk of a beetle hatch increases at temperatures over 70F. And we know that the risk of mold goes up more or less exponentially at any RH over 70%. During the winter months, we let the house cool down to 62F at night, 68-69F during the day. Yes, that will cause the RH to move around a point or so, but I've never seen any issues. I run my cabinet with an RH of at least 65%+....usually runs 67-ish which is good for long term storage. I have a small "dry box" on my desk running ~62% which is where smokes live for about a week before they get smoked.

Which is to say that a degree or two here or there, a point in RH here or there probably isn't a huge issue. So many guys get "wrapped around the axle" and freak out if the RH or temperature moves around a degree or two, and my experience is that it just doesn't matter, within reason. Are your cigars smoking well..?? Not having any mold issues..?? If the answer there is "yes" I'd say you're in good shape.

One man's opinion - B.B.S.