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Smoking a humidor seasoned cigar outside

A

AJD

New Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2021
Messages
10
Hello! I’m relatively new to smoking cigars. I’ve been learning the art of maintaining cigars in a humidor. First off I live on the west coast of Florida. My home is a constant 74 degrees and my cigars are kept in a wood humidor which safely holds 40 cigars. I used Boveda to season it and now use a 72 percent pack to maintain. I have a digital Xikar hygrometer in the humidor and also calibrated it which shows it’s Rh reading reads 3 percent lower than the “actual” Rh. So my cigars are stored at around 73-74 degrees with Rh floating around 64-65 percent humidity.
Since I can’t smoke in my home I’m mainly smoking outside on the lanai. Is this drastic increase in Rh doing a job on my smoking experience? Do the cigars still hold on to their humidity controlled state in this kind of environment?
Thanks!!
 
First: Go the introduction forum and introduce yourself so we know who we are welcoming.

Second: Tell us how you got 64-65 from 72 Boveda or the Xikar reading 3 low? 64-65 is a tad low, for long term storage, but nothing dramatic. I can't speak from experience because I don't live in a similar climate but I have never had a problem when I visit the Sunshine State.
 
CigarStone said:
First: Go the introduction forum and introduce yourself so we know who we are welcoming.

Second: Tell us how you got 64-65 from 72 Boveda or the Xikar reading 3 low? 64-65 is a tad low, for long term storage, but nothing dramatic. I can't speak from experience because I don't live in a similar climate but I have never had a problem when I visit the Sunshine State.
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Sure thing! The wooden humidor I’m currently using was a gift from my wife. It’s actually a Sonor tom drum which was/is a promotion that Perdomo cigars is offering. It’s not air tight but it does seem to balance out at some point. I did the initial two week seasoning on it via a Boveda 75 Rh pack. I purchased a digital Xikar hygrometer and did the calibration on it via the Boveda calibration kit. This told me that it’s Rh reading is off by 3 percent. It’s temp reading is spot on. I initial put two 72 percent Bovida packs in it which kept the Rh higher, not ever reaching 72 percent but closer to 68/69. I noticed though that the cigars seemed to burn better/more consistent at a lower Rh so Now I’m only using one 72 pack and it gets the Rh to 64-65%. Again, this is taking the 3% difference off the Xikar’s actual reading.
I am considering purchasing a “better” humidor as I realize air tight units should be more accurate and my collection is definitely “growing”.
 
  1. They will burn better at lower RH, but long term storage at lower RH can dissipate the precious oils in the cigar. A lot of us use a dry box to place cigars at 62% for a week or so prior to smoking.
  2. The 72% Boveda will quickly crystalize when in a 64% environment for any period of time.
  3. Forget the humidors completely and go with a large cooler. Not as pretty but you will be glad you did.
 
CigarStone said:
  1. They will burn better at lower RH, but long term storage at lower RH can dissipate the precious oils in the cigar. A lot of us use a dry box to place cigars at 62% for a week or so prior to smoking.
  2. The 72% Boveda will quickly crystalize when in a 64% environment for any period of time.
  3. Forget the humidors completely and go with a large cooler. Not as pretty but you will be glad you did.
Click to expand...
Yeah I’ve been eyeballing those Newair Humidors! What’s a dry box? That sounds right up my alley!
 
Buy some 62% Boveda packs and put them in a lok-n-lok box (or similar sealed box) and put you cigars in there for a several days to 2 weeks prior to smoking.

Coolidors with beads will save you a lot of money and aggrevation.

Humis 4.jpg
 
I always went crazy when I'd see shops with racks of cigars basically out in the open....until I realized the ambient RH is ~70-75% most of the time. In that climate, mold becomes the biggest issue to worry about.
 
Yep, mold is an issue but I still wouldn't trust the place that has cigars out in the open without humidity control.

I was basically joking about the humidity controlled house because I don't think that exists.

And I've never been anywhere that the ambient RH didn't fluctuate considerably.
 
If you are just starting out, I'd recommend getting a $20 tupperware container and using that!! As was said above, a box that isn't airtight isn't a humidor its a jewelry box.
 
It's consistent enough in many parts of the world to get away with it. Not the best, but it's not all that bad.

Cigars are very hygroscopic and take a surprising amount of time to change the RH internally. Which is why if you take a 'wet' cigar, dry box it for a couple days, then try to smoke it....often the wrapper blows up. Because the wrapper dried out, but not the binder / filler. Point is, it takes a non-trivial amount of time to really change the RH of a cigar through and through.

To the OP's original question....as described, it's simply not an issue. Enjoy..!!
 
BlindedByScience said:
It's consistent enough in many parts of the world to get away with it. Not the best, but it's not all that bad.

Cigars are very hygroscopic and take a surprising amount of time to change the RH internally. Which is why if you take a 'wet' cigar, dry box it for a couple days, then try to smoke it....often the wrapper blows up. Because the wrapper dried out, but not the binder / filler. Point is, it takes a non-trivial amount of time to really change the RH of a cigar through and through.

To the OP's original question....as described, it's simply not an issue. Enjoy..!!
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Tom, that would be nice! The weather in northeast Ohio is so bazaar it's hard to fathom. RH can change by 60% in a day and 30-35 degrees in a day. Sunday and Monday were hot and humid and today is chili and dry.

I think it's why Browns fans are so disillusion! Well, that and 60 years of sucking :cool:
 
In much of FL as well as the forbidden island and other tobacco / cigar areas of the world, relatively consistent warm and humid is pretty much par for the course. Our ambient RH in the house is dry in the winter (desiccated by the heater), too humid unless it gets really hot, then it's too dry (desiccated by the AC). Really appreciate my cooled Staebell...!!
 
BlindedByScience said:
It's consistent enough in many parts of the world to get away with it. Not the best, but it's not all that bad.

Cigars are very hygroscopic and take a surprising amount of time to change the RH internally. Which is why if you take a 'wet' cigar, dry box it for a couple days, then try to smoke it....often the wrapper blows up. Because the wrapper dried out, but not the binder / filler. Point is, it takes a non-trivial amount of time to really change the RH of a cigar through and through.

To the OP's original question....as described, it's simply not an issue. Enjoy..!!
Click to expand...

Holy shit, Tom. You just changed my world as I knew it...
 
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