Yet another RH question

[Nrotik]

I have the 65% beads....It holds 63% steady and a very occassional 64%-65%....If the seal was bad then it would probably be worse than 63% and I check my digital hygrometer about every month with the salt test and it is always 75%....Now for the question.....Is 63% at about 68-70 degrees to dry? Or do I need to order the 70% beads in order to maintain a 65%-68%?

 

[Swissy]

it's really a matter of personal choice. Some like them at 70%, some at 65% and others still at 60%.

The range yours are at is just fine for the cigars themselves- it's really up to you if that level is ok! I personally like them at that level, but that's me...

try a few, and see what you think. you may find that you want them at that level (or at a higher RH...)

 

[Nrotik]

I do like them at 65 to 68 but it just doesnt seem to be wanting to go any higher than an occassional 64, with the beads......How much of a big difference is 63 to 65 in smoking.....Is it noticable?

 

[Ginseng]

Hi Nrotik,

While I would not go as far as Lew Rothman and say "screw the hygrometer, if it doesn't crunch or drip, it's smokeable" I would say that in most cases, 63-68 is not likely to make a lot of difference. I know there are guys who will argue that such and such, precisely, is the golden number, but unless you are stocking only one model of cigar, I doubt it will matter much on average. The reason I can say this with some degree of confidence is that if you're like most folks, you'll have everything from mild skinny sticks to fat maduros in your humi. Each one, each blend, each size will react just slightly differently to the ambient humidity (primarily in terms of moisture uptake).

I keep my box at 67-69% and in this range, most light-medium bodied smokes are perfect while some of the oilier, moister maduros (except Padrons, for some reason) will tend to be just a bit over humidified. But some time in a step-down humi does the trick for the really sweet and oily sticks. So, I tune my overall humidity for the lighter sticks and more delicate wrappers because I know the maduros and thicker wrapper sticks can take a bit more insult.

In the range you're talking about, the bottom line is this, if they're smoking fine, nuff said. If they seem to be drawing hot or the wrappers are a bit too dry for your smoking environment, then bump it up. If sticks seem to have burn problems or tend to be tight, then knock it down.

Does this help at all?

Wilkey

 

[Lemon]

Hi Nrotik,

While I would not go as far as Lew Rothman and say "screw the hygrometer, if it doesn't crunch or drip, it's smokeable" I would say that in most cases, 63-68 is not likely to make a lot of difference. I know there are guys who will argue that such and such, precisely, is the golden number, but unless you are stocking only one model of cigar, I doubt it will matter much on average. The reason I can say this with some degree of confidence is that if you're like most folks, you'll have everything from mild skinny sticks to fat maduros in your humi. Each one, each blend, each size will react just slightly differently to the ambient humidity (primarily in terms of moisture uptake).

I keep my box at 67-69% and in this range, most light-medium bodied smokes are perfect while some of the oilier, moister maduros (except Padrons, for some reason) will tend to be just a bit over humidified. But some time in a step-down humi does the trick for the really sweet and oily sticks. So, I tune my overall humidity for the lighter sticks and more delicate wrappers because I know the maduros and thicker wrapper sticks can take a bit more insult.

In the range you're talking about, the bottom line is this, if they're smoking fine, nuff said. If they seem to be drawing hot or the wrappers are a bit too dry for your smoking environment, then bump it up. If sticks seem to have burn problems or tend to be tight, then knock it down.

Does this help at all?

Wilkey

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Well said Ginseng :thumbs: I try not to worry too much about the humidity, as long as it doesn't drop below 60%. My beads keep my humi, which is filled with sticks of various sizes, at 62-65% RH, which is fine for me.


-John