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How long to stabilize a humidty change

Sorry if that came across a bit harsh. Let me explain.

You and only you can tell if your cigars are too wet, too dry, or just right. Personal preference comes into play more than you might believe. Also, some sticks work better at different RH's than others... Cigars are very hygroscopic, and won't change their level of moisture quickly in an ambient environment. They won't turn to dust, they won't burst into flames.

So, do a little trial and error. Take three identical sticks you like from your storage area that are too wet, in your opinion. I have a small humidor with no humidification for my dry box, but before that, I used my desk drawer. Really. Put the sticks in whatever environment you have and leave them. Smoke one a day later, one three days later, one five days later. Your smoking experience will tell you what the right answer is, for that stick, for those conditions. Pretty straightforward. You may surprise yourself and find flavors and a better smoke overall at the lower end of the RH scale.

Hope this helps......:cool:

You're so eloquent!
 
....no way, Wilkey was WAAAYYYY nicer than I am. It's pretty tough hiding my inner asshole, but now and then I can pull it off....:D
 
Sorry if that came across a bit harsh. Let me explain.

You and only you can tell if your cigars are too wet, too dry, or just right. Personal preference comes into play more than you might believe. Also, some sticks work better at different RH's than others. Ask a hundred experienced cigar smokers what their storage RH is, and you will get answers from 58 to 75%. No kidding. Now, we know that the risk of mold increases exponentially at anything above 70% so that seems to be a reasonable cut off. All things said and done, most guys store, long term, right about 65%. It preserves the sticks, and it lets them age gracefully.

But, the problem is that's too wet for many of the smokes we enjoy. Many from the forbidden island do much better at an RH a few points lower; better taste, better burn, and better draw. So, if your sticks are too 'wet', what can you do about it? Well, you can do what many guys do - put them in a dry environment and let physics do its thing. How long? It depends.....where did you start in terms of RH, what's the ambient RH and temperature in the dry box environment, what kind of sticks are they, what's your preference in terms of smoking RH, etc. In other words, you are the only guy that can make that call. On Sunday night, I'll put half a dozen sticks of various types in my dry box, and I'm good for my evening smoke for at least the first half of the week. I know that some don't need much treatment, so they get smoked first. I know some really benefit from being on the dry end of the scale, so they get smoked last. Cigars are very hygroscopic, and won't change their level of moisture quickly in an ambient environment. They won't turn to dust, they won't burst into flames.

So, do a little trial and error. Take three identical sticks you like from your storage area that are too wet, in your opinion. I have a small humidor with no humidification for my dry box, but before that, I used my desk drawer. Really. Put the sticks in whatever environment you have and leave them. Smoke one a day later, one three days later, one five days later. Your smoking experience will tell you what the right answer is, for that stick, for those conditions. Pretty straightforward. You may surprise yourself and find flavors and a better smoke overall at the lower end of the RH scale.

Hope this helps......:cool:
Definitely does!
 
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