Ok
65% or 70% RH for the Humidors
Which is better and why?
thanks
Tim:smiley24:
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Ok
65% or 70% RH for the Humidors
Which is better and why?
thanks
Tim:smiley24:
We've noticed some cigars taste differently at different humidity levels. I use 65 so that they are more on the dryer side. And, even with beeds, the rh fluctuates a little. I'd rather have it fluctuate to 70 with 65 beads, rather than 75 with 70 beads.
I've heard 70 is better for long term aging but I can't attest to any truth in that.
65%, your sticks have a much more 'smokable' when the humidity fluctuates. Plus, at 70% I find smokes to be a little too wet.
Disclaimer: that’s my own personal preference.
It's really a matter of personal preference as to where in the "range" you want to be. I keep mine on the dry side 60-63% becuase they tend to burn better. Over time you'll find your "sweet spot" that suits your preference.
Between 65 and 68, as others have said, lower RH allows my sticks to stay pretty smokeable even with minor RH fluctuations, but indeed this is an individual thing.
I'm with 8-5-8 on this. I prefer my smokes on the dryer side. I keep my humis at around 60-63%, and will even pre-cut, and dry-box certain cigars, before I light 'em.
CAO's especially seem to like a lower RH. If you've ever had a cigar that seems to burn hot, and have a quite a bit of harshness, try letting them dry out a bit.
Personally, I try to keep my sticks around 65-67. I find 70 is too high and causes a few more burn problems. Anything less than 65 and they get too dry and I have problems with wrappers cracking.
I think 70 is too wet. It seems B&Ms keep at 70%, and the cigars are a little wet for my taste. 62 to 65, much better, and even then, maybe a dry box for a day or two, if the draw or roll is tight. Just my HO. Better burn, more smoke, easier draw.
I prefer 65, just like the burn and flavor at that level
I think I know why B&M's keep their humidity at 70%. Even seen someone walk into the humidor and start finger-fucking every cigar in sight? If the cigars were at 65%, they'd get a lot more split wrappers than they already do.
I speak of finger-fucking from lots of first-hand viewing at my B&M, where I hang out a lot. I'd say half the customers come in and have to pick up every damn cigar that catches their eye, and if they put too much pressure on the wrapper, the cigar will go POP and the wrapper will crack. It would be much worse if they kept their humidor at 65%, it's bad enough at 70%.
I'm also a fan of the 65% range, any fluctuations keep the smoke smokeable the way I like em. I have had a few from a much higher humidity from say a B&M that I have let sit to actually dry out in the 65% so that they burn properly. I too have also heard that 70% is better for ageing but I'm not convinced.
-W.
70% is better. More moist is always better. A dry stick is no fun.
I keep mine around 65 - and that's just the beads talking. Like folks have mentioned, it's all preference - and some folks like to keep their ISOMs at a lower RH than other sticks.
As for the B&Ms - I think it's also the traffic - and how much/how long you keep the humidor closed versus constantly opening/closing it.
63-65%, especially for ISOMs. 70% leads to burn problems.
my 2 cents worth... 63-65%
my two humidors are sitting pretty at 64 and 65 rh. Then i have a tubador for my Isoms at around 58 rh
70%, is best. I live in a real dry climate. Must keep em high and go from there.
Damn, Ive been keeping mine at like 73. :smiley5:
It comes down to personal preference..... We can arugh over what weight oil to run in our cars to. 5W-30, 10W-30. There really is no wrong answer to this question. Some guys like it around 65ish and some like theirs around 70ish. My beads keep my humidor at 68% almost all the time. That rh seems to work for me, so I dont mess with em.
Thats true, but I always thought that 75 recommended, plus I don't know shit about cigars...
However, I got some Montecristo #4 from my brother a couple weeks ago. The first 2 I smoked were much better than the one I smoked last night. The first 2 were probably drier than the one last night because my bro doesn't have a humidor.
I keep mine at 68 to 70. I tend not to have burn problems and I do live in a very dry environment. It's all personal preferance...
OK I give what does iSOM spell out?
I feel good about my cooler as long as it's in the mid-60s to 70 range, with no abrupt fluctuations like what would happen if the lid were left open. And the beads keep it in that range. I live in a dry climate, which requires me to recharge the beads once every 6-8 weeks, and more frequently in the summer.
From what I understand, 70/70 is for long-term storage and aging and if you're doing this, then you're set up to maintain these "ideal" conditions for years at a time, rarely opening the unit. Cigars bought and smoked within a few weeks or even months (or even a year) will likely receive no noticable benefit in a perfect 70/70 environment. While keeping them in the "range" will preserve a decent draw, minimize burn problems (but it won't eliminate them), and you'll be able to have a place to put all the cigars you get in trades, order online, or bring home from your b&m, which is likely most cigars for most of us.
Cigars I tend to want to store for a wihle go to the bottom of the box, for minimum impact.
I like to keep mine 65ish tending a little over...
when I kept em at 70 I seemed to have my cigars split while Iwas smoking them and they tended to go out more and I'd have to relight a half dozen times.
What do you mean by split? As in the wrapper got a crack in it and would start to peal back? This is not caused by higher RH; in fact the higher the RH the less likely a leaf is to crack. Think of leaves on the ground. A dried up non wet leaf will crumble easier than a non-dried up leaf.
the wrapper would crack kinda *shrug* it was back when I was first getting my tupperdor first setup, maybe it was something else... I get what your saying tho.
*shrug* they dont do it anymore and I dont have to relight as much... so its all good
I'll go ahead and speak up for 70%, since it seems to be in the minority around here.
I used to keep my humidor around 65, but switched to 70% (well, it stays closer to 68, but whatever).
I liked them both ways, but I think I like the smokes at 70% slightly more.