Temp. drop, beads can't keep up?

[cigar547]

I got a 1/2 lb bag of heartfelt 70rh beads that stay dead on 70%rh at around 70-73F. ambient rh is at 60%rh. However, my apartment drops down to about 63F at night, and I notice the humidity reading in the morning at 79%rh at 66F. Rh will return to 70 around noon time.

I've got about 20% of my beads in the dry, white, phase, and the rest in the semi-clear phase, and I'm thinking about drying to a 50/50 dry/wet ratio.

Should I even bother? All 150 sticks are in cello in tupperdor, and I heard the permeable barrier helps mellow out the Rh spikes/drops.

Thanks

[bigwhiteash]

I wouldn't worry much about it. The actual moisture content in your cigars isn't changing. it's only the capacity of the air to carry moisture that's changing.

The physical amount of moisture is staying pretty much the same.

[Shelby07]

Dryer beads might help. They should probably be closer to 50-50 wet/dry. You might want to consider replacing the 70% beads with 65%, or add more beads to absorb more moisture. As for the gauge, it's probably not accurate even if it passes the salt test. They rarely are. Even the best can be off by about 2-3% and 5% error is not uncommon. Judge the moisture content by the condition of your cigars. They should feel firm and a bit spongy under gentle pressure. If they crackle they're too dry. If they split when you smoke them, draw hard or burn harsh and uneven they are too moist. If that's the case, try dry boxing them for a day or 2 before you smoke them. You will notice a dramatic improvement in draw, burn and taste. With a bit of practice and experience you will be able to tell when they are correctly humidified just by gently squeezing them between your fingers.

BWA is correct. People get way too anal about humidity readings. Don't worry too much about the daily fluctuations as long as the cigars remain in good condition and smoke well. And remember that it can take up to a month before the cigars stabilize, so have patience.

[bigwhiteash]

Basically what I'm saying is.. there's no water "sneaking in" at night


If it's stable at 70% - ish at normal temps, and 70% is where you want them, then you're good to go!

I personally like them more around 63% ~ 65%.

[cigar547]

thanks for all the responses

i will leave them alone since they smoke fine to me (but then I'm a noob, so what do I know?)

I read somewhere that all cigar wrappers crackle when you roll them between your fingers (which i read you shouldn't do), and isn't really an indication of how well the smokes are being stored. Is that true? In my tupperdor, the baccarats have a fine crackle when i roll them, and the 5 vegas do not crackle, or at least have a finer crackle that I can't hear. Wrappers on both cigars are intact with no cracks/splits/imperfections.

I've got some gurkha symphonies, gurkha park avenues, La Differencia Cubanas, and Cu-Avanas on route so I want to make sure my tupperdor is up to snuff.