RH question

[mtschust]

I know you guys are tired of answering newbie like questions all of the time, so I will try to keep this one the last one. I have been having some RH issues since seasoning my humidor a couple weeks ago. The beads wouldn't stay at 65 percent so I put them in a container with some distilled water and let them sit for 3 days. I just freshened them up with some distileed water and added them along with the cigars I got from the Devil site tonight.
2 - Montecristo Media Noche
2 - CAO ’VR’
2 - Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas
2 - Blue Label by Gran Habano
2 - 5 Vegas Classic
AF sungrown cuban belisco
6 Cohiba pequenos.

Anyhow, the humidity level wants to stay between 62-63 percent. I am fine with it being a few points off of 65% as long as it is fine for the cigars. They also sat in a UPS truck for a week so maybe they are just really thirsty. Either way, is this a safe RH level?

Thanks in advance for reading my boring kind of dumb post, I promise to make them more interesting in the future.

[Newfie]

Good morning.

First off, have you salt tested your hygrometer to make sure the readings are correct? As an example, my Savoy digital reads 3% high at 70 deg F and one of my analogs reads 5% low. SO, before making any changes, check that.

If yours is correct, then proper humidity level is a personal choice. You'll ask 5 people and possible get 5 different opinions. Personally, I like low 60's. Less burn and draw issues there and I like the way they smoke there.

YMMV of course.

Jim

[mtschust]

Good morning.

First off, have you salt tested your hygrometer to make sure the readings are correct? As an example, my Savoy digital reads 3% high at 70 deg F and one of my analogs reads 5% low. SO, before making any changes, check that.

If yours is correct, then proper humidity level is a personal choice. You'll ask 5 people and possible get 5 different opinions. Personally, I like low 60's. Less burn and draw issues there and I like the way they smoke there.

YMMV of course.

Jim

Yes I calibrated it using the Boveda calibration kit. Thanks for the tips!

[MarineOne]

As a contractor in Iraq, I have the same problem when I get a new batch of cigars sent to me.

I have my main humidor sitting a little high at 72%, and another I keep around 62 - 65%. I've seen the second humidor drop as much as 7% when I throw in a new batch of sticks because they're so dry, but once the RH stabilizes and I get it back up into the mid 60's then I transfer them to my primary humidor.

When I want a couple to smoke, I set them back into the second humidor for a day so they don't dry out too quickly from the lack of humidity while I smoke them ..... although the flavor does change once you go over 105 degrees.



Kris