Please help problem with humidor

[njsarge54]

Hi,
First let me say this is a great site.
I have been a casual cigar smoker for about two years, but have recently purchased a humidor.

I seasoned the humidor by wiping the inside with distilled water, left wet sponge in overnight, repeated process another day. The humidity stayed at a steady 70% using digital hydrometer and griffos solution in element in humidor. I added about 25 cigars with no problem cigars were ok. I added about 15 more a week later, the humidity stayed the same but I noticed my cigars seemed to be drying out. I recharged the the element in the humidor and the humidity stayed at 70%.

I would appreciate any help as I have about $125 in cigars that I do not want to lose.

thanks for the help

[feldspar]

Buy a tube of Heartfelt Industries humidity beads. http://www.heartfeltindustries.com/c...ies.asp?cat=11

Wet the beads with distilled water and place it in the box.

Problem solved. Seriously, those things are amazing at keeping your humidity constant.

Edit: A few more thoughts. Are you sure your hygrometer is properly calibrated? Even the digital ones can be a bit off, and that could make a difference. Use the search function on the boards to find some info about hygrometer calibration.

Also, how's the seal on your humidor? Try closing the lid over a dollar bill. The bill should be difficult to pull out with the lid shut. If the seal is loose, then that could affect the humidity in the box. My humidor has a pretty weak seal, so I keep it shut as tightly as possible with duct tape.

You could also try re-seasoning the humidor. Really soak the walls with distilled water. Spanish cedar can absorb quite a bit of moisture.

Another thought: were the cigars dry before you put them in? In that case, you'll have to bring them up to 70% RH very slowly. Again, use the search function for info on that.

I can't think of anything else right now. Hope some of that is helpful!

[ReV]

if the rh is staying steady, beads wont help... gotta be that the hydrometer is reading high... i had the same problem because i did the salt test 3 times and it kept saying 5 under... well, my sticks were dry so i salt tested again and it read 1 over this time... I broke down and bought a One step calibration kit from heartfelt and sure enough, it was 1 over... now i have no problem.

[njsarge54]

I'm going to do the salt test. I will let you know the results. Thanks for the advice, I hope I can get this right, it is kind of frustrating.

[njsarge54]

I have had the salt test going for about 10 hours. Reading at 73-74%. How long should I keep up the test?

[ReV]

12-24 hours... looks like its reading high, so where you think its holding at 70 rh, could only be 60... after 12-24 hours it should be locked at 75%

Check this out

[nhcigarfan]

Everything people are suggesting is appropriate, but maybe we should explore your history with cigars. You recently purchased the Humi, did you have one before? or would you buy the cigars from the shop when you smoked them?

The reason I ask is that a lot of shops keep their humidity to high making their cigars "wet" so to speak. What may actually be occurring is that you are used to cigars that are over humidified and therefore perceive the cigars at 70% +/- as dry when in fact they are fine.

I prefer my cigars between 60% to 65% btw.

Just a thought.

[njsarge54]

I will redo the salt test, a couple of sites I checked said 8 hours plus I didn't have it in total darkness. The cigars just seem harder than usual but they are not falling apart when I take them out of the humidor. I haven't had this large of a stock of cigars so I just want to make sure my humi can keep a constant humidity. I am going on vacation next week and I don't want all of my smokes ruined.

[njsarge54]

Can you guys suggest something that I can use to carry a cigar to work? I usually have to wait about 5 hours until I can smoke it and I didn't want it to dry out.

[mauied1101]

Can you guys suggest something that I can use to carry a cigar to work? I usually have to wait about 5 hours until I can smoke it and I didn't want it to dry out.

Anything with a seal will do - tupperware (not the disposable kind) or a ziplock bag. some of the folks here have otterboxes that hold 2, 5, 10, 15 count sticks - www.otterbox.com. Mark at Cigarmony.com has 'em at a good price.

[ReV]

yeah, that 2 stick otter box would be perfect for something like that.

[FunkyCold5]

If you just plan on bringing one to two sticks each day, just us a ziplock bag. No need to waste the money to buy an Otterbox, plus you don't want to lug that thing around. Just make sure the temperature in your office is sufficient enough. You don't want it too hot or too cold while your cigars sits.

[nhcigarfan]

yeah, that 2 stick otter box would be perfect for something like that.

I use one of these and I love it. Just put the cigars in and toss it in the car, literally.

[HabanoHo]

Can you guys suggest something that I can use to carry a cigar to work? I usually have to wait about 5 hours until I can smoke it and I didn't want it to dry out.

A cigar won't suffer if left exposed to ambient RH for 5 hours, unless you're in Arizona or somewhere. If you're really concerned, put your cigar in a ziploc bag and it will be fine.

As for your humidor, most experienced cigar smokers PREFER to keep their cigars at 60 to 65% RH. Also, most wood experts recommend against applying water directly to the lining of a humidor for fear of raising the grain (which can then tear the wrappers of your cigars) or even warping the lining if it isn't of good quality.

[njsarge54]

A couple of weeks ago I took a cigar to work. I put in a leather cigar case at about 5am before leaving for work. I took the cigar out at around 12:30pm and it was dry. When I tried to use my punch to cut it, it started to come apart.

[ReV]

welllllll.... if your sticks are as dry as you claim they are inside your humi, its no wonder that an extra 5 hours of the elements would destroy them. Step 1: get your rh in your humi under control | Step 2: preserve that rh on your way to work with a ziplock or otterbox.

[njsarge54]

Yeah I am working on it, will let you know the progress. Thanks for all of the advice.

[njsarge54]

I got the 2oz 70% beads from heartfelt. Is there an optimal placement in the humidor for the tube? I currently have it along the top inner wall where the hinges are for the top.