intro and tech observation

[Fat Freddy]

Hi, glad I found this board - I've been lurking for awhile and reading the posts, lots of good info around here.

I'm just beginning to appreciate good cigars, for the last few years I've "enjoyed" one or two cheapos a year and really knew nothing other than you set fire to one end and then draw in on the other.

After reading nearly all the posts from the beginning I understand the importance of maintaining the proper RH. However, most of the discussions center around tweaking the moisture content of the humidor, which takes some time and effort.

I think its just as important to control the temperature because RH goes down when temperature goes up, by around 2.5% per degree at the 70/70 starting point. I've tried to find a good place in my home without too much temperature fluctuation, then it occured to me that an insulated environment is what I need.

Great! Now I need to build a coolidor!

[bigwhiteash]

Welcome from SC

Build your coolerdor, fill it up, and don't spend a lot of time fretting over temp and rh. as long as you're near 70* / 63%~70% you will be fine. just avoid DRASTIC fluctuations

Worrying tends to lessen the enjoyment most of us take up the cigar for in the first place.

Be sure to check out the Newbie Sampler Thread II in the Exchange forum, you can get a great start on cigars to fill a cooler with! I think there are a couple FOG's chomping at the bit to help a newbie out

[Fat Freddy]

Thanks for the welcome!

I agree about worrying versus enjoyment, as we speak I have a kitchen sponge dampened with tap water acting as a humidifier. Only thing I'm obsessing about this moment is getting home, going outside, and lighting up a Cohiba.

Thanks for pointing me towards the Newbie Sampler Thread II - I'll check it out.

[ashauler]

Welcome from Kansas. Diggin' your avatar.....I haven't seen the fabulous furry freak brothers in a while......might have to dig up my mag's and travel down memory lane soon. Fat FreddySkat always killed me.

[Fat Freddy]

Thanks Ashauler. I think I've stumbled into a great forum, people who enjoy cigars and F. Frederick Scat.

[ashauler]

Well, its a great forum alright.......great guys and gals to learn from and get to know. As far as the freak bro's........I remember them well from my youth......Freewheelin' Franklin, Phineas......ahh those were the days. I have no idea how many on the board know of them.

[chefchris]

Welcome from MS. Just get the beads, you'll feel a lot better.

heartfeltindustries.com

[bhands]

welcome from CA nice to meet ya tons of good info and people here so if you like cigars you are in the right place.

[JFellows]

Welcome from the East coast.

[597]

Welcome from Maryland

[sammis]

Another Welcome from SC.

A Coolerdor is definitely the way to go for easy maintenance. Like others have said, enjoy the smokes and don't worry too much about the exact humidity, just aim for a stable system.

sammis.

[Fat Freddy]

Gosh, thanks to all for the warm welcomes!

I will switch to beads as soon as my activator solution runs out. I'm cheap. I received my small humidifier and solution in the mail this afternoon and installed in my humidor. I have a wireless thermometer/hygrometer (actually stole the indoor sensor from my home weather station) and I've been rock-steady at 70.5 degrees and 67% for several hours now.

So here's a question for you all - there are 65% beads and 70% beads, has anyone been anal enough to mix their own blend, say equal amounts of each for a 67.5% RH?

[mithril]

Coolador and Beads,
Is all you Needs!!!!!


Oh and welcome to the forum!

[cigar no baka]

Ditto on the humidification beads, I use them and they work perfectly,.

Love your avatar and name, I was just a kid when Fat Freddy's cat comix were out, but I got my hands on some anyway. I was such a bad boy, and still am!

[bigwhiteash]

So here's a question for you all - there are 65% beads and 70% beads, has anyone been anal enough to mix their own blend, say equal amounts of each for a 67.5% RH?

I read somewhere of a very detailed experiment of just such a mixture of beads, as I recall, it didn't really work out the way you would imagine.

That said, I find most cigars smoke best (my opinion), at 65%. some say 70% is better if you plan to AGE cigars, but I have had far fewer burn issues keeping them at slightly lower humidity. Anyway, my collection is not really large enough to consider them "aging"... aside from a precious few rare "collectible" cigars, they're all going to meet a fiery doom one day


~Dennis

[Fat Freddy]

I read somewhere of a very detailed experiment of just such a mixture of beads, as I recall, it didn't really work out the way you would imagine.~Dennis

Yeah, now that I think about it, having a mixture of beads wouldn't work. I think what would happen is the 65% beads would be sucking up the mosture that the 70% were giving off, until the 70% were depleted and the 65% were saturated. After that the 65% would win.

[mrtr33]

Someone at my local B&M told me he prefers keeping his humidor at 68%, because he likes his cigars with more smoke, leading me to believe that a drier cigar does just that. Ever hear of that, or any truth to that?

[bigwhiteash]

I seem to have fewer burn/draw issues @ 65%, I would think a slightly drier leaf would produce more smoke. not something I've noticed though