I've been using the Heartfelt 65% beads in in place of the foam in the humidifier that came with my humidor to maintain my cigars with no issues for the past few months. When the weather got cooler, I noticed that the beads were drying out more quickly and that the humidity was dropping down to about 63%, so I added two additional small nylon filled bags of beads to help maintain the desired 65% humidity -- which I monitor with a Caliber III digital hygrometer. Today I pulled a cigar out that felt properly firm, but when I commenced to smoke, the draw was difficult and I noticed that the cigar felt spongy right below the lit end. I thought I just had a poorly packed cigar, so I took another out, but it was the same. The hygrometer reads 64%, but is it possible that my cigars are too wet? I'm a novice at cigar storage and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Cigar Storage Question/Problem
- Thread starter squirrel_nut_zipper
- Start date
TheShaun
Bejeweled
Everything sounds good to me. Perhaps those cigars need more resting time.
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
I doubt that you are over humidified. The beads are designed to absorb moisture when the humidity goes above 65%, I have been using the beads for the past 4 years and threw away my hydrometer because the beads did all the work. If you are still having problems with the cigars, take them out of the humidor a couple hours or a day before you want to smoke them and they will dry up a little more.
The only thing i can think of is maybe your hygrometer is off. When you got it did you do a salt test on it or a calibration test. im using the xikar clear round rh bead filled humidifier bought it a few days ago.If the cigars are not of a real high quality like if they are seconds or a brand like quorum then it could be your smokes themselves. have you ever had that stogie before from a humidor? if not then the draw on the cigar maybe stiff i would go buy one cigar from my local humidor to compare it to
- Thread starter
- #5
I'm using a Caliber III hygrometer, which to my understanding requires no adjustments, nor can it be adjusted. My readings are typically between 63% and 66% humidity, so no drastic swings. The cigars in there are Punch Uppercut Toros which are the only brand I smoke, and they have been in this humidor for about six weeks. These Uppercuts were purchased from JR Cigar, but I have also purchased from a local shop, and they smoke the same, and, as I said in my original post, they have been fine until yesterday. What really baffles me is that they felt properly firm before lighting, but then the sponginess developed after I lit them. After extinguishing the first funky stick and letting it cool, it went back to feeling firm.
If excessive moisture is the problem, it really doesn't look like it because the wrappers are tight, the cigars feel firm, and the bands are easy to slide off.
Yea your baffling me. I have and adjustable digital hygrometer called the hygroset i believe i have hygorset II runs bout 20 bucks( ebay) more other places when shipping is factored. Extremely accurate as is yours but it is recommended every 6 months to check the accuracy of it with a cal kit or a salt test, cal kit much more accurate salt test much cheaper. I have had one feel softer and oilier after being lit but it drew amazingly.....but i know someone who might know whats wrong i can refer you too if you pm me and he may know what is wrong.
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How long have you had the cigars and where were they stored before you got them? The reading you've quotes shouldn't account for an overly moist cigar. If you cigar has too much moisture in it, then it could have been like that when you put it in the humidifier. If that's the case, you'll need to give them time to dry out to the level of the humidifier
- Thread starter
- #8
Thanks. I removed the extra beads to see if maybe it is a case of too much moisture, so if this situation doesn't right itself in about a week, I'll hit you up.
The cigars have been in my humidor for about six weeks, and prior to that were in cellophane-sealed Spanish cedar boxes that were shipped from JR Cigar. I guess it's possible that the extra beads I put in pushed the humidity too high, but it only spiked to about 68% initially, then settled back down to the 65% that the beads should be maintaining.
Interestingly, I pulled a couple out last Saturday and they smoked fine and the hygrometer was reading 63% humidity when I took the bad ones out yesterday. There are two boxes in my humidor that were ordered at different times and maybe one of them was bad. I sure hope not because I didn't separate them because I didn't think there would be a need to.
Honestly, I've never had any issues with cigars smoking poorly even at 70%RH. Which is where I always kept my humis until I was taught otherwise. 68% should not have given you any draw issues. It's right in line with where you should be.
You should still do the salt test on your hygrometer, even though it's not adjustable. It's good to know if it's off a little bit, which even the finest hygrometers can be.
You should still do the salt test on your hygrometer, even though it's not adjustable. It's good to know if it's off a little bit, which even the finest hygrometers can be.
As a longtime bead user, I'd say there are only two possibilities, other than salt testing your hygro (NEVER trust an uncalibrated hygro no matter what the mfg. says about it) to consider here:
1. Over-spritzing your beads. The only way calibrated beads can overhumidify is if you overwater them. More beads won't cause this, but more water than the beads can handle might, no matter what your hygrometer says. About 20% of your beads should remain opaque after wetting, and personally, I only spritz AFTER I've removed my night's smoke, so that the remaining cigars have 24 hours to stabilize.
2. Local atmospheric conditions. If your humidor is stable, the problem may be ambient moisture outside the humidor, i.e., while smoking. Cooler temps don't usually cause this, at least not this early in the year, but if it's been damp in your locale lately, that can definitely have an effect on your stogies.
NANP
1. Over-spritzing your beads. The only way calibrated beads can overhumidify is if you overwater them. More beads won't cause this, but more water than the beads can handle might, no matter what your hygrometer says. About 20% of your beads should remain opaque after wetting, and personally, I only spritz AFTER I've removed my night's smoke, so that the remaining cigars have 24 hours to stabilize.
2. Local atmospheric conditions. If your humidor is stable, the problem may be ambient moisture outside the humidor, i.e., while smoking. Cooler temps don't usually cause this, at least not this early in the year, but if it's been damp in your locale lately, that can definitely have an effect on your stogies.
NANP
- Thread starter
- #11
Roger that -- I don't trust anything. This is why I got what's supposed to be a good quality hygrometer even though I'm using what is considered to be a fail-proof method of humidification.
I'll do a salt test tonight to make sure the hygrometer is reading correctly. Thanks for all the input, guys.
- Thread starter
- #12
I performed an overnight salt test and, assuming I did it correctly, showed that my hygrometer is -7%, which I had difficulty believing, so I took the salt out and put some 65% beads in the bag and it now reads 64%. Now I'm really baffled. It seems everybody swears by the accuracy of the salt test, and also by the fail-proof capability of the beads to the point of ditching their hygrometers altogether. How can I be -7% one way and only -1% the other? But irregardless of the hygrometer readings, the beads should be controlling the environment anyway, right?
All I want is a non-spongy easy drawing cigar to relax with.
All I want is a non-spongy easy drawing cigar to relax with.
yea the beads should be. i just have got my first set of beads. The weather in lower alabama where i live right on the florida line is so strange right now though its like 38 in the morning and 78 in the afternoon and 49 at night. Im using the xikar puck for 50 count with madeline solution. It sitting at 72% and i cant get it to taper off yet but have only had it in there for 2 days so i dont know if its the weather or what but i cant get it down to 70%.
because the salt test is not as accurate as a calibration kit which i do believe uses rh beads.. Its probably not 7% off when i did the salt test i did it for 9 hours and it said it was 4 off. you do know on a salt test the reading should be 75% right so you may be only off 2% instead of 7 i think i forgot to mention the 75% thing to you..
I, like many other BOTL, am a big fan of having an accurate hygrometer, but sometimes I think we put too much emphasis on the hygrometer reading and not enough on our feel/taste reading. I think a lot of the fun with cigars is experimenting and adjusting the storage to get your sticks just right for your tastes. If you say your cigars feel spongy, then experiment a little to get them back to where you like them.
I believe the website says that yours is a 2 level shelf humidor. Maybe try moving your sticks to the bottom level, away from the humidity source. I have found a huge difference in the amount of moisture between my cigars on the top and bottom levels. I now keep any cello wrapped cigars on the top shelf (the cello offers a barrier from the humidifier) and naked cigars on the bottom level.
I do believe that the ambient climate does affect the storage, and a bit of tweaking is usually needed as the temperature and humidity drops. Like I said, I don't mind this at all and actually enjoy messing around with it. Good luck Bro.
I believe the website says that yours is a 2 level shelf humidor. Maybe try moving your sticks to the bottom level, away from the humidity source. I have found a huge difference in the amount of moisture between my cigars on the top and bottom levels. I now keep any cello wrapped cigars on the top shelf (the cello offers a barrier from the humidifier) and naked cigars on the bottom level.
I do believe that the ambient climate does affect the storage, and a bit of tweaking is usually needed as the temperature and humidity drops. Like I said, I don't mind this at all and actually enjoy messing around with it. Good luck Bro.
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- #15
I did know this and I chalked up my reading to an inaccurate test.
+1 on tweaking the smokes to meet one's individual tastes, and I really don't trip on my hygrometer's slight fluctuations, I go by how my sticks smoke. I agree with you about the ambient temperature, and since cooler weather is drier, was the reason I added some extra beads. By the way, my cigars are all cello wrapped and I store them in the bottom.
I smoked one yesterday and it was excellent -- slow and even burn, easy draw, and smooth, rich flavor (I had forgotten to mention that the flavor was also a little off on the bad sticks). I'm chalking this problem up to a little too much moisture caused by those two extra bags of beads. Even though my hygrometer said I was in an acceptable range, they behaved like damp smokes.
good to see you got it figured out.
