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New Cigar smoker looking for some advice

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying a nice smoke. So I decided to quit smoking cigarettes and try my hand at cigars I went ahead and ordered one of those 20 dollar deals from cigars international with a humidor and 10 cigars. So far it has been 2 weeks since my last cigarette and and a couple of cigars smoked. Now the advice I am looking for is from some desert smokers at what humidity do you usually keep your cigars at so far I am finding my cigars are burning well between 62-65 percent humidity and I'm just curious what others are using in a really hot and low humidity climate to see what is working for them.
 
Welcome! And congrats on joining the Cigar Mob! As a former long time AZ resident, I found it to be extremely difficult to maintain a decent humidity level in my humidors. Opinions vary as I am sure you are about to find out.:lol:

As for me, this is what I have found:

Cuban Cigars tend to like a lower humidity level. As a general rule of thumb, I keep the RH at 65% for my Cubans.

All others tend to behave better will a little more moisture. I would say around 67 to 70% RH. When the humidity levels get too high, say 72 to 75% you run a greater risk of mold and the dreaded Tobacco Beetle. If you have infested stogies, they will rear their little heads when the RH is to their liking.

A good way to avoid the dreaded Tobacco Beetle is the double wrap your smokes in plastic Zip-Loc bags (the Freezer Bags work best) and freeze them for a minimum of 48 hours. Then it is best to take them from the freezer and put them in the fridge for two days to reduce the shock before bringing them to room temp.

This is what I do. And it has worked wonders for me. A lot of people don't freeze their stogies and have never had a problem. That is awesome. But I am not willing to take that chance when I spend a bunch of money on some cigars.

Just my $0.02. Have fun. Remember, smoke what you like and like what you smoke!
 
Living in AZ as well, I feel your pain - I usually keep my sticks anywhere from 64 to 70% as the humidity in the humidors will fluctuate a lot here, between our dry environment, and the extreme heat.

I keep my house at 75 to 77 degrees year round, and I have not had any probs with mold or beetles.
 
Thanks for the advice so far gents! By any chance are the bovida packs worth investing in?
 
Thanks for the advice so far gents! By any chance are the bovida packs worth investing in?


You are welcome and yes. They are worth it in my opinion. There is no fool proof humidification method, especially in AZ. The humidity levels will fluctuate. The trick is to keep your humidor out of direct sunlight as well as away from fans, heating/ac ducts etc. I'm not saying you have to hide your humidor in a closet. Just be mindful of the air flow around the area where you put it. This should help stabilize the humidity some what.
 
Listen to these guys.

They're giving you sage advice, especially since they live in the exact same climate. Nothing to add, but very happy that a fellow wet shaver has found another of the manly arts. I did it in reverse, but still happy I found that both provide relaxation and a great addition to my lifestyle.

At the beginning, I kept asking questions, because unlike shaving cigar smoking is a costly endeavor (seek out one of the many great cigar forums). Logically, I keep asking why am I paying so much for a hobby that upon completion I have nothing to show, but smoke and ash. I rarely say that after I finish the night with a great shower, great shave and a good smoke.

Best of luck going forward .
 
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Yup, another Arizona cigar smoker here. I think your on the money. If my humidors are at 70%, I get uneven burn and sometimes splitting wrappers. I dropped my Zixar pucks and have gone to using just one of the Drymistat tubes in each humi(both desk top 40 cnts). It means I end up rewatering more often, but it keeps my sticks at about 65-67% which results in a perfect cigar for me.
 
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So I decided to order some Bovida packs on your recommendations I should be getting them soon I went with the 65 percent ones since that is the best humidity I have found to keep the cigars from tunneling or having burn issues
 
If I can ask Kcore, what part of Arizona are you in? Always nice to meet, relative, locals here on the B & B.
 
any Don Pepin Garcia product. Cigars are much much better with some age on them, so a capable humidor is crucial to smoking the best cigars. a cigar with age on it is a completely different experience then one wet of the truck
 
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